Patriots' Super Bowl Hero Julian Edelman Predicts 'Step Back' For 'Fluke' AFC East Foe

New England Patriots' Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman thinks his old team will finish ahead of the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East.

While most NFL experts believe the New England Patriots have slipped to the cellar of the AFC East, one of their greats from yesteryear is giving fans a warped glimmer of hope.

The Buffalo Bills have won the last three division titles and dominated the Pats in four straight blowouts. The New York Jets had a Top 10 defense last season, and are adding to it a quarterback named Aaron Rodgers. And the Miami Dolphins ...

Somebody's gotta slide and, according to Patriots' Super Bowl hero Julian Edelman, it's Miami's turn for some regression. During a recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, Edelman predicted the Patriots would finish ahead of at least the Dolphins in the division.

"I could see Miami taking a step back," Edelman said. "I don’t know if it was a fluke, but you know, December and November football’s different. I see them taking a step back because they have so much hype around them."

Miami and New England split their season series last year, but the Dolphins went 9-8 and edged the Pats out of the playoffs by one game. It was their first trip to the postseason since 2016, and they were beaten by the Bills in a thriller, 34-31.

Despite boasting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and adding former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey in free agency, Edelman is not impressed.

"There’s like always that one team where they’re supposed to be good and something like, what is it, 40 percent of the teams that made the playoffs last year aren’t going to make the playoffs this year," he said.

This all begs the question: Can a former player provide motivational bulletin-board material to current opponents? The Patriots and Dolphins meet in Week 2 in Foxboro and again in Week 8 in south Florida.

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