Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots: Game Capsule

by Matty I on Jan 1, 2011 1:00 PM EST in 2012 Miami Dolphins News

MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-8) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-2)

SERIES

	DOLPHINS	PATRIOTS
SERIES LEADER	49-38
STREAKS		5 of past 7
COACHES VS. OPP.	Sparano: 2-3	Belichick: 12-11
LAST WEEK	L 34-27 vs. Lions	W 34-3 at Bills
LAST GAME	10/4/10: Patriots 41 at Dolphins 14. New England scores 35 2nd-half points, starting with 103-yard KR-TD by rookie WR Ben Tate. Pats RB Danny Woodhead scores 1st career rec. TD.
LAST GAME AT SITE	11/8/09: Patriots 27, Dolphins 17. New England QB Tom Brady passes for 332 yards, including 71-yard TD to WR Randy Moss. Pats RB Laurence Maroney adds 82 yards & 1 TD.
BROADCAST	CBS (1:00 PM ET): Bill Macatee, Rich Gannon. SIRIUS: 157 (Mia.), 158 (NE). XM: 105 (NE).

STATS

PASSING	Henne: 295-474-3,230-15-18-77.1	Brady: 314-476-3,701-34 (1L)-4-109.8 (1L)
RUSHING	R. Brown: 194-720-3.7-5	Green-Ellis: 209-928-4.4-12 (2L)
RECEIVING	Marshall: 81-917-11.3-3	Welker: 86 (T2C)-848-9.9-7
OFFENSE	328.0	354.5
TAKE/GIVE	-11	+27 (1L)
DEFENSE	296.5 (3L)	374.3
SACKS	Wake: 14 (1L)	Wright: 5.5
INTs	Sapp: 2	McCourty (R): 6 (T1C)
PUNTING	Fields: 46.0 (3C)	Mesko (R): 43.0
KICKING	D. Carpenter: 114 (24/24 PAT; 30/40 FG)	Graham: 67 (34/36 PAT; 11/11 FG)

NOTES

DOLPHINS: Aim to finish with 7-1 road record for 1st time since 1984...QB CHAD HENNE has 9-4 record as starter on road...RB RONNIE BROWN aims for 3rd straight game with rush TD. Brown (15) needs 100-yard rush game to surpass HOFer LARRY CSONKA (15) for 2nd-most in Dolphins history (RICKY WILLIAMS, 24). Has 5 rush TDs in 4 career games at NE...WR BRANDON MARSHALL (4,936) needs 64 receiving yards to reach 5,000 career. Marshall (81) needs 10 catches to surpass O.J. MC DUFFIE (90 in '98) for most rec. in season in Dolphins history. Aims for 3rd straight game with 10+ receptions & at least 100 receiving yards. Marshall (81) & WR DAVONE BESS (76) can become 1st Dolphins duo to reach 80 rec. in season in franchise history. In past 2 vs. Patriots, Bess is averaging 106.5 receiving yards per game (213 total) & aims for 3rd straight game w/ TD reception vs. NE...LB CAMERON WAKE has NFL-best 14 sacks this season. Needs sack to become 6th Dolphins player w/ 15+ sacks in season since '82. Wake has 2 sacks in 3 career games vs. NE.

PATRIOTS: Have earned 12 playoff berths in 17 seasons since ROBERT KRAFT purchased team in '94...NE averages NFL-best 32.0 points per game in '10 & aims to lead NFL in points per game for 2nd time in past 4 years (36.8 in '07)...Club aims for 8th straight game w/ 30+ points...NE is 60-2 (.968) when scoring 30+ points under BILL BELICHICK...QB TOM BRADY (3,701) needs 299 passing yards to post 4th 4,000-yard season. Is 7-1 as starter at home vs. Mia. Brady has won an NFL record 27 consecutive regular-season home games as starter...RB BEN JARVUS GREEN-ELLIS (12) needs rush TD to become 3rd Patriot to reach 13 rush TDs in season. RB DANNY WOODHEAD had career-best 93 rush yards last week...In past 4 vs. Mia., WR WES WELKER is averaging 110.3 receiving yards per game (441 total). Last week, TE ROB GRONKOWSKI had 2 TD catches & tied JUNIOR MILLER (Atlanta, 1980) for 2nd-most TD receptions by rookie TE in NFL history w/ 9 (MIKE DITKA, 12 with Bears in '61)...CB DEVIN MC COURTY (1st round, No. 27) is tied for NFL lead among rookies w/ 6 INTs (JOE HADEN).

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Comments

That'd be Brandon Tate, not Ben Tate, on the KR TD.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 1, 2011 3:31 PM EST reply actions

what about taint?

2009 NY Phin PhansFantasy League Champion
2009 Best Regular Season Record in NYPPL.
2010 The Jim Mandich NewsFlash Award Winner.

""It only ends once. Everything that comes before is just progress"

by Patssuck456 on Jan 2, 2011 2:19 AM EST up reply actions

and Patrick Chung blocked a field goal for a touchdown, pick six and a blocked punt in the second half

"it is with books as with men, a few play a great part, and the rest are lost in the multitude."-Voltaire
"Give me Ernest or give me death"-me
"how about this story, from 1-15 to 11-5 and the best team in the afc east, from 15 games out a year ago to reigning champions, unbelievable" Jim Mandich

by civwarbuff on Jan 1, 2011 4:13 PM EST reply actions

Just put "Brady" in the hospital for surgery.

No comment cant you see my “Clavicul is broken”!

wopper "the king" computer
We often look rite past the positive's cuz the negative's-r-so hard they dominate!

by wild zion beaver on Jan 1, 2011 8:17 PM EST reply actions

Hopefully the Pats bring their best Sunday

And our Fins end the season on a good note. I’m almost assured ST won’t fail us this time and maybe we get to see a glimpse of future hope. Toast to Matty for a year of hard work and look forward to your insights for 2011.

Damn the sheriff, Bring on MARSHALL LAW

by fin4three5yrs on Jan 1, 2011 9:06 PM EST reply actions

Pats STs have cooled off a bit of late

Partly because teams kick away from their returners, partly because the stud ST players (Chung, Arrington, McCourty, Ninkovich, Guyton) have earned too many starting D reps to be entirely effective on STs, too, and partly because of injuries.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 1, 2011 9:17 PM EST up reply actions

That is where Belichek is head above all other coaches

While your stud ST players have not contributed lately to STs, they will be well rested to assert themselves in the playoffs, if needed.

Damn the sheriff, Bring on MARSHALL LAW

by fin4three5yrs on Jan 1, 2011 11:16 PM EST up reply actions

Oh, not quite what I meant

The guys who were initially ‘only’ studs on STs have earned starting reps on D, so they haven’t been quite as explosive on STs. Tate’s getting reps as the third WR, Arrington’s gone from a gunner to a starting CB, McCourty was a starting CB all year, Chung’s starting SS, and Ninkovich went from part-time LB to full-time starter. Dane Fletcher and Jarrad Page have both gotten more reps on D lately, and both had an interception last week.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 1, 2011 11:38 PM EST up reply actions

So they're likely a little gassed by playing D reps every week...

to contribute a whole lot on STs.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 1, 2011 11:48 PM EST up reply actions

Got you C.S

Hope to see a great game today between our teams and as much as I hate to say it, I really hope y’all represent the AFCe with domination, especially if y’all were to meet the Jets. Good luck, man and thxs for the visit.

Damn the sheriff, Bring on MARSHALL LAW

by fin4three5yrs on Jan 2, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions