After a Week 1 disappointment against the Raiders, the Patriots are now preparing for their first divisional game of the season against the Dolphins. They're fortunately getting one of the tougher games on the schedule over with early on, as they will be playing in Miami on Sunday, and couldn't be going against them at a better time.
The Colts absolutely demolished the Dolphins last week, embarrassing the team whose head coach is in a scorching hot seat as it is. That makes this upcoming match-up a must-win for them, too, which could make it a tougher outing for the Patriots if that extra motivation for the Dolphins gives them a big boost.
Based on what we saw against the Raiders, however, there's a good chance the defense will have a field day with a very injured Miami offense. They have a depleted offensive line, with a newly added Cole Strange to be getting the start already, and that could be the defining factor in how the Patriots can get the win.
At the same time, though, Mike Vrabel just announced they will likely be down their defensive coordinator, which is certainly far from ideal heading into a marquee matchup.
The Patriots could be down a crucial coach on Sunday, which is terrible timing for a must-win game
The defense was one of the more noteworthy takeaways from Sunday's loss, especially the impressive performances by Harold Landry III and Milton Williams.
The hope is that they will continue to build upon that going into Week 2, but it might be a little sketchy knowing that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams might not be there to call the plays.
Mike Vrabel announces DC Terrell Williams will be away from the team for a few days for something health-related that is not connected to his absence in the spring.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) September 10, 2025
Vrabel and ILBs coach Zak Kuhr are working together to lead the defense. pic.twitter.com/wrHMGJgbXA
Obviously, health comes first, and hopefully, Williams will be fine. It's important that he deals with whatever is going on properly, and we wish him the best.
But we also have to hope that his replacement over the next few days, Zak Kuhr, will be a solid replacement and ready to go on Sunday if needed. The Dolphins were unable to do anything successfully against the Colts, so there's no reason for the Patriots not to be able to expose that after their defensive line's performance against a much more talented Raiders team.
It would be a shame to see any sort of setback because of Williams' absence. It would be even more impressive if that didn't seem to have any negative impact on their production.