A new chapter in the rivalry between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins will be written Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
The Dolphins were one of the most impressive teams in Week 1. They beat the Los Angeles Chargers 36-34 on the road thanks to a great performance from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He threw for 466 yards with three touchdowns and one interception to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Tagovailoa is 4-0 in his career against the Patriots, and the Dolphins are 4-2 overall versus New England since the start of the 2020 season.
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The Patriots have averaged just 17.1 points per game against the Dolphins since 2020. They've also committed 10 turnovers in those games combined. New England showed improvement offensively in a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Starting quarterback Mac Jones threw for 316 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. But Jones was unable to make enough plays late in the fourth quarter when the Patriots had multiple chances to upset the Eagles.
Another loss would drop the Patriots to 0-2. Since 1990, there have been 270 teams start 0-2 and only 31 of them, or 11.5 percent, recovered to make the playoffs that season. Just three of those 31 teams won the Super Bowl, including the 2001 Patriots. Given the fact that the Patriots have the league's toughest schedule, an 0-2 start could potentially be too much of an obstacle to overcome in regards to reaching the playoffs.
Will the Patriots halt the Dolphins' momentum and earn their first victory of 2023? Here's a roundup of expert picks for Patriots vs. Dolphins on NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
Mike Felger, NBC Sports Boston: Patriots +3
Michael Holley, NBC Sports Boston: Dolphins -3
Ted Johnson, NBC Sports Boston: Dolphins -3
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: 28-23 Dolphins
Chris Simms, ProFootballTalk: 28-24 Dolphins
Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated: Patriots
Dan Graziano, ESPN: Patriots
Jeremy Fowler, ESPN: Patriots
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: 24-23 Patriots
Bleacher Report NFL Staff: 28-24 Dolphins
Sheil Kapadia, The Ringer: Dolphins -3
Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times: Dolphins -2.5
Nate Davis, USA TODAY: Patriots
Ben Standig, The Athletic: Patriots