The Patriots head into Week 8 with a chance to get right after their three-game winning streak was snapped on Thursday Night Football. New England fell 30-24 to the Chicago Bears, but the schedule gives them a short reset before they meet a Miami Dolphins team that finally picked up its first win of the season, edging the New York Jets 28-25.
The biggest reason to like New England here is Drake Maye, who has turned the corner after a rough start. Over the past few weeks, he has quietly become one of the league’s more efficient quarterbacks.
He has now completed for 65.9% of passes for 1,7845 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also enters Week 8 ranked sixth in adjusted EPA per play and fifth in completion percentage over expected.
That’s why the Patriots are being viewed as the side to back in this AFC East matchup. In the Week 8 edition of the Road to 272 Bets, the case was made for laying the points with New England.
“I was in on the Dolphins last week, but that was a one-week venture. I'll take my winnings and go home by betting against them a week later. Miami can cover as an underdog against fellow bad teams, but they don't have the skill or talent to hang with playoff-caliber teams, which the Patriots certainly are.”
The numbers behind the Patriots’ passing game back up that stance. New England ranks fifth in the league in dropback EPA and second in dropback success rate, production that should create problems for a Miami defense that is vulnerable enough to be attacked through the air. If Maye delivers his best version on Sunday, the Dolphins will be hard-pressed to keep up.
In Other News...
Dolphins Face A Trade Deadline Dilemma Fans Can't Ignore
As the trade deadline approaches, the Dolphins are doing what smart front offices do this time of year: looking for younger talent that can fit both the roster and the long view. Miamis interest appears tied not just to immediate help, but to players who can grow with the team while keeping salary-cap flexibility intact, a balance that matters as the franchise keeps one eye on the present and another on the next wave of roster building.
That approach gives Miami some room to be selective, and it also explains why the Dolphins are being linked to defensive help rather than a splashy short-term rental. The bigger picture is about positioning, with cap space projected to be a major advantage down the road, and any move made now could be part of a larger plan to get ahead of free agency before the rest of the league catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots QB Just Handed Dolphins Fans A New Reason To Laugh
Drake Maye managed to create a sideshow that had nothing to do with Xs and Os, and Dolphins fans probably noticed the timing as much as the content. During a radio appearance, the Patriots quarterback was asked about conspiracy theories and brought up a college course on the topic at North Carolina, which led him into a very strange public detour for a starting NFL quarterback.
Maye's comments landed far enough outside the usual football chatter that NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman felt compelled to respond and defend the moon landings. For a rival quarterback to hand Miami a fresh wave of amusement in the middle of a divisional storyline is the kind of off-field gift that does not help New England's credibility, even if the football implications are still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Just Made Another O-Line Move Fans Will Want To Watch
The Dolphins kept working the edges of their offensive line depth chart Monday, claiming guard Christian Haynes off waivers from the Seahawks and adding another experienced option to a group that has been in constant motion. Haynes had played in seven games this season for Seattle before his exit, and Miami landed him because it held a higher waiver priority than the Ravens, who also put in a claim.
To make room on the 53-man roster, the Dolphins waived rookie sixth-round pick DJ Campbell, who had been inactive every game this season. It is another small but telling adjustment as Miami keeps sorting through its protection mix, and it leaves the team with one more new piece to evaluate as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]