Setting the Stage for the Dolphins-Patriots Week 8 Matchup

The Miami Dolphins will look to go to 6-2 on the season when the face the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday

The Miami Dolphins will look to go to 6-2 on the season when they face the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Here's all the pertinent info for this Week 8 Dolphins-Patriots matchup:

MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-2) vs. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-5)

DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023

TIME: 1 p.m. ET

SITE: Hard Rock Stadium; Miami Gardens, Fla.

WEATHER FORECAST: The temperature between 1 and 4 p.m. ET around Hard Rock Stadium will be 84-86 degrees, according to AccuWeather.com, with mostly cloudy skies with showers in the 1 p.m. hour followed by intermitten clouds. The wind is expected to be 14-15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Adam Archuleta (color analyst), Aditi Kinkhabwala (sidelines)

STREAMING: fuboTV (start your free trial)

SI Sportsbook betting line: Dolphins by 9.5 (over/under 46.5)

Final Injury Report:

Dolphins — WR River Cracraft (shoulder) and S Jevon Holland (concussion) are out; CB Xavien Howard (groin), FB Alec Ingold (foot), RB Raheem Mostert (ankle), CB Nik Needham (Achilles), CB Jalen Ramsey (knee), CB Cam Smith (foot) and C Connor Williams (groin) are questionable.

Patriots — OL Calvin Anderson (illness) is out; DL Christian Barmore (knee), T Trent Brown (ankle/knee), CB Jonathan Jones (knee), OL Vederian Lowe (ankle), LB Josh Uche (ankle/toe), CB Shaun Wade (shoulder), DL Keion White (concussion) and DL Deatrich Wise Jr. (shoulder) are questionable.

Regular season series history: The Dolphins lead 60-53

Last five meetings:

Sept. 17, 2023 at New England — Dolphins 24, Patriots 17

Jan. 1, 2023 at New England — Patriots 23, Dolphins 21

Sept. 11, 2022 at Miami — Dolphins 20, Patriots 7

Jan. 9, 2022 at Miami — Dolphins 33, Patriots 24

Sept. 12, 2021 at New England — Dolphins 17, Patriots 17

Dolphins' largest margin of victory: 52 (1972 at Miami; Dolphins 52, Patriots 0)

Dolphins' largest margin of defeat: 43 (2019 at Miami; Patriots 43, Dolphins 0)

Highest-scoring matchup: 77 points (2007 at Miami; Patriots 49, Dolphins 28)

Lowest-scoring matchup: 3 points (1982 at New England; Patriots 3, Dolphins 0)

Former Patriots players with the Dolphins:

P Jake Bailey (2019-22), WR Braxton Berrios (2018 on IR), OL Isaiah Wynn (2019-22), CB Justin Bethel (2019-21), wide receivers coach Wes Welker (2007-12)

Former Patriots coaches with the Dolphins:

Offensive assistant Mike Judge

Former Dolphins players with the Patriots:

WR DeVante Parker, LB Raekwon McMillan (IR), DT Davon Godchaux, TE Mike Gesicki, LB Calvin Munson (practice squad), assistant offensive line coach Billy Yates

Former Dolphins coaches with the Patriots:

None

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PATRIOTS SCOUTING REPORT

The Patriots are coming to Hard Rock Stadium on the heels of an impressive home victory against the defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills, but it's overall been a brutal season for them, to the point where legendary coach Bill Belichick's job status has become a hot topic. QB Mac Jones had a signature comeback against the Bills, but it's been a struggle for Tua Tagovailoa's successor at Alabama, in part because of offensive line issues. The defense ranks ninth in the league in total yards allowed, a pretty impressive showing considering it lost of its best players when LB Matthew Judon and impressive rookie CB Christian Gonzalez went on IR, though the big plays have been few and far between.

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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL WIN ...

Again, we just could stop at the point spread, which indicates that oddsmakers aren't necessarily expecting a close game. The New England defense held the Dolphins offense relatively in check in the Week 2 Sunday night matchup, but this game is in Miami and the Miami offense has been borderline unstoppable at Hard Rock Stadium. It's difficult to envision the New England defense being able to shut down the Dolphins or for the Patriots offense being able to keep up.

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THE BIGGEST REASON THE DOLPHINS WILL LOSE ...

The Dolphins have been lucky with injuries in the sense they haven't lost a front-line player for the season, but they do have several key players on the mend whose status is in doubt for this game and who could/will be at less than 100 percent if they do play. The Dolphins defense, for example, will look entirely different if both Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey are in the lineup as opposed to if neither plays. It's the same for the offensive line depending on the status of Connor Williams. Then there's the concern on special teams, where New England had a big advantage in Week 2 and could steal some points. Finally, there's the Bill Belichick factor and his ability to come up with a game plan to somewhat control the explosive Dolphins offense as he did in Week 2 with his three-safety look and as he did for most of the game against Buffalo last Sunday.

FINAL DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS PREDICTION

The Dolphins are going for their second sweep of the Patriots in three seasons with their trip to Germany and showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs looming. While a concern about looking ahead would have some validity, the Dolphins faced similar situations in home games against Denver and Carolina (showdowns at Buffalo and Philadelphia next on the schedule) and we all know how those games turned out. The bottom line here is that Miami simply has too much firepower for the Patriots and it's impossible to forget that two weeks before beating Buffalo, New England was shut out by the Saints 34-0. This likely will be Miami's toughest home game to date, particularly if weather becomes a factor, but Tua, Tyreek and company will find a way to make enough plays to pull away in the end. Dolphins 30, Patriots 20

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