The New England Patriots have widely been regarded as a nearly invincible dynasty this century. However, every team has its weakness, and the Patriots one kryptonite is in Miami. Tom Brady has gone 7-9 in Miami, along with throwing 15 interceptions there. He has a winning record in nearly every other stadium but Hard Rock. The main reason the Patriots struggle is because of their lack of adjustment to the heat and humidity.
The Patriots have never been a good team playing in the sun. Just this year, they were embarrassed by the Jaguars 31-20, and the temperature and kickoff were a nice and breezy 97 degrees. That would be a good explanation of why the Pats have dropped four of their last five games in Miami.
The consequences of losing to the Dolphins could be severe. A loss would drop the Patriots to 9-4, with a road matchup against the Steelers looming ahead next week. The loss would practically eliminate them from the 1st seed contention, and they will have a tough time getting the second seed, with the Texans rolling on a 9 game winning streak. While that might not seem too bad, the Patriots have never played well in an AFC Championship on the road. In 2015, Brady was outplayed by Peyton Manning in Denver. In 2013, the Patriots also lost in Denver in the AFC title game. This year, they could potentially have to play in the hostile Chiefs stadium if they were to face them.
The key to beating the Dolphins, and more importantly the heat, is to feed Sony Michel and crew. Michel played extremely well against the Dolphins in week 4, going off for 112 yards and a touchdown. James White also had two scores that game. If the Pats go with an old-school, ground and pound offense, with some short, low risk throws mixed in, they should be able to avoid error in Miami.
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