Dolphins Patriots Week 17 Preview

Wingfield begins. Now let me check your pulse if not far of what is up? Dolphins? And welcome to the Drivetime podcast, part of the Miami Dolphins podcast network, covering your team nor Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I

am your host, Travis Wingfield. And on today's show, Thursday Preview Day, we take a look at the New England Patriots for the second time this season, to tape the stats where they've grown since that Week one game, the three keys to Victory, What's at stake, and the week seventeen NFL picks from the Baptist Health Studios. Inside the Baptist Health training Complex. This is the Drive Time podcast. Here we go, heading into a familiar venue with everything

on the line. Sort of. It's been a rough month and the guys can partially at least exercise those demons with a big win on a trip to the postseason, likely with the win per the New York Times Playoffs simulator with a victory on Sunday, and could conceivably punch our ticket to the playoffs as early as seven thirty ish on Sunday evening, depending on what happens in Seattle, and enter the New England Patriots, arguably the most heated arrival for the Dolphins going back a couple of decades now,

and we've turned the tide with recent success four straight wins, five of six, and we know about these Patriots, dominant for two decades, six rings, nine conference titles, and annual resident vasion in the a SC title game for what was it eight years in a row. The season never really began for them until Division Round weekend. Then they have a down year and returned right back to the

postseason last season. And if they can beat a pair of teams who have given them fits the last couple of years, Miami and Buffalo seven consecutive losses to both of those teams. If they can beat those teams back to back, they'll get right back into the postseason when it seemed like the year was lost several times over earlier.

This season is an organization that has always retooled via the draft, but a team who took a d tour from that approach one and went absolutely nanners and free agency, and that's a good bulk of their team right now. They also got their quarterback from that same year's draft class, and he had another good class this time around the Patriots did. They're a young team. They still run the ball really will, they still play really smart, sound, fundamental football.

They're still solid in the trenches, and they play really good defense, and apparently they drafted the second coming of Troy Brown in terms of a versatile two way player in Marcus Jones. The one thing that doesn't pair with what they've done or been for years is the offensive strategy.

Josh McDaniels leaves to Las Vegas, and it's been a struggle to put together any consistency or identity on offense this season, and if we're without our quarterback, it's going to be incumbent on the defense to hammer that point home. A defense that held the same team to seven points and scored seven of its own or six and the p a t back on opening Day. We need that

this week? Can we get it? Let's find out Dolphins offense first, Patriots defense, and of course the quarterback versus the safety position, and just general offense and defensive talking points. I don't think you'll find two more similar types of systems on tape, and Josh Boyer said as much earlier this year talking about the similarities from the Dolphins defense and the Patriots defense, so you kind of know what

to expect there. Of course, each team in each game will take on its own individual identity, but generally speaking, heavy man principles, lots of odd fronts, you know, bear fronts with Judean and j attacking the two point stance from that quase a five to look, it's a defense that disguises really well, they communicate really well, they draft, pay, treat players right for that secondary. And but that we mean tough, smart, physical, good tacklers who can run and

play to the system. Whoever the quarterback is from Miami. I think you point to the Bengals tape. Joe Burrow was patient and took what was given and put together drive after driving that first half. Now again, this is where the Patriots are tough, because they made halftime adjustments and they buckled down in that second half, and not only did they give their team a chance to mount the comeback, they began it with the scoring on a long pick six. Where I thought Burrow was most successful

in that game was finding the backs on checkdowns. The Patriots love to stay in that too high look up until you get to the high red zone where they convert to more press man coverage. But I also liked how the Bengals would get too empty from really any formation, and if the Patriots stayed too high, then Burrow would anticipate middle of the field throws because you're too high. Structure has the middle of the field open tech most of the times, and it wasn't about ripping it or

jamming it in there. He was throwing with layered touch and timing to make explosive play like the touchdown to Trenton Irwin was a great example on a ball that man to hits that type of thrill all the time, and I was watching that game obviously before our game on Sunday, Thinking too has a chance to really kind of put some numbers up in this one. We'll see

what happens if it's To or Teddy. But my keys for either patients make them come up and tackle on the perimeters and run the football against favorable looks, anticipate. They almost never blitz To when he's in the lineup. Now, I'm not sure that looks like for Teddy, but it makes some tight windows against seven and sometimes eight man coverages. It's kind of how they funnel together all those picks by staying patient and and really taking advantage with quarterbacks.

