The Phinsider
The Miami Dolphins visit the New England Patriots on Sunday, the first of the two annual meetings between the AFC East rivals. We get a closer look at New England with some Pats Pulpit assistance.
The Miami Dolphins visit the New England Patriots in Week 5, the first of the annual home-and-home series between the AFC East division rivals. Things are different with New England this year as they head into the first season without Bill Belichick as the team’s head coach since 1999. As Jerod Mayo puts his stamp on the Patriots, what can we expect to see on Sunday?
I turned to Taylor Kyles from SB Nation’s Patriots team site, Pats Pulpit, to get a better picture of who are the 2024 Patriots. You can head over to Pats Pulpit to see my half of the conversation.
Jerod Mayo has tried to empower players and lead with more empathy than Bill Belichick did. Of course, the results haven’t been great thus far, but players have supported him wholeheartedly and seem to understand the situation New England is in.
Whether that continues if the team continues losing is anyone’s guess, though.
Evan actually walked back his comments, and players vehemently pushed back against that idea. I’d also agree that it’s too soon to say things are falling apart when the potential future face of the franchise, Drake Maye, hasn’t played a meaningful snap.
That said, Jacoby Brissett has disappointed. He’s in an impossible spot with a different offensive line every week, and he’s taken some massive hits. Still, he hasn’t been throwing to open receivers and is giving the offense very little production downfield. The veteran also committed an uncharacteristic five turnover-worthy plays last week.
Defensively, quarterbacks have been able to get outside of the pocket and extend plays every week. They did a better job after a rough first drive against the 49ers, but they haven’t faced anyone close to Tyler Huntley athletically. The dual threat will be a big challenge for their defensive front.
