The Jets and Bills are not the only AFC East foes facing off in week two. The Miami Dolphins will be making the trip up to Foxborough to take on the Tom Brady-less New England Patriots. Both teams were expected to lose their opening match-up, but one of the two lost at the very end of their game while the other pulled out a victory. The Dolphins were in Seattle and led late in the game, until a Doug Baldwin touchdown cost the Dolphins the win, as they lost 12-10 in what was one of the uglier games of week one. Meanwhile, the Patriots went into Arizona without Brady or star tight end Rob Gronkowski and still were able to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 23-21.
The Dolphins would have some serious talent on offense, even if it did not show in week one. Ryan Tannehill has the skills to be a solid NFL quarterback, and he has weapons in the form of Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills (who can be hit or miss), and running back Arian Foster. The team was without potential breakout wide receiver DeVante Parker, who was dealing with a hamstring injury but was held out because of a coaches decision.
It is unclear if Parker will be playing in week two. The team’s defense was able to hold the Seahawks to a mere 12 points, so the unit is apparently capable of stepping up when they need to. The offense is what is going to help them win games most games, but the defense is not all that bad.
As for the Patriots, the fate of Gronkowski is yet to be determined for the game. But the Patriots proved last week they do not need him to pull out a W, even if Brady is also missing from game action. The team has plenty of under the radar receivers who can step up and produce, and the team can also run the ball a bit as well. The defense can be strong at times as well but wore down a bit as the game went on against the Cardinals. From an overall talent standpoint, the Patriots are certainly the better team.
But the same thing was said in the Dolphins game last week, who were expected to lose to Seattle by at least 10 points. The Dolphins controlled most of the game, and could have easily walked away a winner. Now they enter another hostile road environment, and many are writing this off as a simple win for the Pats. But if the Dolphins offense can take that step up like I feel they are capable of, this is going to be a game. The Patriots are coming off a big win in a game they were expected to lose. So with the law of averages, it would not surprise me to see them lose to Miami. This one will be closer than most expect. I do not have a great feel for how high scoring it will turn out to be, but my gut says the defenses will play solid games.
Line: NE -6.5, O/U: 41.5
Pick: Dolphins and the under
Result: NE 31 – Mia 24, Patriots and the over
For a full list of this week’s spreads and over/under, make sure you check out our NFL week two master-sheet right here!