New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins | Week 2 Preview

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MIAMI, FL – This Sunday afternoon, two AFC East teams with 0-1 records will play each other at Hard Rock Stadium. The New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins enter this matchup seeking to improve their offenses. Although it’s only the second week of football, this game has huge standings implications for both squads. Here are several players that should be kept an eye on for week 2 for this game between the Patriots and the Dolphins.

Players to Watch

Tua Tagovailoa

How will he respond to last week’s outing? Week 1 was an embarrassment for the quarterback out of Alabama. Tagovailoa never looked comfortable out there for consecutive snaps, and he didn’t attempt any deep passes. The Patriots have an up-and-coming defense that will be ready to keep him in check.

🎥 Tua Tagovailoa on his turnovers coming in bunches: "I'm not looking to go out there to throw interceptions. We're looking to out there complete passes, get the right plays." (@MiamiDolphins) #PhinsUp https://t.co/LlmKlZAXET pic.twitter.com/htD5tv9Qh6

— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) September 10, 2025

De’Von Achane

Achane didn’t have a horrible game last Sunday, but he also didn’t have an outstanding game either. He wasn’t utilized as often as the Dolphins wanted to due to how out of hand it got. That shouldn’t be the case against New England, and I expect him to hit the 100-yard mark in this one.

nobody saw this De'Von Achane TD on an escort look

but it happened. Would not be denied! Great effort pic.twitter.com/hq21RlDHdV

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 9, 2025

Jack Jones

Jones only arrived in Miami this past summer, and yet he is someone that they will depend on at the cornerback position. He had eight combined tackles against the Colts, with three of them being unassisted. He’s playing against his old team, so perhaps he comes up big on critical plays of the game.

Dolphins CB Jack Jones has no feelings one way or the other on facing a former team in the Patriots. https://t.co/pZi6f7xCsm pic.twitter.com/j08dKwGBV0

— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) September 11, 2025

Drake Maye

The 3rd overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft is a dual-threat QB, and he can give the Fins some trouble. Maye completed 30 of 46 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown in his week 1 loss against the Raiders. He did get sacked four times, which is something Miami can take advantage of on the field.

Drake Maye throws a quick out to DeMario Douglas to tie it up!

LVvsNE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/0I8mkQbKuE

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

TreVeyon Henderson

Henderson made a statement on his first possession with the Patriots when he returned a kickoff for 100 yards. His regular-season debut didn’t turn out as planned. He had 27 rushing yards on five carries and 24 receiving yards on six receptions. The Dolphins should anticipate him being hungry for more in this game.

TreVeyon Henderson’s Debut 📊

🔹11 touches
🔹51 total yards
🔹5.4 YPC 🤩
🔹11.10 PPR points

Mike Vrabel mentioned that they NEED to run the ball more efficiently.

Henderson saw just a 35% snap share, but expect his touches to increase as the season progresses.

He WILL take… pic.twitter.com/3qOwkgJWzc

— Jeremy Ekern (@TheEkernEdge) September 8, 2025

Stefon Diggs

Diggs’ return from an ACL tear last year hasn’t limited him. He made six catches for 57 yards last week after showing strong outings in training camp. Cornerbacks such as Rasul Douglas, rookie Jason Marshall Jr., and Jack Jones need to step up their game against this veteran receiver.

Stefon Diggs played the 3rd-most snaps among #Patriots WRs, mostly serving as a flanker on pass downs

Got locked up on a goal line whip route, but Diggs caught every catchable ball thrown his way, found space vs zones, and had a crucial 3rd down catch on a slant vs man pic.twitter.com/xmYczTTCDh

— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) September 9, 2025

The Outcome

No player has been confirmed out for Sunday’s game as of yet based on this week’s injury report.

Thursday injury report for Dolphins-Patriots pic.twitter.com/Cqw8sFhCtU

— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) September 11, 2025

One team’s fan base will walk out of this game feeling rejuvenated, while the other will walk out in utter disappointment. Tua Tagovailoa is 7-0 all-time against the Patriots. They haven’t won a game in Miami Gardens since September 15, 2019, when Tom Brady and his team blew out the Fins 43-0. In contrast, Tagovailoa is 0-2 against teams coached by Mike Vrabel.

The defense is the stronghold for both teams, particularly on the defensive front. I expect both the pass rushes for both teams to be on point and stop each other from having too much success near the red zone. Therefore, I’d be shocked if one team could truly get away with this game with a lead of over 10 points.

Patriots: 13

Dolphins: 17

 

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