After their own mistakes led to a disappointing loss to the Bears last week, the Patriots are set to take on the Dolphins on Sunday and hope to make it a clean sweep of the division through the first two months of the season.
It's a game that has historically been difficult for them, even when Bill Belichick and Tom Brady led the way. But with all the changes the Dolphins have made and will continue to undergo, they go into this matchup with a 1-6 record, and the Patriots need to capitalize on it.
Nearly every analyst has the Patriots getting the win, and on paper, that's exactly how it should go, even if the offense will still be without some of their biggest playmakers.
While the Dolphins hope to carry forward the momentum from last week's win over the Jets, their defense isn't expected to make much of an impact on Drake Maye. If they can't disrupt his rhythm, they have almost no chance of adding to their win total this weekend.
Looking at the most telling statistic, just six sacks in seven games, it looks like the offensive line is likely to keep their quarterback upright and let him sling the football wherever he wants.
Drake Maye should have no issue against the Dolphins defense, as long as his offensive line plays well
With zero sacks in their last four games, it's easy to imagine the defense will be more determined than ever to change that when the Patriots come to Miami on Sunday. Whether that works is yet to be seen, but Maye is fortunate to have an offensive line that has kept defenders at bay impressively in recent weeks.
In the last three games against the Raiders, Jets, and Bears, the quarterback has been sacked only 3 times for 14 yards, and those were against some of the league's best pass rushers.
Although he's dealing with a lot of pressure, especially last week when he was pressured on 42% of his pass attempts in Chicago, and the offensive line is filled with backups due to injuries, Maye has been able to overcome the obstacle and has performed at a higher level than he did at the start of the season.
He's avoided creating turnovers, whether fumbling or throwing interceptions, and a lot of that has to do with feeling less rushed from an inconsistent offensive line. Their protection has been more reliable over the past month, even with multiple starters out, and that will be key to victory on Sunday.
Fortunately, Maye is about to face a team with the least pressure in the league, which should help his performance. Although it might be an easier day for the offensive line, they cannot let the Dolphins have their best game yet just because they overlooked them.
It's another chance for the quarterback to stay on track and improve his performance while getting the offense even more on the same page. The question is whether that's with A.J. Brown or not, and whether Ben Brown and Marcus Bryant will return to the lineup.
We'll just have to wait and see.
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