Get impatient. You have to be right, you have to be precise, and you must anticipate against this defense. If they do camp out in that too high structure, Miami is gonna have to find some success on the ground. You do not want to allow them to dial up their pressure scheme on third and longs. One coverage that is slowly building popularity around the league is that two men, two high safeties UH cover a deep half each and then underneath man cover ridge with a lot of times

press coverage. It's a tough defense to pass against, but it opens up running lane avenues, and we saw it some that Green Bay game in Miami had a bunch of success in the first half run of the football in that game. I liked how Miami got to some empty looks last week against that look with their spread looks. Kind of a similar conversion for the Bengals and Patriots game, and then obviously in that first half the running game

was absolutely cooking. But it's not the same scheme, but there are similar similarities in terms of the heavy use of dime extra defensive backs and forcing the offenses to play patient. If you're talking about Packers and Patriots. The thing the Patriots do really well as limit explosive plays. We got you know, we've been getting those every game now. Shoot, going back to I guess the Cleveland Houston game didn't really have long explosive plays. But the thing the Patriots

do well is stopped that. We got them on that fourth down back in Week one, but that was really it in that game, the Waddle touchdown. That makes red zone execution absolutely paramount. Let's look at some numbers here. They blitz twenty three point two percent of the time. They've kind of gotten with you know more modern style of approach, the middle of the pack boitzing percentage, that's

fifteenth most in the NFL. They pressure twenty four point seven percent of the time, that's the most, are tied for the most in the National Football League. So it's a big challenge. They've got rushers for days. We need to avoid negatives, turnovers and big sacks on those plays because they will get in and you're gonna have to accept the fact that you're gonna have to eat some

sacks on some place. These games are always rock fights, right The seven score in Week one was the biggest differential since week to nineteen when they blew the doors off of us. They're usually seventeen sixteen type of games in the NFL. Feature features an average of just over

twenty two possessions per game for both teams. These teams have averaged six team possessions possessions possessions per game among the two teams over the last five meetings, none more than seventeen, none fewer than fifteen, right at your average eight possessions per game per team. So avoiding negatives because every drive is critical in these games. Winning in the fine margins, you know, hidden yardage and special teams and penalties and things of that nature. Those are big, big keys.

This week. I mentioned the red zone importance earlier, a little bit of a departure from the norm. Just fifteenth and red zone defense for the Patriots at fifty five point six percent stop rate on third downs. Again, if you can win in those areas and special teams and protect the football, you'll get out of here with a victory. Personnel wise, thirty four they go eight point three percent. Forty three is one point three percent. Again, it's like

our defense in a lot of ways, sent Nickel. But this is different than what we've been in past years. But of course Miami has like forty five injuries. In the secondary, they play twice seven percent dime. We don't do anywhere near that. They play quarter two point two percent, have a handful of snaps and half dollar and dollar. It's eight and nine dbs in the field their pre snap structure. They've ran twenty one place from cover zero.

They've ran fifty percent of their place from cover from single high should say, and then too high, and forty four percent at safety. The same dude who's been there forever, Devin mccordy, one of the best in the NFL, and then one of my favorite non players in the NFL. I know Sacrilege just had that about a Patriots player, but that just tells you how much I respect Kyle Dugger's game. He's a secret superstar man. That pick six he had against the Raiders is a microcosm of the

type of player that he is. Studious, twitchy, and a playmaker. Then their big nickel Adrian Phillips, who's played six hundred thirty four snaps this year. He's a terrific rat in the whole force defender type who can hang out in that hook and play the curl flat, essentially a buck linebacker type of role. This might be their best position group,

along with those edge rushers. Mccordy is thirty three snaps away from surpassing one thousand snaps played for the twelfth time in thirteen seasons, and the one year he didn't was when he played nine hundred and sixty snaps. He is as reliable as they come. He's played free safety on six hundred eighty nine of those snaps. He's your single high cover, one middle of the field player, and he will camp back there and try to pick off

