Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots 9/12/21 - NFL Picks & Predictions

The Miami Dolphins open the 2021 season off a great 10 win season in 2020 that was cut short after a blow out loss in the final week of the year. Tua Tagovailoa is the man and will again be under center to lead the Dolphins to open the year. First round pick Jaylen Waddle is expected to step into the offense and become an immediate piece for Tua heading into year 3.

Defensively the Dolphins played well in 2020 leading the team to double digits and a near playoff birth. Miami will lean heavily on Xavien Howard who was by far the best player on the field for Miami in 2020 with a team high 10 picks. Miami has added a few new pieces in the offseason with Brandon Jones in the draft to help boast the Miami defense and increase depth.

The Mac Jones era in New England will begin in week 1 as the rookie took over the spot in the preseason as the Patriots released Cam Newton. Jones is a big bodied QB that will lead an offense with lots of questions. Damien Harris and Sony Michel will carry a full load of the offense early on as an elite running back core to take pressure off the young QB.

New England struggled defensively in 2020 and turned to the free agent market this offseason to fill the roster. Stephon Gilmore is a defensive leader on the field and will be looked upon to steer this defense back to promise. Dont'a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy will also be on the roster this year to round out the defensive leader who will be relied upon heavily in 2021.