Question from @HenryJax918 – What are the realistic expectations for Teddy Bridgewater this week?
A: I think the expectation is that he can play winning football. Earlier this week, head coach Mike McDaniel emphasized the importance of acquiring a player like Teddy for games like this.
“That’s one of the reasons you go and aggressively pursue a player like Teddy Bridgewater,” he said. “And the team is, I expect them to do what is pretty difficult for a lot of people but no one really cares. This is something that we have all of our fortunes ahead of us, so it’s up to us to choose what we do with all the past experiences, move on to the next game, which in this case is the New England Patriots.”
As for those New England Patriots, there are some rather suggestive trends through the first 15 games of their season. When teams score more than 17 points against New England this season, they are 8-0. When scoring 17 or less, the Patriots’ opposition is winless at 0-7. And in those seven victories, the New England defense has produced 14 takeaways.
So, for Bridgewater, limiting turnovers and getting the ball into the hands of his two explosive playmakers – Tyreek Hill, who has already set the single-season franchise receiving record, and Jaylen Waddle, who is on track to finish second to Hill – is a recipe for success.
Question from @DustFin89 – What does the defense have to do to carry us to a win?
A: I think it’s pretty rare that one side of the football carries any team to a win in any week. That’s no exception here as the Dolphins need all three phases. That said, the Patriots third down offense ranks 27th in the league and Miami has produced a top-five pressure rate on balance this season (better than 40 percent, per ESPN).
To get to those situations, it starts by stopping the run. Miami’s run defense is 10th in the NFL and the Patriots rushing offense ranks 11th. That ground game is spearheaded by breakout second-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who has…
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