those deep passes. So for Teddy, being accurate and precise and making sure he knows where thirty two is is a big key in this game. He's one of the best in the league man career passer rating against the eighty point eight thirty six career picks he's got three this year and a rating aloud of just eight seven point three. And in a league where it's you know, quarterbacks are going up in the high nineties. He never rushes, just two pass rush reps and only six run stops. Again,

he's typically ten yards off the football. Dougglers got two picks, one for a touchdown. He's got eight pressures on just twenty seven pass rush reps twenty three run stops. He's missed a little bit of time this year, so his snap counts are down, but he's just over four hundred snaps in the box onety one and the slot sixty three in the post. He's also given them forty nine snaps out wide. Adrian Phillips remember that pick that Fitzpatrick

threw back in the season opener. It was a great read and reacting the hook zone, fall into that that route concept and make the play. It's the kind of stuff that he does. It's kind of kind of a key to what they do in a lot of ways. His splits are spread across the board, so he's essentially

got a revolving job based upon the defensive call. They'll play him in the post on that third and long situations when they drop everybody hundred and seventy eight snaps there, three hundred down in the box, one in the slot, eighteen at corner will also cover up your tight end. So Smithing sicky kind of match up there for Phillips moving to our receivers and tight ends versus their corners. The safety group is full of grizzled vets. The cornerback

room is not. But man, you talk about a position group that has shown significant improvements since that week one meeting, And that's not meant to be like a slight at all because you want your rookies a show growth. But it just starts with Marcus Jones right in terms of going from one player week one to now who he is this year or this week. I should say he's the star of the group. Given his pensiont for big

plays in all three phases of the game. He's only played three snaps this year, but a hundred and fifty of those are the last three weeks. He's a starter now and the defense is better. For in those three games he's got two picks, two more pass breakups, and three run stops and only one touchdown allowed in coverage. He's literally keeping up with the Jones is because Jonathan Jones has been probably the best Patriots corner since Stefon

Gilmour left. He's almost exclusively a wide corner, just forty five snaps inside, which is consistent with a number of snaps a perimeter cornerback will go inside with twin packages and unbalanced formations, etcetera, etcetera. Another rookie, Jack Jones, He's played well recently too. It's really an entirely different secondary because you had so many rookies in their first career game and now they've taken big steps in a positive direction.

The numbers for these guys Jonathan fort four hundred thirty six yards, five touchdowns allowed, three picks, Jack Jones twenty thirty nine. That's a great percentage, three hundred and six yards. Some big plays there. He's aggressive, one touchdown, two picks, and then Marcus Jones twenty one for thirty two six yards. The explosive plays in these young corners are there. It's

kind of boom or bust, one touchdown, two picks. They play press and off, and of course the numbers tend to shift for this defense as much as any because they'll attack, you know, the team they're playing in a way that's unique to that team. They do have more capable corners than just those top three snaptakers. Jalen Mills started a bunch of games last year and especially against Miami. He's got four hundred and sixty eight snaps this season.

Miles Bryant has played just under six hundred snaps. It's a back to front defense. Like we mentioned, they used dbs substantially more than any other position group in terms of snaps played, and it shows it bears out right here against Bryant this year. Forty fifty three touchdowns and a pick, Mills three thirty three, two touchdowns and two picks. They all get picks. They're all versed in both man zone.

It's a good group. You can get yards and go and down the field on them, but they really clamp down the red zone, or they used to at least and I wish, I wish one was for sure playing offensive line defensive line. It gets even tougher here. Matt Judon leads the a FC with fifteen and a half sacks. He's second in the NFL, and man, he's got the whole package. Is a pass rusher, full arsenal of rush moves, counter speed, speed to power either side of the formation,

executing rush games. He's an elite player, and Josh j benefits from the fact that he's also a beast, but also the attention that Judeon commands. They'll operate from both sides of the formation. They'll loop inside a lot of the rushes built around their versatility and the ability to run so many games, but also just get pressure from the outside. Their very gap sound and they really have their gap integrity in line. And Frenny Jennings is a

player I like a lot. He's a nice depth piece who comes into sub packages even some base because of his ability with the run with that length in the shock that he has in the hands. Will also include Dietrich Wise here in this group. He's technically an edge, but he condenses inside and plays that nickel interior rush roll a lot when they get to those sub packages.

