5 questions and answers about Patriots vs. Dolphins

While the New England Patriots are preparing for the NFL playoffs, the Miami Dolphins are heading into an uncertain future. Currently at 7-9, they failed to qualify for the tournament and as a consequence will extend their postseason win drought to 25 years.

Naturally, the disappointing nature of the season will lead to plenty of speculation in the offseason. However, uncertainty also reigns supreme heading into Sunday’s game. So, in order to find out more about the Patriots’ Week 18 opponent, we spoke with Kevin Nogle of Pats Pulpit’s sister site The Phinsider, the SB Nation community for all things Dolphins.

Here is what he told us about the upcoming game and opponent.

1. The fight Mike McDaniel’s team has shown at times this season has been really impressive. Do you believe he’s the guy for the Dolphins?

I could see McDaniel staying with the Dolphins in 2026 and I could see the team deciding to move on from him. My concern is, I think he is a good coach who is still learning the full role of the head coach. This could be a case where the Dolphins decide to move on, then he re-emerges as a really good head coach somewhere else. I am not saying he is a future Bill Belichick, but it could be similar to Belichick with the Browns right now. 

Don Shula was the Dolphins’ head coach for 26 years. The only other coach to ever make it to a fifth season — and he didn’t complete that year — was Dave Wannstedt. George Wilson: four years. Jimmy Johnson: four years. Nick Saban: two years. Cam Cameron: one year. Tony Sparano: four years. Joe Philin: four years. Adam Gase: three years.  Brian Flores: three years.

And now McDaniel is finishing out his fourth season. There may be something to keeping some stability — and I know Dolphins fans will hate that idea. It will likely come down to how they play on Sunday and whatever the team decides to do with their vacant general manager position. Does the new GM want to keep McDaniel? Does he have a coach he wants to hire? 

Personally, I like McDaniel and think he has the chance to be a very good coach in the NFL — but he has to learn and grow quickly. If the Dolphins move on, I understand that decision as well.  

2. How has Quinn Ewers looked since replacing Tua Tagovailoa? Could he be a long-term answer for Miami?

He has looked like a rookie trying to get used to the game’s pace. There is definitely a group of Dolphins fans who want to declare him the savior and see him as the future of the position for Miami, but he has not shown that at all. Last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was better than Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals, so hopefully that is a sign that he is growing and could become an effective player in the NFL.

Given Tagovailoa’s contract, I think he is likely still on the roster for next year. I could see a scenario where Tagovailoa and Ewers compete for the starting role, and a player like Cam Miller, who Miami poached from the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad this week, is the third-string developmental player. 

Of course, that all depends on what happened to Tagovailoa this year and what Miami does next year. Tagovailoa’s footwork has been atrocious this season, he has not looked comfortable working through his reads, and he is slow in moving around the pocket. Are his injuries catching up to him? Is he completely done as a starting quarterback? Can he work on his fundamentals this offseason to fix whatever it was we watched for much of this year?

If Miami does move on from Tagovailoa and eats the massive cap hit that would come with a release or trade, they could look to Ewers to be the starter and add either a cheap veteran as a backup or draft someone and just accept that 2026 is a growing year.

3. Has anyone managed to slow De’Von Achane down this season? If so, how’d they pull it off?

Mike McDaniel has been very effective this year at slowing Achane down. It is probably 50/50 whether the Dolphins will continue to ride the hot hand whenever Achane gets into a rhythm. Achane has had more than 20 touches in the games against the New York Jets, the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills, the Washington Commanders, the New Orleans Saints, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What was Miami’s record in those games? They were 6-0. In games where Achane had 20 or fewer touches, Miami is 1-9, with the one win coming in a game where Achane was injured and Miami was blowing out the Jets. There is pretty strong evidence that the Dolphins have to get Achane involved.

As for opposing defenses, keep containment. Achane is not afraid to run up the middle, but he is most effective when he can find space on the outside. Be disciplined in how you attack, and either force him back inside, or keep him strung out looking for space while the defense rallies to the ball.

McDaniel loves the screen pass — so make sure you are watching for Achane to sneak out into the flat for the screen. 

The Patriots were actually among the best at bottling up Achane on the ground this year, allowing just 2.7 yards per carry on 11 attempts in Week 2 — though he did gain 92 yards and a touchdown in the passing game on eight receptions; the Carolina Panthers held him ot 1.6 yards per carry on 10 attempts and 30 receiving yards and a touchdown on six receptions 

The easiest way to slow down Achane is to force Miami into throwing. McDaniel will abandon the ground game if he feels like he has to pick up big yards. When you are starting a seventh-round rookie in Ewers (or a struggling Tagovailoa), you would think the goal would be to stick to Achane as much as possible, but it does not happen.

4. Which Dolphins have taken the most significant leap forward this season? 

The offensive line and the cornerbacks. Miami’s offensive line has been such a mess over the last several years, where there have been some strong players (Terron Armstead, Laremy Tunsil, Branden Albert, Mike Pouncey, etc.), but overall they have not been able to protect the quarterback or open running lanes. This year, even with injuries, they have been effective. Even rookie Jonah Savaiinaea, who Pro Football Focus seems to hate and fans want to declare a bust, has had flashes of development into a solid starting guard. It is not a finished product, but I could see Miami fairly comfortable with Patrick Paul, Savaiinaea, Aaron Brewer, and Austin Jackson as four of their five starters next year — leaving a battle for right guard.

At cornerback, Miami’s injured reserve list includes JuJu Brents, Artie Burns, Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, Kader Kohou, and Jason Maitre. Miami has turned to Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones, Jason Marshall, Jr., and Ethan Bonner to try to piece together the secondary, and it has worked. It has also been beneficial that Minkah Fitzpatrick has been able to slide into the nickel corner position while Ashtyn Davis, Ifatue Melifonwu, and Dante Trader, Jr., have been able to hold down the safety spots. I am not saying the Dolphins have All Pros in the secondary (other than Fitzpatrick), but they have stepped up and played well at a position that was a giant question mark heading into the season.   

5. Who’s your pick for the 2025 MVP? Been a bit of a hot topic in New England.

Earlier this year, I thought it would be Baker Mayfield, but that obviously fell through. I think it goes to Matthew Stafford when the votes are tallied, but I could also see Drake Maye winning. I think Stafford gets it in part because he leads in touchdowns by a large margin, is second in passing yards, and is second in passer rating. Maye leads in passer rating, but he is 12 touchdowns behind Stafford and almost 250 yards back. The Patriots have the better record, so that may push some votes toward Maye.

What gives Stafford the final advantage is his career. Stafford has never won the award, and there will probably be some voters that see it as a chance to give him the nod, knowing Maye is young enough to win it some other time. I am not saying it is right, but I think it will be a factory.