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Patriots-Dolphins Preview

Dec 4, 2009 - 4:15 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

After falling woefully short in a major prime-time test, the New England Patriots suddenly need their first true road win of the season in order to maintain a secure grip on the AFC East lead.

They also have several questions on defense after the inexperienced unit's worst effort of the year.

Still, a victory in Miami on Sunday would all but dethrone the defending division champions, while the Dolphins will try to launch another late-season surge to save their season.

New England (7-4) was on the brink of beating undefeated Indianapolis on the road on Nov. 15, but the team certainly didn't look like a member of the NFL's elite in its latest meeting with an unbeaten opponent.

New Orleans' Drew Brees embarrassed the Patriots' defense by throwing for 371 yards and five touchdowns in the Saints' 38-17 win on Monday night. While New England has moved on without several of its defensive starters lost to retirement and trades, the team hadn't allowed so many yards (480) or points all year.

"We had more missed assignments than we've had in almost all the other previous games combined," defensive coordinator Dean Pees said. "To say that, 'Well, it's a young defense and maybe we (were) sitting back on our heels,' we can't accept that. Guys just need to pull together and we've got to do a better job all the way around."

What once appeared a safe AFC East lead for the Patriots has slipped to 1 1/2 games over the New York Jets (6-6) and two games over Miami (5-6), and New England plays three of its final five games on the road, with Sunday's contest coming after a short week of rest.

While the Patriots were technically the road team in their win over Tampa Bay in London, they are 0-4 on opponents' home fields this year.

After going 2-5 in their first seven games at Miami under coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have totaled 97 points in victories there the last two seasons. Tom Brady had a perfect passer rating in his last visit, going 21 of 25 for 354 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-28 win on Oct. 21, 2007.

Coming off major knee surgery, Brady had recaptured his MVP-caliber form by throwing for more than 300 yards in five consecutive games before Monday. But he struggled against the Saints, going 21 of 36 for 237 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

"I'm not so concerned with last week's game at this point. I've moved on to Miami," Brady said. "The mourning period is over."

Brady has already beaten the Dolphins once this year, throwing for 332 yards and a 71-yard touchdown to Randy Moss against Miami's young secondary in a 27-17 home win on Nov. 8. Miami rookies Vontae Davis and Sean Smith continue to start at cornerback.

The Dolphins have already lost more games than they did all of last season, when they went 11-5 and captured the AFC East for the first time since 2000 in a tiebreaker over the Patriots. Perhaps the team's most disappointing defeat came last Sunday at Buffalo, when it allowed 24 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to lose 31-14.

"That's a game we needed to win," coach Tony Sparano said. "Our fans deserve better. This organization deserves better. We're going to make it better."

Miami is still just one game back in a crowded AFC wild-card race, and it's trying to summon another late charge after winning five of its final six games last season to clinch the division.

The team will likely need an improved effort from quarterback Chad Henne, who threw three interceptions against Buffalo, while running back Ricky Williams was also picked off in his only pass attempt.

Williams has topped the 100-yard mark in rushing in each of his last three games, filling in admirably after Ronnie Brown was lost for the season to a foot injury, but the veteran fails to provide the same passing threat in the wildcat offense that has posed problems for New England in the past.

Belichick said he's preparing his reeling defense for anything, including a potentially expanded role for mobile backup quarterback Pat White.

"That's one of the hard things about playing Miami: they keep it moving on you," Belichick said. "You work on one thing and they are working on something else. Sometimes they come back to it, sometimes they don't, so you've got a lot of different bases to cover."

Sparano's bigger concern could be with a defense that has also allowed more than 100 rushing yards in seven straight games. That may mean a heavy workload for New England running back Laurence Maroney, who has scored eight touchdowns and rushed for 420 yards over the last six games.