1 Wild options for Miami’s offense
The Pats have had trouble defending any type of offense this season, and Miami’s Wildcat attack will pose problems for them.
With the Patriots’ less-than-stellar pass rush, Miami may look to keep the ball in?QB Chad Henne’s hands more often than usual, but RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams should find success getting the snap directly.
WR Brandon Marshall could have a field day on the Pats’ inexperienced and undersized secondary — at 6-foot-4, he towers over even the tallest New England CB at 5-foot-11. Watch out for that mismatch.
2 Wes Welker still haunts the Dolphins
The Dolphins traded Wes Welker to the Patriots for second- and seventh-round draft picks in 2007.
Welker hasn’t let them forget it.
In six career games against Miami, Welker is averaging almost eight receptions and more than 100 yards per game. Those are his best numbers against any team he’s faced more than once. Although Tom Brady has distributed the ball pretty evenly through the first three games of the season, look for Welker to have similar success in the slot tonight — like he has against Miami each time the teams have met.
3 Ch-ch-ch-changes for the RB corps
The Patriots’ RB corps has seen dramatic change since the dawning of the preseason.
The Pats traded their previous No. 1 back — Laurence Maroney — to the Broncos two weeks ago. Then Kevin Faulk went down for the season with a torn ACL. Now, Fred Taylor will sit out tonight with a toe injury.
That leaves a heavy load on the shoulders of BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who looks to start, and Sammy Morris. Danny Woodhead made some noise against Buffalo, but the Pats will probably only use him on rare occasions.
