This will be a very interesting football game.  The Dolphins are 6-1 on the road this season while the Patriots are 7-0 at home.  The Dolphins will be looking for revenge in this game as the Patriots beat them 41-14 in Miami earlier this year.  The Patriots will likely be resting a bunch of their starters on both sides of the football with the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs already sewed up.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins should be aggressive on offense in this game as the Patriots’ D isn’t too good to begin with.  The Patriots are allowing 112.3 yards rushing per game and 4.3 yards per carry so look for Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams to get their fare share of carries in this game.  The Patriots have 24 interceptions this year so Chad Henne is going to have to be careful throwing the football but the Patriots are giving up 262.0 yards passing per game so there are plays to be made.  WRs Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess could have big games for the Fish this Sunday.

When the Patriots have the ball:  I see the Patriots maybe playing their starters for possibly one quarter….it that.  Bill Belichick isn’t stupid as he learned his lesson last year by playing Wes Welker in a meaningless game last year in which he tore his ACL.  He won’t let that happen this year.  I don’t look for them to change the gameplan however as Brian Hoyer will be expected to run the whole offense against the Fins.  He is not in Tom Brady’s class, so don’t be surprised if they start to run the ball a little more on Sunday.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 27, PATRIOTS 17

The Dolphins expected 29-year old inside linebacker Karlos Dansby to bring toughness and playmaking to the defense, and that he has.  In 14 games so far this year, Dansby has 95 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, 4 passes defensed and 2 forced fumbles.  This was money well spent for the Dolphins as Dansby has rubbed off on his teammates as the Dolphins have only given up 94.7 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.

The Dolphins imploded in this game as the allowed the Lions to score 17 points in the last 4:37 of this game to steal a win.  Chad Henne completed 29 of 44 passes for 278 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs (LB DeAndre Levy returned one of the interceptions 30 yards for a TD with only 2:11 left in this game!).  Henne also carried the ball 5 times for 14 yards (2.8 ypc) in this game.  Ricky Williams led the way on the ground for the Dolphins in this game with 71 yards rushing on 14 carries (5.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 21 yards (10.5 avg).  Ronnie Brown pitched in with 12 carries for 37 yards (3.1 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 6 passes for 34 yards (5.7 avg) in this game.  FB Lousaka Polite carried the ball 4 times for 12 yards (3.0 ypc) with a TD run yesterday.  WR Brandon Marshall led the way in the passing game for the Fins yesterday with 10 catches for 102 yards (10.2 avg).  Rookie TE Mickey Shuler (2 rec, 44 yards) and WR Davone Bess (5 rec, 34 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Dolphins in the passing game.  The Dolphins finished up with 154 yards rushing on 37 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 44 passes for 271 yards as they had possession of the football for 37:15!

The defense actually played o.k. in this game for the Fins.  Safety Yeremiah Bell (6 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss) and LB Tim Dobbins (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Fins on D in this game.  The Lions finished up with 67 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 26 passes for 208 yards.  The Dolphins are now 7-8 on the year and they finished with a amazingly awful 1-7 record at home in 2010.

The Dolphins have alternated wins and losses the last 10 weeks.  With that in mind they are due for a win this weekend in Miami.  But, the Dolphins are only 1-6 at home so far this year.  The Lions are only 1-6 on the road this year but they have won two games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins would be smart to try to grind out a win on the ground this Sunday.  Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams will be taking aim at a Lions’ D that is allowing 126.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Chad Henne needs to get rid of the ball quickly this weekend as the Lions already have 39 sacks so far this year.  The Dolphins don’t throw deep too often so it shouldn’t hurt them to rely on the short passing game.  Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano will likely all have decent games for the Fins this weekend.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions will likely try to run the ball a bit in this game with Maurice Morris & Jahvid Best but it won’t be easy as the Fins are only allowing 96.6 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  The Dolphins have 37 sacks on the year so they will be coming after Drew Stanton or Shaun Hill early and often in this game.  If they get consistent pressure on the Lions’ QB they will likely be able to force them into some mistakes.  But, they must stop Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew or it could be a long day for the D.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 20, LIONS 17

28-year old OLB Cameron Wake is coming on like a hurricane.  He has exploded onto the scene in his second NFL season!  Wake has played in 14 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has 51 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 14 sacks, 4 passes defensed and 3 forced fumbles.  It will be interesting to see if the Dolphins do the right thing and give Wake a new contract to reward him for his production as he is a Pro Bowler now.

The Dolphins should have probably won this game as kicker Dan Carpenter was 0 for 4 on field goals.  In his defense they were all long ones between 48-61 yarders.  Chad Henne played his best game in a while completing 33 of 45 passes for 276 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Ronnie Brown led the way on the ground for the Fins in this game with 10 carries for 39 yards (3.9 ypc) with a TD run.  Ricky Williams pitched in with 7 carries for 19 yards (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 34 yards (6.8 avg).  Brandon Marshall (11 grabs, 106 yards, TD) and Davone Bess (9 rec, 78 yards) led the way for the Fins in this game.  The Dolphins finished up with 65 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 45 passes for 261 yards. 

Safety Yeremiah Bell (9 tackles) and CB Benny Sapp (3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Fins in this game.  The Bills finished up with 71 yards on 27 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 26 passes for 211 yards.  The Dolphins are now 7-7 on the season.

The Miami Dolphins are still alive for the playoffs at 7-6, making this a huge game for them.  The Bills have won 3 of their last 5 games as they have been playing decent football.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are going to tighten up the chinstraps and feed the ball to Ronnie Brown & Ricky Williams against a Bills’ D that is allowing 165.8 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  Chad Henne will likely have more time than usual to throw the ball this weekend so he could be effective in getting the ball to Brandon Marshall, Davone Bess and Anthony Fasano in the passing game.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are going to run a balanced offense this Sunday.  Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller will get tested by a Fins’ D that is allowing 98.6 yards rushing per game and 3.6  yards per carry.  The Dolphins’  linebackers also have to be aware of Ryan Fitzpatrick running the ball.  He is averaging 6.6 yards per carry so far this year.  The Dolphins will be sending Cameron Wake after Ryan Fitzpatrick from the time he gets off the Bills’ team bus.  That is because if he has time to throw the ball he can make some big plays with his arm. 

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 20, BILLS 17

The Miami Dolphins  took 23-year old outside linebacker Koa Misi with the #40 overall pick (2nd round) out of Utah.  Misi has been starting for the Dolphins this year but he isn’t making a lot of big plays.  He has played in 13 games for the Fins so far this year and he hass 31 tackles, 3.5 sacks and he has defensed 2 passes.

The Dolphins have placed 29-year old OT Vernon Carey on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee problem.  Carey played in 12 games (all starts) for the Dolphins this year.  He has now played in 106 games (92 starts) in his 7 years with the Fins.  They will miss him as he is one of the best O-Linemen on the team.

The Dolphins have signed 32-year old WR Kevin Curtis to a 1-year deal.  Curtis played in 3 games (1 start) for the Eagles last season and he caught 6 passes for 77 yards (12.8 avg).  He has now played in 79 games (36 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 252 passes for 3,291 yards (13.1 avg) with 20 TD grabs.  I really like this signing for the Dolphins because Curtis is a tough guy who isn’t worried about going over the middle to make a grab and he has a good set of hands.

UPDATE:  The Dolphins have waived Kevin Curtis.  Curtis played in 2 games for the Dolphins in which he caught 1 pass for 6 yards and he also carried the ball 1 time for 6 yards.