Miami traveling to Foxborough to play the Patriots in Gillette Stadium seemed like a much bigger deal several weeks ago. Miami was one of the hottest teams in the NFL, while the Patriots were somehow managing to pull out win after win amid a spate of miscues and controversies. Since then, Miami and QB Ryan Tannehill have struggled, and Miami is limping into New England with a 3-3 record to take on the 5-2 Patriots. You can watch Dolphins vs Patriots online free live stream using one of several different methods or see it live on TV via CBS, with kickoff scheduled for 1pm EST / 10am PST.
Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill has yet to throw a touchdown pass against the Patriots in his career, but that may change this week, as New England has just the 21st-ranked defense in the NFL and is giving up 225 yards in the air each game. For the season, Tannehill has gone 133-219 for 1,577 yards and 9 touchdowns, but after a very promising start to the 2013 season he’s since cooled considerably. In fact, his QBR is a lowly 27th out of 36 QBs in the league.
Granted, those stats are only marginally better than fabled New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Heading into Week 8, Brady has gone 158-285 for 1,708 yards and eight TDs — hardly All-Pro numbers. However, he’s been working with a decimated receiving corps, and he just got his favorite target, tight end Rob Gronkowski, back for the first time last week. Gronk’s triumphant return was a bit of a flop, as the game ended in a surprising 30-27 overtime road loss to the New York Jets. But, now that he’s knocked off the rust, and with the Pats surely looking to get back on track, Miami isn’t in an enviable position.
The Dolphins opened the year with three straight wins, but have since slid with three straight losses, including last week’s surprising 23-21 loss to the visiting Buffalo Bills. Watch Dolphins vs Patriots online free live stream to see how QB Tannehill performs in trying to right Miami’s ship in Foxborough, a land that’s traditionally not kind to visiting teams. A lot of that will be determined by the offensive line’s performance, as Miami has allowed 26 sacks in six games. If they can’t give Tannehill time to work, Miami stands no chance against a motivated Gronk, Brady and New England team.
In spite of some slight rust in last week’s game, Gronkwoski was still a Brady target 17 times against the Jets, with eight of those catches completed for a total of 114 yards. Gronk can be a difference maker, especially in the red zone, but if Miami decides to occasionally toss rookie defensive end Dion Jordan at Gronkowski, the freakishly athletic former Oregon Duck could help mitigate Gronk and frustrate Brady into going back to some of those younger receivers he seemed to despise earlier in the season.
OK, maybe it’s a bit far-fetched to say Brady could get frustrated on the field. On the sidelines, sure, but not when the game’s on the line. You can watch Dolphins vs Patriots online free live stream on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket Package, which requires a subscription but allows live streaming NFL games if that subscription’s in place. Tom Brady’s home record against the Dolphins is 10-1, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can reconnect with Gronk to make it 11-1 today following the 1pm EST / 10am PST kickoff on CBS.
