Dolphins Vs Patriots: Surging Miami Tries To Upset Tom Brady And New England

Dan Campbell has taken the Miami Dolphins to new heights. He has guided them to two straight wins and they are right back in the thick of the AFC playoff picture. The Dolphins will try to upset Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.

The Dolphins will have to prove how real they are against the high-powered Patriots. The primetime showdown will showcase the newfound confidence of Ryan Tannehill. His performance Sunday, against the shell-shocked Texans, was a thing of beauty. He threw only one incompletion on the way to finishing 18-of-19 for 282 yards. He torched the Texans for four touchdowns.

The results have been mindboggling. The lowly Dolphins were sitting at 1-3 and seemed to be going nowhere but down. On paper, the Dolphins looked like a contender that could possibly challenge the rest of the AFC East. But when you’re sitting in a division that is also the home of the Patriots and the upstart Jets, suddenly you have to be even better than you think.

The Dolphins may be starting to believe.

The consecutive wins the Dolphins have strung together are not ordinary victories. They have been thorough butt-kickings of their opponents. The Joe Philbin-led Dolphins never looked as sharp as the Campbell-era squad.

The Dolphins came out of the bye week and throttled the Titans 38-10. Tannehill suffered a couple of picks during the game but still ended it looking sharp. The most important discovery was the fact that Lamar Miller could still run the ball. He has racked up 288 yards in the wins. Before Campbell took over, the Dolphins had put the running game on the shelf. They were predictable and one-dimensional.

Thursday night will be the biggest test of the Dolphins’ turnaround. The Patriots (6-0) haven’t lost since Week 17 of last season. But the revamped Dolphins have outscored their past two opponents 82-36.

Not only has the offense of the Dolphins come to life, but the defense has also awaken. After signing Ndamukong Suh to a $114 million contract, he finally woke up. He has been playing with a renewed fury that seems to have carried over to his teammates. The Dolphins’ defense could ruin Brady’s evening. The Patriots are working with a banged-up line and are prime targets for a huge sack night. Miami’s four-man rush looked excellent against the Texans and Titans.

Coach Dan Campbell referred to the Dolphins as “sleeping giants.” Those giants will have their hands full at Gillette Stadium. According to Sports Illustrated, the Dolphins have lost six in a row and 12 of 14 at the Patriots’ house. The Patriots are so dominant at home, they’ve lost only one in its past 22 games. That nice little stat includes the playoffs.

The Patriots have dominated the AFC East for so long that they aren’t afraid of the new kid on the playground. They walk the walk and act like the division belongs to them. So far, it does.

Campbell has the Dolphins playing with emotion and focus. But the Patriots will test that drive. When the heat of adrenaline wears off, the skill has to shine through. When playing New England, they’ll wait until the edge has worn off and then pound out a skillful win.

The Dolphins can pull off an upset if they keep Brady off the field. Trade in the quick scoring offense for a grind-it-out, ball control style. Lamar Miller will have to find his inner beast and keep the chains moving.

All said, Thursday’s game will be an interesting matchup. The Dolphins will be trying to prove they’ve awakened and upset the Pats. New England will be trying to put them to sleep.

[Feature Photo by Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images]