He's been a really good player for a long time, but he's having a bit of a breakout year here, evident by the numbers pressures and run stops him on that group. Jude On sixty five pressures, thirty four run stops, he is a production machine. Wise fifty pressures, twenty four run stops also very damn good, forty four pressures and nineteen run stops. And then Jennings nine and ten. Christian bar More inside, he's the complete package. He's so quick

off the football and plays behind his pads. He kind of reminds me of Christian Wilkins in a lot of ways in terms of his skill set. Next is Devon Gatco. We know about him, one of the best run stuffing defensive tackles in football. He typically comes off in pass rough situations when Wise kicks inside. Then another familiar face, not that he played here, but Dietrich Wise has been there forever. Likewise, I should say Lawrence Guy. We tried to get him a couple of years ago. I think

these guys play such a good gap control football. Among those players, pressures and run stops twelve and twelve for bar More, he was injured for a lot of the year, Gotchase thirteen and twenty seven and then guy Is seventeen and eighteen. For our guys standing on blocks and really trying to wipe out that first level. That first line of defense is so good at you know, stack shed

two gaps kind of like our guys. If you can swallow them up and get consistent staying on blocks, you'll spring guys into the second level and get those blockers and those linebackers. That's where Miami has to win this game. They've been good, good at it the last couple of weeks, staying on blocks in the Packer game, the Buffalo game, and not so much the second half of the Packer game, but staying on blocks and driving guys off of the

line and driving him off of gaps. If we can do that again this week, I think we have a chance to win the game. And that's where like Rob hunt breakout year comes into play. It's where Rob Jones hopefully can play one of his better games and Connor Williams get back on track. If those three guys can play like we know they can, Miami has a good shot here. Running back in linebacker Jawan Bentley was a three year captain at Notre Dame and a big hitter.

That's what he's been as a pro. He leads the team with thirty nine run stops, has six team pressures on just a hundred and eight pass rush reps. So he's a really good blitzer who can both get after the quarterback but also occupy blockers in a very meaningful way for his teammates. Running Backs don't like going up against him in past protection. His missed tackle percentage of just eight percent when you want to get him though,

is in past coverage. He's not a really good change of direction skill set, and that's a big part of why the Bengals were able to get underneath and just eat him up in that part of the field. They don't cover that portion of the field particularly will because the linebacker spot is a little bit of a vulnerability when it comes to coverage on those types of things.

July to Vy, Mack Wilson, and ray Kwan Davis all get snaps the deep position group and they fulfilled different types of roles, but they want to go with Bentley and more dbs and more of that front, so those guys don't play a whole bunch of snaps. When McMillan's in the game. You guys know about that, Like, he's a run defender, right, so throw at him too. That's kind of the approach there. Let's go ahead and take our first break and come back on the other side

and assess the Patriots offense first, the Dolphins defense. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. The final Thursday night football game of the season coming up tonight, Titans and Cowboys. What a bad one that is? It's been Primetime has been rough this year. Man. Let's go ahead and talk about a big game on Sunday though, Open Foxboro Dolphins and Patriots. Let's look at the Dolphins defense first. The Patriots offense

here um led by second year quarterback Mac Jones. The numbers have dropped from last year. The tape wasn't great early in the year. It's been a little bit better since then. He's really dialed some deep shots to a receiver corps that's just not built to consistently do that and stretch defenses in that manner. It's kind of been the saving grace of their offense to be honest with you. He throws a pretty good go ball to that boundary X receiver. He hit one against US in Week one

to Jacoby Myers. He throws a bunch of them to Devanta Parker. But we'll see if Deavanta plays this week. I don't know if you will. To me, max best trape is his ability to keep his eyes downfield against the rush and moved to new platforms and extend the clock long enough to get the football out. He gets the ball out in two point four eight seconds on average against the Blitz. So it's give or take because like, if he doesn't have that first read, you can take

