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Patriots seek 7-0 start against woeful Dolphins

Oct 21, 2007 - 10:29 AM New England (6-0) at Miami (0-6) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

MIAMI (Ticker) - Can anyone slow down the New England Patriots' offense? No one has yet.

The Patriots seek a 7-0 start on Sunday when they visit the Miami Dolphins in what shapes up as a classic mismatch of teams on the opposite end of the spectrum.

New England likely won't get caught looking past the Dolphins because the Patriots remember what happened in Miami last season, when they were blanked by the Dolphins, 21-0.

Last week, the Patriots dismantled the Dallas Cowboys, 48-27, in just the fifth matchup of undefeated teams through five games.

Tom Brady tossed a career-high five touchdown passes, giving him 21 - an NFL record through six games. He has thrown at least three in every game this season.

Brady, who passed for 377 yards against the Cowboys, is on pace to throw 56 TDs this season, which would shatter the mark of 49 set by Peyton Manning in 2004.

New England has tied yet another league mark by scoring at least 34 points in each of its first six games. The only other team to accomplish that feat was the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

The Patriots are averaging a league-best 38.3 points - better than the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, who averaged 34.8 points per game while scoring an NFL-record 556 points.

The Patriots' offense has been so good that they overpowered the Cowboys without their top two running backs.

Laurence Maroney sat out with a groin injury and his replacement, Sammy Morris, went down with a chest injury late in the second quarter.

Then, there are the Dolphins, the AFC's only winless team, who will have to pull off a monumental upset to avoid the worst start in franchise history. Miami's only other 0-6 start came in 2004.

The Dolphins have dropped nine straight - dating to the end of last season - the team's longest slide since 1967.

Cleo Lemon had some success in his first start for the Dolphins in last week's 41-31 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but Miami could not overcome a 27-10 halftime deficit.

Brady will be looking to exploit a Miami defense that allowed Cleveland's Derek Anderson to throw three touchdowns.