Beating the Dolphins in Week 12 rests on the shoulders of Drake Maye

When it comes to houses of horrors for the Patriots, one should look no further than Miami. Even in the heyday of New England's Tom Brady-engineered dynasty, the Patriots' struggles to win in South Florida have been paramount. Heading into Sunday's game at Hard Rock Stadium, the Patriots have not won there since 2019, Brady's last year in Foxboro.

When Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion earlier this season, Miami's season looked like it was heading nowhere, but the Dolphins' quarterback is now healthy, and Miami has an outside shot at making a playoff push.

The Patriots, meanwhile, sit at 3-8 after last week's loss to the Rams in which the defense played uninspiring in letting Matthew Stafford and company walk up and down the field.

The statistics and the history of New England's failures in Miami will tell you that the Patriots have no chance for an upset, but on any given Sunday, anything can happen. And if the Patriots do a few things right, they can spoil Miami's playoff push.

3 keys to beating the Miami Dolphins in Week 12

1. Let Maye be the head chef

It's clearer than a July day in the Bahamas that Maye is the best player on this team. The lack of weapons around him often reminds me of the early days of Michael Jordan's time with the Chicago Bulls.

Maye has thrown for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in seven games, and for the Patriots to beat Miami, he must be allowed to cook. I'm not saying he should throw 50 passes in the South Florida heat, but if the Patriots win, Maye will be the number one reason why.

2. Can the coaches make good decisions?

I will go on record as saying offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has done a solid job of protecting Maye and calling plays that allow him to be successful. However, there have been times when Van Pelt and Jerod Mayo have made fans and media alike shake their heads.

When healthy, Miami's offense is capable of putting up video game numbers. You're not going to beat these guys kicking field goals. If you have fourth-and-short deep in Dolphins' territory, be aggressive and go for it.

3. The defense has to be better

The Patriots' defense let the rest of the team down against the Rams. Matthew Stafford threw for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns in L.A.'s win in Foxboro. The unit needs to be better against Tagovailoa and can't let Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have any sort of space.

Zero-blitzing a guy like Tugovailo, who can run and has fast receivers in Hill and Waddle, is a recipe for disaster. For New England to have a shot, the defense has to be somewhat respectable.

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