it away. Man, you can light this dude up with a pass rush. He's not gonna move and be nimble to evade, you know, collapsing pockets. So to me, like keeping the pressure on him, however you have to do it is the key. You pressure him a bunch. It's gonna be a negative day for their offense, especially if you can stop the run and create those pressures on

obvious passing downs. But against the Blitz, he's fifty, so maybe you do go back to that Blitz heavy defense forty eighty just six yards per past two touchdowns, four picks. It's been awful. Not blitz seven point two yards per past, seven touchdowns and four picks. I don't know. We'll see what happens. By depth twenty plus eight yards, he's twenty two for fifty five with seven hundred yards, three touchdowns

and four picks. In the intermediate thirty two of fifty seven, five hundred and forty three yards, two touchdowns and four picks, and then short seventy under six yards per pass, three touchdowns, noe picks. That's where he wants to go. Though he wants to throw the ball, catch rock, get it out of your hands. The best way to disrupt this offense is to keep them off schedule, and that starts in the run game. They ran for just seventy eight yards

against US in the opener. That was one of six games with less than eighty rushing yards, of which they are one in five, the lone win coming against Sam Ellinger and the Indianapolis Colts and a team that was, uh, that's not their best quarterback They played that that day. Personnel wise, se and eleven seventeen percent and twelve three point four percent combined on two back sets that's a

big change for the Patriots team. They've always had fullbacks, but between twelve and or twenty one and twenty two personnel just three point four percent and then one point six percent and oh one personnel, which I thought was interesting because not many teams run more than a couple of plays in that package. Zero backs, one tight end, four receivers and the Patriots receiving corps. I mean, it's not going to be a mistake for the best in the league up by anything, by any stretch. So to

run that package is interesting to me. Now here's the road Like Structurally, the offense has not been good. The spacing has been bad. They get receivers running into each other frequently. They're a between man and his own concepts and the running game. They're passing concepts don't follow a linear path, and the decision making, immobility and limitations of

the quarterback accentuate those issues. This is another one of these quarterbacks in our division that you know, the whole offseason talking point about our quarterback applies to truthfully, the other ones. This is one of them. This is an offense that the Dolphins absolutely must must hold to a low total. Don't let them score more than thirteen points. Man, this is the defense. Is time to carry the squad to a dub. If we win this game, it's because the defense went to work on what's been a bad

offense all year. But it's been a bad defense too, So the rubber meets the road. I suppose let's step it up and get a huge win here. With your backs against the wall and no one believes that you can do it, let's go do it. Receivers and tight ends versus corners. You could argue this is the most wanting receiving group in the NFL. They've been involving Kendrick Borne more, which is good because I like his game for them. Tae Kwon Thornton's a valuable piece because he

has speed and nobody else does. Davante Parker's there, Nelson Aguilar is inconsistent, but he can make big plays. It's a different group than the one we saw bad in Week one. Again. Thornton played the snaps last Sunday against the Bengals. He missed that opener. Jacoby Myers is their

clear cut one. And then Kendrick Borne getting more work like I mentioned the last month or so, and then Marcus Jones comes onto the field for a few snaps every game, and you better identify that too, because the ball goes there a lot when he comes on the field. Jacoby Myers is a top shelf route runner who can beat anyone on one coverage in the short intermediate as well as anybody. When Mack is in trouble or you know a big situation, that's where he wants to go

to Jacoby Myers. His seventy eight targets are thirty more than the next closest wide receiver. That's Nelson Aghilar Ormandre Stevenson is the only one is only one target shy of Myers at seventy seven, but we'll get to him in a moment. This is a tight end centric offense. They spent big on Hunter Henry and John H. Smith in free agency one they have forty four and thirty seven targets, respectfully. Henry exited the Bengals game with a knee injury, but was back at practice on Wednesday. Smith

did also leave the game but did not practice. So if they don't have both of those guys, we'll see how the offense looks a little bit different in terms of how they want to call it. When they're cranking

at maximum efficiency. It's a solid run game with the tight ends that add gaps and then they throw off play action and they can kind of get you into some favorable one on one matchups for those two good tight ends to be a big game for Eric Rodor try to wipe those guys out a little bit, and whoever covers the tight ends um offensive line, defensive line.

