The New England Patriots destroyed the Dolphins much worse than the final score indicates.  After all, the score was 42-7 at halftime.  Cleo Lemon didn’t play that well against the Dolphins as he completed 24 of 37 passes for 236 yards with 0 TDs and 1 interception.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 16 yards (5.3 ypc) with a TD run but he also lost a fumble.  Ronnie Brown had a good game before he left with a knee injury.  Brown carried the ball 17 times for 76 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 33 yards (6.6 avg).  Jesse Chatman replaced Brown and he was outstanding as he carried the ball 7 times for 73 yards (10.4 ypc) with a TD run.  Patrick Cobbs also got in on the action with 3 carries for 14 yards (4.7 ypc) with a TD run.  WR Derek Hagan (4 rec, 56 yards) and TE Justin Peelle (4 rec, 42 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Dolphins.  The Dolphins finished up with 179 yards rushing on 30 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 37 passes for 203 yards.

The defense gave another awful effort as a team on Sunday.  But, Zach Thomas came to play as he had 8 tackles and Jason Taylor returned a interception 36 yards for a TD.  The Patriots finished up with 84 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 28 passes for 359 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271021015

These are two teams going in different directions as the Patriots have started the season 6-0 and they’ve pounded everyone they have played this season by at least 17 points!  The Dolphins have started the season 0-6 and they appear to be a team that will be in contention for the first pick in the NFL Draft next April.

The New England Patriots will be without starting tight end Ben Watson and leading rusher Sammy Morris who are both injured….but fear not as they have plenty of weapons available for Tom Brady.  The Patriots will likely be able to do whatever they want against a Dolphins defense that is starting to look their age at key positions.  Laurence Maroney and Kevin Faulk will likely tear up the Fins defense which is allowing 168.5 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry.  The Dolphins hope that Jason Taylor (4 sacks) can get to Tom Brady and force him into making some mistakes….but don’t hold your breath.  After all, Brady has a QB Rating of 128.9 which leads the NFL.  Look for Brady to spread the ball around to Randy Moss (40 rec, 610 yards, 8 TDs), Wes Welker (38 rec, 386 yards, 3 TDs) and Donte’ Stallworth (19 rec, 316 yards, 2 TDs) who should find a lot of running room against the Dolphins.

The Dolphins will try to get the ball to Ronnie Brown as much as possible.  Brown has rushed for 526 yards this season and he’s also caught 34 passes for 356 yards so he will be a challenge to the Patriots linebackers.  The Patriots are only allowing 78.0 yards rushing per game but that’s mostly because teams get taken out of the running game due to the Pats offense getting a jump on them.  The Patriots blitz from all angles so the Fins need Cleo Lemon to protect the football which could be a problem as 3 of his 70 pass attempts this season have been intercepted.  Without Chris Chambers around, look for Marty Booker and TE David Martin to be the main men in the passing game.  Ted Ginn Jr. and Derek Hagan will also have increased roles against the Patriots and they need them to produce and not be intimidated.

PREDICTION:  The Dolphins ambushed the Patriots last season in Miami 21-0 and the Patriots will have a let down one of these weeks.  Look for the Dolphins to give the Patriots a game for at least a half.  PATRIOTS 30, DOLPHINS 14.

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The Dolphins continue to go young as they have cut Donovin Darius.  Darius made 13 tackles this season for the Dolphins but he’s been a little banged up.  By missing time, he let his eventual replacement take his job.  Cameron Worrell will be the starter at strong safety for the Dolphins and he’s been decent so far this season with 28 tackles.

The Dolphins have traded Chris Chambers to the Chargers for a 2nd round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.  This trade will likely help both teams as the Dolphins are starting to go young.  Chambers has caught 31 passes for 415 yards (13.4 avg) with 0 TDs so far this year.  He finishes his career with the Dolphins having played in 100 games (90 starts) and he caught 405 passes for 5,688 yards (14.0 avg) with 43 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 41 times for 355 yards (8.7 ypc).  The Dolphins will give Derek Hagan and Ted Ginn Jr. a bigger piece of the pie on offense with Chambers gone.  Hagan will likely move into the starting lineup and he has caught 6 passes for 72 yards (12.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Ginn has caught 3 passes for 83 yards (27.7 avg) and he also has carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc).  Hagan will likely start over Ginn because Ginn also returns punts and kickoffs.  Ginn has returned 10 punts for 73 yards (7.3 avg) and he also has returned 25 kickoffs for 627 yards (25.1 avg).

The Dolphins offense did their part on Sunday but the defense was awful again which led to another painful loss.  Cleo Lemon had a rough first half but he was electric in the 2nd half as his overall numbers were solid.  He completed 24 of 43 passes for 256 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 interceptions.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 9 yards (2.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Ronnie Brown had another excellent game as he carried the ball 19 times for 101 yards (5.3 ypc) and he also caught 9 passes for 69 yards (7.7 avg).  Chris Chambers also had a solid game with 6 grabs for 73 yards (12.2 avg).  TE David Martin was Lemon’s go-to man as he caught 3 passes for 18 yards (6.0 avg) with 2 TDs.  The Dolphins rushed for 110 yards on 23 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 43 passes for 246 yards.

Old warriors Zach Thomas (12 tackles) and Jason Taylor (4 tackles, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery) came to play….too bad the other 9 guys didn’t.  The Browns rushed for 140 yards on 35 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 25 passes for 244 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271014005