Dolphins bring NFL's top-ranked offense into Week 2 matchup with division rival Patriots

MIAMI (1-0) at NEW ENGLAND (0-1)

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EDT, NBC

OPENING LINE: Dolphins by 2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

SERIES RECORD: Dolphins lead 60-55.

LAST MEETING: Patriots beat Dolphins 23-21 on Jan. 1, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Miami 1-0; New England 0-1.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (27), PASS (1), SCORING (3).

DOLPHINS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (32), PASS (19), SCORING (29).

PATRIOTS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (23), PASS (4), SCORING (T-15).

PATRIOTS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (T-18), PASS (10), SCORING (T-24).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Dolphins minus-2; Patriots minus-1.

DOLPHINS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Tyreek Hill. After getting 215 yards on 11 catches with two TDs, Hill should be every team’s priority when game-planning for the Dolphins. He is fast, athletic, and gives teams trouble with his ability to get separation. Only two other players — Frank Clarke and Anquan Boldin — have totaled more yards receiving in a Week 1 game.

PATRIOTS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Kendrick Bourne. He tied a career high with two touchdown catches last week against the Eagles and tied for the team lead with six catches for 64 yards. Those aren’t gaudy numbers, but it is huge for a player that wasn’t highly utilized in the game plan last season. Bourne will look to become the first Patriots player since Rob Gronkowski in 2012 with back-to-back, two-touchdown receiving games.

KEY MATCHUP: Dolphins receivers vs. Patriots secondary. The combination of Hill and Jaylen Waddle (four catches for 78 yards in Week 1 vs. Chargers) will be a test for the back half of New England’s defense. Expect Patriots rookie CB Christian Gonzalez to be targeted by the speedy veteran duo. Fellow CB Jonathan Jones, who led New England with 11 pass breakups last season, had one of his team-high four INTs against Miami.

KEY INJURIES: Dolphins LT Terron Armstead missed the opener with back, ankle and knee injuries. Armstead returned to practice Wednesday in a red non-contact jersey, and his status for Sunday is up in the air. … RB Raheem Mostert did not practice Wednesday with a knee injury. The Dolphins are already without RB Jeff Wilson Jr., who will miss at least the first four games with midsection and finger injuries.. … Patriots LT Trent Brown and RG Sidy Sow began the week in the concussion protocol. LG Cole Strange and WR DeVante Parker, who both sat out the opener with knee injuries, were limited to open the week. RG Mike Onwenu (ankle) also began the week limited after missing the opener.

SERIES NOTES: This will be the fourth Sunday night meeting between the teams and first in New England. The Dolphins have won two of three, including the most recent in 1991. … The Patriots hold a 38-19 regular-season record against the Dolphins in New England (17-4 at Gillette Stadium). … Miami beat New England for the first time in Gillette Stadium in the final game of the 2005 season. .. The teams have met three times in the playoffs, with the Patriots winning twice.

STATS AND STUFF: The teams split the 2022 series, with each team winning at home. … This will be Miami’s third appearance on "Sunday Night Football" in the past two seasons. … The previous time Miami won Sunday night games in consecutive seasons was 2003-04. … The Dolphins had 536 total yards last week — the most yards in a Week 1 game since Baltimore had 643 yards in 2019. … QB Tua Tagovailoa is 4-0 in starts against the Patriots. … Tagovailoa was the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after passing for 466 yards and three TDs against the Chargers. It was the fourth-most passing yards by an NFL QB in a Week 1 game. … Hill leads the NFL with 18 receptions of 50-plus yards since he entered the league in 2016. …Hill has 550 yards receiving on 36 catches with 5 TDs in six games against the Patriots. … Miami’s defense is ranked 32nd against the run after giving up 234 yards rushing in Week 1. … LB Jaelan Phillips needs 6 1/2 sacks to become the 28th player and first Dolphins to have at least seven sacks in each of his first three NFL seasons since it became an official stat in 1982. ... It will be the first time that Patriots TE Mike Gesicki faces his former team. The Dolphins drafted Gesicki in the second round in 2018. … Since Bill Belichick became coach in 2000, the Patriots are 27-19 against the Dolphins. … Since 2000, the Patriots are 102-40 (.718) against AFC East opponents. … TE Hunter Henry had five catches for 56 yards and a TD last week. ... LB Josh Uche had a sack last week and has a sack in each of the Patriots past four games at home. ... QB Mac Jones completed career-high 35 of 54 passes for 316 yards, three TDs and an INT in Week 1 loss to Philadelphia. It was his fifth 300-yard game and the most completions by any quarterback last week. He had two TD passes in the previous meeting and has a 95.5 rating in four starts against the Dolphins. ... RB Rhamondre Stevenson led the team with 89 scrimmage yards (64 receiving, 25 rushing) with six catches last week. ... RB Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 125 yards in his only game against Miami (Sept. 22, 2019 with Dallas). ... WR Kendrick Bourne had six catches for 64 yards and two TDs last week. He was one of five receivers in the NFL with two receiving TDs in Week 1. ... CB Christian Gonzalez had seven tackles, a sack and pass breakup last week in his NFL debut. It tied for the second-most tackles among rookies in Week 1.

FANTASY TIP: Patriots LB Matt Judon got his first sack of the season in Week 1. In each of the past two seasons he’s had at least one sack in each of New England’s first five games.

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