This has been one of the most fascinating position groups the NFL for any team this year because they've shuffled, had some success, had some setbacks, but ultimately have a very talented group and their starters last week and their season pressure numbers are as follows. Trent Brown thirty four pressures on five hundred forty four pass blocking snaps. You can get him with speed. He's a huge heavy plotter.

So if Bradley Chubb can play like I've been calling for it for a few weeks, like he impacts the game. Don't get me wrong, but let's go make a huge impact play in this one. Cole Strange love his game. Twenty two pressures on five hundred and thirteen snaps. David Andrews ten on four hundred Michael On WHENU ten on five fifty four, and then Connor McDermott came over from

the Jets. He was off their practice squad. That's the replacement player at right tackle who's uh had a good game last week, but eight pressures on a hundred and fifty five pass blocking snaps. They're as healthy as they've been. David Andrews as tough as hell. I thought he was gonna miss the rest of the year after the ankle injury he had against the Jets a few weeks ago, but he's back out there playing every snap. The more

continuity they developed, the better they get. And what's been a transition from a scheme that was trying to go towards zone, you know, from from Man, I should say, from McDaniels to more zone with Judge and Patricia, but they did kind of scrap that like zone outside scheme they tried to run early in the year, and they've gone more power gap scheme where they incorporate the play

action off of that. It's a big, heavy offensive line, even by NFL standards, Brown three seventy on when with three fifty you've got to find a way to stay out of their crosshairs, and by that I mean don't let them square you up. Attack half the man, stay clean, keep your outside shoulder clean, because once they get paused on you, it's big time trouble and then cold strange, really good player, tons of versatility. Smart have to imagine he'll anchor the middle of a good wide zone team someday.

He's got unreal athletic ability. Again, for our guys, we just have to play the way we played all year. I think Miami matches up well in this position group and this will be the key to the game. If you can dominate their offensive line, their offense will not get anything done and Miami can hold them again to a low point total. I think we can score four teen points in this game, I hope. And if we can do that and hold them to ten or less, thirteen or less might build get out with the big

time victory. Without your starting quarterback, running backs, and linebackers. This is one of my favorite groups in the team. Or Monre Stevenson's a total load three point seven seven yards after initial contact with thirty eight miss tackles forced. He's at four point eight yards per carry and five rushing touchdowns this year. Does have three fumbles though, including a critical one last week inside the ten yard line as the Patriots were driving for the go ahead score

with less than two minutes to play. Maybe you punch one out early here and get him off the field, because maybe you put them on the bench. I don't know. That would be nice to see if you can do that. And not to mention a takeaway, I love Pierre Strong's Pierre Strong's game. The rookie has only ten carries but a hundred yards uh. Damien Harris was back at practice, so that probably means less of Pierre Strong. Harris is averaging three point one two yards after contact on nine

forced myths tackles Stevenson. Both these guys have the exact same splits in terms of zone and gaps, so it's not like players specific, but rather just the offense. They want to run more gap man gap scheme That first week was a lot more zone, but they have since pivoted back to that power style. So I'm just curious to see how Miami approaches and it changes their attack

for a different stilid running game. I think this is where the key for Miami really comes, Like we have to get our guys to win one on ones up front, to get off blocks, make stops and force third longs. Get that pressure package going down a good job of that all year. This will be a big test for the Dolphins front against a good Patriots offensive line. Let's go ahead and take this last break right here and come back on the other side and get to the

special teams. What's at stake the three keys and make the weeks seventeen NFL picks. That's next Draft Time podcast, your host Travis wing Filled, brought to you by Auto Nation. Picking it back up here in segment three of the special teams for the Dolphins and Patriots. Patriots rank four this season in d v o A, the Dolphins thirty one to d v o A, ahead of Denver. Nick Folk is thirty of thirty five. I recall at least two of those misses were in like miserable windy weather

in the Jets game. He's got one miss from fifty plus and the other four from forty to forty nine. He's twenty eight for thirty on p E t S and Michael Pollardy, you guys watch Patriots games. Has been a rough go for them in the punning game, averaging thirty eight net net yards per punt, just twenty seven percent inside the twenty yard line and a nine percent touchback rate. Jason Sanders snapped a streak of eleven straight field goals made with that miss against the Packers, and

they seem to come at critical times. Man, it's been that fifty plus range that has produced the majority of the misses. Three from there, he's twelve for thirteen and the forty nine yard range and then that one miss from under thirty more steads at forty two percent inside the twenty yard line and then four percent touchback rape and a net of forty point four. So what's at

stake here? Really? Potentially everything? You guys know the scenarios win and you are most likely going to get in, not guarantee, but the odds increased substantially would be used to see a fifth straight win over those guys after years of popping up with the occasional December win and

what was lost seasons most of the times. But what's really at stake with the potential playoff berth on the line and have when we've had this all year that the NFL has a ton of parody among the top contending teams and that anyone could really beat anyone on

any given Sunday. And as it pertains to our Dolphins. Now, I know we lost games to the three of the other six teams currently in but we also have one two against those same teams, and the losses, well, we've belabored the point those losses are just by a player two away from going the other direction. I think if

you win Sunday, you can reinject some positivity. Even if the Jets don't lose and you don't get that clinch, I think you established some confidence and get them to come back down here with a chance to put the season on the line and win a home game against your most hated rival in the New York Jets. And then if you get that one, well, all of a sudden, you're playing better. You're on a wedding streak heading into

the postseason. So this game, what's at stake, possibly the entire year, and hopefully we can do enough to get our quarterback back. That's I'm hoping that's the case. We'll see what happens. I don't know what's gonna happen. You know, even this Sunday are going forward, but Hopefully you get enough uh to make that happen down the down the line. Three keys the victory for the Dolphins here stop the run.

I think you made that point pretty clear. If you can get them in third long for an offense that's struggled all year and in most situations, but all offensive struggle in third long, let's keep them in that spot and get some splash players. We need them on this week. Slow as the new England edge rush key number two because Judean and Jake and ruined games. Dietrich wise as well part of that group. Don't let those guys beat

you in this game. Put some some extra bodies out there and do what you have to do to keep your quarterback upright. And then three win in the third phase on special teams. I expect this game to be a bit of a challenge for both offenses, so hidden yardage is gonna be key. You know, penalties, special teams, that type of thing. Win in that area and you have a chance to get out of here with a big,

crucial ninth victory this season. The week seventeen picks. We had a tough week last week, just ten and six. That brings us to one sixty six seventy four and two on the year. That is sixty nine point two percent. We are right on the threshold of that seventy goal, hoping we'll hit that. We'll see it's changed already, from seventy five to seventy two to seventy. But I digress. I'll take the Cowboys over a Titans team that's not playing anybody tonight. I'll take the Patriots over the Dolphins.

I'm sorry, I hope it's off the case, but it's my pick this week. Atlanta over Arizona, Philly over New Orleans. I'll take the Giants over the Colts, the Panthers to usurp the Bucks the top of the division with one game to go. The Chiefs over the Broncos, and we need that one because we need Buffalo playing their butts off. Week eighteen, I'll take the Lions over the Bears, the Jaguars over the Texans. Cleveland and Washington, what an ugly game?

Give me Cleveland. San Francisco over Vegas who pulled pulled the plug on Derek Carr today, um Seattle over the Jets. It could be a big one. Miami wins Cream Bay over the Vikings, the Chargers over the Rams, the Ravens over the Steelers, and the Bills over the Bengals. On Monday Night. Tomorrow, Taylor Kyle's of the NFL media next Gen Stats Wing joins us. He also contributes analysis with

video and written for Pat's Pulpit. Then we'll be with you guys on Sunday evening with the latest from the game and an update playoffs scenarios based upon what happens in Foxboro and Seattle on Sunday, respectively. In the meantime, it's gonna be my time you all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Leave us a rating, leave us a review. You can follow me

on Twitter at Wingfold NFL. Follow the team at Miami Dolphins, check out the fish Tank Pod, check out our YouTube channel for media availabilities, Dolphins Today, Drive Time and fish Tank content as well, and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com. Until next time finds up Caroline Cameron Daddy, He's coming home.