Even though Week 12 for the Patriots is a rematch of their Week 5 game with the Miami Dolphins (4-6), circumstances are much different for both teams this time around.
That ugly 15-10 loss for New England featured veteran Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback, in a game that would ultimately be his final start under center for the Patriots this season.
On the other sideline, Miami was without their starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, who was out for an extended stretch as he recovered from yet another concussion. Under center for the Dolphins was career backup Tyler Huntley, who looked lost most of the day as Miami relied heavily on their ground game to get the win.
Now, both teams have their respective QBs-of-choice manning the huddle, with Patriots rookie Drake Maye entering his seventh career start, and Tagovailoa starting his fifth-straight game since returning in Week 8 against the Cardinals.
Both offenses have improved so much since upgrading under center, that it would be a fool’s errand to assume Patriots at Dolphins Week 12 looks anything like Dolphins at Patriots Week 5.
One of the major changes on tap for this Miami offense will be star wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle being real factors in the gameplan, as last game saw neither player from the dynamic duo get in the end zone.
But if Week 12 is anything like Week 11 for the Patriots’ secondary, Hill and Waddle could be in for a couple monster days.
Week 11 saw a different pair of star wideouts come into Gillette Stadium and dominate, as Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua for the Rams combined for 13 catches, 229 receiving yards, and 3 touchdowns.
Despite the similar sizes and skillsets of Kupp-Nacua and Hill-Waddle, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said on Wednesday that preparations for this week’s duo is “a little bit different.”
“You look at last week, it was more about the size matchup,” said Mayo. “This week, it’s about the speed matchup. And, you know, we have guys in the locker room who have covered those guys relatively well, and we just have to continue to do that.
“When you look at, like, matchups like that, it’s always fun to see a guy travel with the guy. But again, they learn you, and you’re learning them during the game. And I think there is something to sometimes change those matchups up just to throw it off.”
Mayo made it a point at the beginning of his media availability to emphasize how different this Miami offense has looked with Tagovailoa back.
“This isn’t the same Dolphins team that we played before,” said Mayo. “That was also a reminder to the guys where you feel like you know a team, and at the same time, they’re gonna do things different. And Tua’s here. You can see just the difference in that offense with Tua out there. He’s a very good player for them.
“Talk about their receivers - obviously one word to describe those guys is fast. Those guys are blazers, and we have some fast guys on defense, too. So this, you know, will probably be a little bit more of a matchup game. But those guys have fast players on the outside.”
With their 26-year-old franchise quarterback back to right the ship, Miami has won two in a row heading into their matchup with New England.
Both FanDuel and BetMGM have clearly liked what they’ve seen of late, as both books currently list the Dolphins as a 7.5-point road favorite ahead of their game in Foxborough on Sunday.