What to watch for when Patriots host Dolphins in Week 17

FOXBORO -- Despite all that has gone wrong this season -- and make no mistake, a lot has gone wrong this season -- the New England Patriots still have a chance to sneak into the postseason. All they have to do is beat the Dolphins on Sunday (possible) and the Bills in Buffalo next weekend (crazier things have happened).

Of course, the playoff hopes go poof if the Patriots lose to the Dolphins, which they've done quite a bit over the last few years. Miami swept the season series in 2021, and has won four straight over New England.

Will the Patriots snap that streak and keep their season alive? Here's what we'll be watching for come Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

Who plays corner?

This is gonna be tricky. Marcus Jones and Jack Jones didn't practice at all this week. Jalen Mills returned Friday, but has missed over a month with a groin injury. Jonathan Jones is also dealing with a chest injury, leaving Myles Bryant and Shaun Wade the only healthy corners on the roster.

Yikes. Good luck covering two of the most explosive receivers in the game in Miami's Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Jonathan Jones has had some success against Hill in the past, but he's a tough cover for a healthy player, let alone one dealing with an injury. And then there's Waddle on the other side of the field, who is probably salivating for a matchup against Bryant or Wade. 

The Patriots' defense is going to have to get creative with this. But even the best laid plans crumble in a hurry against the likes of Hill and Waddle.

Make it tough on Teddy

Tua Tagovailoa is 4-0 against the Patriots for his career, but he is out with another concussion. That leaves Teddy Bridgewater to handle the QB duties for Miami. The veteran played in place of Tua between Weeks 3 and 6, completing 37 of his 60 passes for 522 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. He started one game over that stretch -- Week 5 -- but was knocked out after one snap after taking a big hit from New York's Sauce Gardner.

Tua is obviously the more talented of the two, but Bridgewater is one of the best backups in the league and the two possess a similar skill set. (Though Tua is a lefty and Bridgewater is a righty, so there is that.) Miami doesn't have to go out and reinvent the wheel, and the Patriots don't have to change their whole defensive game plan. 

One thing Bridgewater doesn't do as much as Tua is run Miami's RPO. That is great news for a Patriots defense that has struggled against that package. But if New England can't cover Bridgewater's weapons downfield, a few less RPO looks may not even matter.

More Kendrick Bourne please

Yeah, we're still doing this. Begging, pleading, demanding for more Kendrick Bourne in the offense.

The receiver just makes things happen when he's out there. Mac Jones looks comfortable throwing to him, and the two have a really good deep connection going when they're allowed to share the field.

Bourne had his best game of the season last Saturday, sparking the New England offense with six catches for 100 yards and his first touchdown of the season. He had three big catches -- for 19, 32, and 28 yards -- and a big 29-yard run. Three of his catches came on third down, including his five-yard touchdown.

Will Bourne get extended run again on Sunday? With the season on the line, he better.

No turnovers!

The last two weeks have been difficult, watching the Patriots lose on last-minute turnovers. Giving the ball away usually leads to bad things for the offending team, but they've been really bad news for the Patriots when they play the Dolphins.

Back in Week 1, an interception ended New England's first drive of the season with the offense at the Miami 22. A few possessions later, Mac was strip-sacked and the fumble was returned for a Miami score. The Dolphins won, 20-7, in a game that wasn't that close.

In Week 1 last season, both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson lost fumbles for New England. Harris lost his at the Miami 11 with a minute to play with the Pats trailing, 17-16.

In Week 18 last year, Mac threw a pick-six to Xavien Howard on the team's first possession to put them in a 14-0 hole. The Pats eventually cut it to a 27-24 Dolphins lead with three minutes to play, but Miami played some spoiler and won 33-24. It was the first time the Dolphins had swept their season series with the Pats since 2020.

Moral of the story: Don't turn it over against the Dolphins. Hopefully the Patriots used up all their last-minute, game-losing turnovers over the last few weeks.

Tune in to Patriots-Dolphins this Sunday on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots! Coverage continues Friday night at 7 p.m. with Patriots All Access, and begins Sunday at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay. The Pats and the Dolphins are set to kick off at 1 p.m., and after the game, switch to TV38 for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter!