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Week 2 Patriots vs Dolphins game plan: Attack the Miami secondary

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Miami comes to Foxboro after a promising opening game against the Seahawks. Their defense held up very well and were probably a Kenny Stills drop away from stealing a game in Seattle. But Miami is still Miami, and they still struggled to move the ball on offense and suffered several key injuries in their game. They have several big holes on their team that will allow the Patriots to exploit in their game plan.

Throw the ball in the middle of the field

Miami's top 2 CBs and FS are different from last year, but they remain very weak in the secondary. Reshad Jones is the leader of that group, but beyond him, we're looking at a vulnerable group. Byron Maxwell washed out in Philadelphia and replaces the aging Brent Grimes as Miami's top CB. He thrived in Seattle's aggressive press-man physical defense with other stars like Sherman, Thomas, and Chancellor beside him, but he looked lost last year, especially against shifty receivers.

Coincidentally, the Patriots' wide receivers seem to matchup very well. Miami's CB's are big, led by 6'1 Maxwell and 6'1 rookie Xavien Howard. Maxwell's struggles against shifty guys and Howard's inexperience (and nagging ankle injury from week 1) should allow Edelman, Hogan, and Mitchell to get open in the middle of the field.

New FS Isa Abdul-Quddus is a first time starter this year after playing a tertiary role on the Lions for years (Coincidentally, Tavon Wilson now has his old job) so he could be exploited in certain situations. Reshad Jones is a true star, but his aggressive style of play near the line of scrimmage often leaves the FS to carry a lot of the load in the deep middle. The Pats could have success attacking Abdul-Quddus

Force the Dolphins' LBs to cover

Kiko Alonso was a revelation and looked like a future star in his rookie year for Buffalo. Alas, after an ACL tear, and another partial tear last season, he looks unrecognizable. Once hailed as a coverage specialist, Alonso now struggles to keep up with RBs. Dion Lewis obliterated Koa Misi last year and James White could have similar success. Jelani Jenkins is the 3rd starter at LB and he is undersized for the position, at only 6'0. Bennett and Derby should have success against Jenkins in coverage.

Double team Suh at all times

Suh had a poor game by his standards when matched up against David Andrews last year, having zero run stuffs, zero sacks and just 2 tackles in the week 7 game. Suh couldn't be double teamed every snap last season, because he lined up with Olivier Vernon, Cam Wake, and Earl Mitchell. Vernon has been replaced by Mario Williams (who will likely miss the game because of a concussion), Wake is now 34 and on a snap count coming off Achilles surgery, and Mitchell was IR'ed this week with a calf injury. In addition, their 2nd rounder last year, Jordan Phillips has also been limited this week because of injury. The Dolphins had to re-sign old friend Chris Jones this week just to get enough warm bodies.

Because the rest of the D-Line is in shambles, the Patriots can afford to put 2 bodies on Suh at almost every opportunity. David Andrews and Karras/Mason should be able to neutralize the All-Pro DT.

Take away Jarvis Landry

This is obviously easier said than done, but Landry is the only scary offensive threat the Dolphins have. Stills and Jordon Cameron have seriously underwhelmed and Arian Foster is already injured. The Dolphins offense is run through Landry. Take him away, and Tannehill will be facing a lot of 3rd and longs.

Attack the Dolphins' O-Line in the middle

Mike Pouncey remains out recovering from hip surgery so Anthony Steen, a former UDFA, was forced to start at C week 1, in just his 2nd NFL game. The other 2 interior O-Linemen they start are weak for opposite reasons: Jermon Bushrod is old and past his prime at 32 and Laremy Tunsil is young and inexperienced at 22. Both of them are converted tackles and they have limited experience at the position.

Brandon Albert and Ju'Wuan James are both good tackles so I think the Pats need to attack the QB from the middle. Branch, Malcom Brown, and Valentine need to have success to open up blitzes from Collins and Hightower in the middle. I would also give Flowers some extended snaps at DT. His speed and skill as a pass rusher could be very successful against the 2 guards who are oversized for the position and may struggle against shifty and speedy players.

Matchups to watch

Cameron Wake vs Marcus Cannon

Wake has given the Patriots fits throughout his time in Miami. Although he is still not 100% healthy recovering from the season ending injury he suffered last year, he is still a big mismatch against Cannon who struggles against speed rushers like Wake. Cannon should have some success run blocking against Wake, but first and foremost, he has to keep Jimmy Garoppolo clean in the pocket. Garoppolo succeeded last week in spite of Cannon, but he can't be expected to bail out his RT every week.

Any Patriots wide receiver vs Xavien Howard

For the 2nd straight week, the Patriots are facing a team with a rookie #2 CB. Given how they tore apart Brandon Williams early and often last week, look for them to try to do the same against Howard. At 6'1, he's a bigger CB, but will struggle on the inside. His 3 cone at the draft last year was a very poor 7.18, and he's likely a bit slower than that as he continues to be limited in practice because of a knee injury that has plagued him since the beginning of training camp. Look for Hogan and Edelman to run option routes and unfamiliar rub routes when Howard is in coverage.

The Patriots' 2nd LB vs Jordan Cameron and Dion Sims

Donta' Hightower is looking more and more likely to miss this game with a knee injury and even if he does play, he will likely be limited. As a result, the Patriots will likely have to play a different LB alongside Collins. As Rich reported, Belichick does not consider Shea McClellin to be a stand up linebacker, so the next men up are Jonathan Freeny and Barkevious Mingo. Because Mingo has only been a Patriot for about 3 weeks, he likely doesn't have a full grasp of the Patriots defense yet. As a result, Freeny is likely to play more than him, despite being the inferior player. Cameron has been awful for Miami so far, but he has had success against the Patriots in the past (2013 when he was on the Browns) and still represents a mismatch against Freeny. Sims is a #2 TE, but he is very good at what he does and could be a starting TE on several teams.

Cameron, who will likely be on the field for 90+% of snaps, is a poor run blocker. Because of that fact, the Patriots also have the option to move Patrick Chung up to LB and start Harmon at SS. He's obviously extremely small for the LB position, but he could still beat Cameron in the run game, and match up better than Freeny in coverage. With Jarvis Landry mostly used as a possession receiver, the inconsistent Kenny Stills is Miami's only deep threat. Chung's value to the Patriots defense might be higher as a 2nd LB against Miami.

Week 2 prediction: Patriots 27 Dolphins 17

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