Matt Hylen's Patriots Week 2 Preview

Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye (left) and Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovialoa. C/O to CLutch Points via clutchpoints.com.

Week two of the 2025 NFL season is officially underway, and the New England Patriots already find themselves in a crucial game against a division rival. With both teams coming off bad losses, the trajectory of both teams' seasons could be determined in a big way based on this game's result.

So with that in mind, let's get into what Sunday will look like for the Pats, and what they need to do in order to accomplish a rare feat for them: get a win in Miami.

Injury Report

Patriots Cornerback Christian Gonzalez on the sideline. C/O to AP Photo/Charles Krupa via boston.com.

In terms of injuries, it does not look good for New England once again. Here is the official injury report as of Saturday, September 13th at 6pm EST:

OUT

CB Christian Gonzalez (Hamstring), DE Keion White (Illness)

QUESTIONABLE

LB Marte Mapu (Neck), T Morgan Moses (Foot)

REMOVED FROM INJURY REPORT:

DT Christian Barmore, WR Kayshon Boutte, LB Christian Elliss, LB Harold Landry III, CB Charles Woods

As for the Dolphins, here is what their injury report looks like:

OUT

CB Storm Duck, OL Austin Jackson, DT Benito Jones, TE Darren Waller

DOUBTFUL

CB Ethan Bonner, RB Jaylen Wright

QUESTIONABLE

S Ashtyn Davis

REMOVED FROM LIST:

WR Jaylen Waddle

My 3 Keys to the Game

Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel. C/O to Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images via si.com.

First and foremost, the coaching needs to be better. New England is already at a disadvantage with Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams out with a health issue (Inside Linebackers Coach Zak Kuhr will take Williams' place as defensive playcaller), so it is pivotal for the Pats to get off to a fast start.

Head Coach Mike Vrabel needs to bring a scheme to Miami that will take more of a load off of Maye and put it more into a balanced attack that will keep Miami's poor defense guessing. Maye was simply asked to do too much in week 1. The run game needs to be featured more often and cannot be discarded if it is not working right away.

Second, I need to see more from the secondary in this game. There were too many occasions against the Raiders last week where preventable big plays were allowed due to the poor coverage of the secondary. Miami may have had a bad week, but their offensive core can still be dangerous if they put it all together, so it is the Patriots' job to prevent Miami from doing so. That starts with the coverage, especially with Christian Gonzalez out.

Lastly, the offensive line needs to maintain the level at which they played last week in the passing game, while improving in the run game. According to PFF, Drake Maye ranked 6th in time to throw, which is extremely promising. However, they ranked last in rushing and 23rd in run blocking. If the Patriots can find a way to balance their offensive attack, it will open up so much for Drake Maye and hopefully the offense as a whole.

The offense's biggest issue in week 1 was that the run game was abandoned way too soon, which was mostly due to the O-line. The pass blocking was great, but the run game needs to improve.

Who Wins?

Patriots Quarterback Drake Maye. C/O to nbcsportsboston.com.

This is such a tough one. As bad as Miami was last week, I think they will improve this week. Their head coach is fighting for his job, while that offensive group is far too talented to play like they did in Week 1 again. With that said, I also believe New England will make it a point to come to Miami with a more balanced attack and defensive approach.

Though I was wrong last week, I am going with the Patriots again. I think New England's pass rush will be too much for the Dolphins to handle, which will be the biggest factor in this game. Tua Tagovailoa tends to make mistakes when under pressure, which makes me believe Vrabel will want to blitz as much as they can.

I also think offensively, we will see a better version of Drake Maye. We still need to remember that he is extremely young and still learning, so the inaccurate throws will decrease over time. If the run game can get going, which should be easier against this Dolphins team, I think Maye will find it a lot easier to move the ball downfield.

So, for those reasons, I am opting to go with my optimism and predict a Patriots victory in Miami.

Final Score Prediction: Patriots beat the Dolphins 24-20

Stay tuned for more Patriots as well as NFL content, as weekly articles will be coming your way!

Check out fansonlysportz.com for more media content posted daily.

Also, make sure to check out my socials @matthylen_, where I post all my articles!

Catch ya next time!

-Matt Hylen