Exploring the ‘What If’ Scenarios of the Dolphins/Patriots Week 4 Game

 

What if the Dolphins win……..

• The Dolphins would move to 4-0 and will hold a 3 game lead on the Patriots (as well as the head-to-head tiebreaker, with a game in Miami in their future).  The Dolphins would also hold at least a 2 game lead over the Jets and Bills in the division.
• The Dolphins would legitimize their 3-0 start and will look to carry their momentum into the second quarter of the season.
• The Dolphins would improve to 2-0 in the AFC East and 4-0 in the AFC.  Meanwhile, the Patriots would be 1-2 versus the AFC and 0-1 in division.  All of that could be important to tie-breaking scenarios later in the year.
• A Dolphins’ win could send the Patriots season into a place it hasn’t been in a very, very long time. After the Dolphins, they host the Colts on Thursday night, then host the 3-0 Chiefs before heading to Chicago to play the division-leading Bears.  A 1-3 start could turn into 2-5 or 3-4 very easily.
• A Dolphins’ win could also give the team even more confidence than it already has. Did you know the Dolphins haven’t beaten the Patriots in Foxboro since the ‘Wildcat’ game?  That was in 2008……George W. Bush was still president then.  Knocking of the Patriots would provide more confidence and sway for this young team that is eager to prove everyone wrong.
• Finally, if the Dolphins win on Sunday, they will have won…… absolutely nothing (other than 4 games of course). They will not have clinched a division title or even a playoff spot.  They will simply be 1/4 of the way through a 16 game season. There will still be a long road ahead, but a win would make that road a little shorter and less dangerous.

History tells us that the Patriots will probably win this game.  The Patriots haven’t won less than 6 games at home in a season since 2008.  That’s 6-2 or better every year, with a few 8-0’s thrown in there.  They have been a very good team at home.  The Patriots have also not won less than 12 games since 2009.  Think about that, it’s insane how good they’ve been. Their demise has been predicted incorrectly a few times now.  Most recently 2014 when they opened 2-2 after getting blown out at home by the Chiefs.  All they did that year was finish 12-4 and win the Super Bowl.

So, if I had to bet my house, I would say the Patriots probably win a close game.  The oddsmakers seem to think differently, as the Patriots are favored by 7 points.  However, if the Dolphins can take away Gronk on defense and create some explosive plays on offense, they could find a way to pull this one out and shock everyone.  Although then we’d probably hear more about the Patriots losing 3 in a row than the Dolphins being 4-0.

This game is huge for a number of reasons, but mostly because a win would show the Dolphins that the Patriots aren’t a machine anymore. They aren’t destined to win 12 games every season.  If the Dolphins win they’ll show that the AFC East isn’t going to be a cakewalk any longer.  Even though there will be 12 weeks left, a win would make the Patriots road to the Super Bowl much harder than it’s been in the past.  And maybe, just maybe we’ll have a memorable season of our own to watch unfold.

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