The New England Patriots, who last week clinched their 11th consecutive AFC East title, could opt to rest some starters on Sunday against the visiting Miami Dolphins.
But they won’t.
“Look, this is very simple now,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick told his players in a locker-room speech that was broadcast on NFL Network. “If we beat Miami, we get a bye (into the second round of the playoffs). … So, it’s a playoff game.”
The Patriots (12-3) got off to an 8-0 start this season, dominating the Dolphins 43-0 in Miami during that streak.
Since that 8-0 start, however, the Patriots are just 4-3.
Miami, which traded away most of its top players over the past several months in order to accumulate draft picks and start a rebuilding effort, has the opposite track record. The Dolphins (4-11) started this season 0-7 but have gone 4-4 since.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was intercepted three times in that 43-0 game, completing 11-of-21 passes for just 89 yards. One week later, he was benched in favor of former first-round pick Josh Rosen.
Fitzpatrick eventually earned another chance, and he has played a huge role in every Miami win this season. Over the past four games, for example, Fitzpatrick has a 9-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, averaging 327 passing yards per contest. He has also run for 109 yards during that span, vexing rival defenses.
Last week, in a 38-35 overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Fitzpatrick became the first Dolphins quarterback to pass for 400-plus yards and at least four touchdowns since the legendary Dan Marino.
Fitzpatrick completed 31-of-52 passes for 419 yards, sparking the winning field-goal drive in overtime to stave off a Bengals team that had rallied from a 23-point, fourth-quarter deficit.
“That was a crazy finish,” Fitzpatrick said. “I’ve probably never seen one like that.”
Fitzpatrick, who leads the Dolphins in passing and rushing yards, will likely be the focal point of New England’s scouting report. At 37, Fitzpatrick is one of the oldest quarterbacks in the NFL, but he’s still five years younger than New England’s Tom Brady, who is having another strong year even though he was left off the Pro Bowl roster for the first time since 2008, when he was injured.
Brady has completed 61.1 percent of his passes for 3,836 yards and 22 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions. He has gone 11 straight years without missing a game due to injury.
His top receiver is Julian Edelman, who was limited in practices this week due to knee and shoulder injuries. Edelman, who has yet to miss a game this season, has 97 catches for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns.
The Patriots, 16-point favorites on Sunday, are also led offensively by running backs Sony Michel and James White, who both played their high school ball in South Florida.
Michel rushed for 931 yards as a rookie last season and now has 838. He will need a monster game to reach 1,000.
White has 871 scrimmage yards this season, including 612 on 69 receptions.
Defensively, the Patriots lead the NFL with 36 takeaways and have two Pro Bowl players in linebacker Dont’a Hightower and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
The Patriots have allowed a league-low 22 touchdowns (just six rushing). They have also allowed the fewest points (13.2 per game) in the NFL.
Hightower has 65 tackles, including eight for losses. Gilmore is tied for the league lead with six interceptions and is No. 1 in passes defensed (19), making him a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
