Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was named the AFC¡¯s
defensive player of the week on
Wednesday
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Wednesday.Howard did not practice on Wednesday and head coach Adam Gase revealed
after the session that Howard is dealing with a knee injury. He only missed one
snap against the Bills last Sunday, but Gase said the team will be taking things
week to week as Howard tries to get back on the field.The Dolphins claimed
former Jaguars corner Dee Delaney off of waivers to help fill out the secondary,
but Gase didn¡¯t pretend that his team would be in a tough spot if Howard isn¡¯t
able to play.¡°He¡¯s one of our best players, if not our best player on that side
of the ball,¡± Gase said, via ESPN.com. ¡°We¡¯ve got to make some adjustments if we
have to on defense. Our guys have to step up. If he can¡¯t go, you¡¯re not going
to replace him.¡±Gase said that he expects Howard to play again this season, but
there may not be much reason to push things if the Dolphins fall to 6-7 against
the Patriots this weekend.What¡¯s wrong with the Patriots? The Patriots are
reeling after getting embarrassed by the Lions on Sunday Night Football. They¡¯ve
lost two straight games for the first time since 2015, and they¡¯re starting 1-2
for the first time since 2012. After the game, Bill Belichick said that they
have to improve everywhere, and that¡¯s definitely true. There are,
however
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to improve. Run DefenseThe Patriots have been completely unable to stop the run.
This is surprising because I consider their front seven as a unit to be a
strength. They have a ton of depth and talent on the defensive line, so there¡¯s
no reason why they should be getting pushed around like they have been. The
blame goes to the line and the linebackers, who have been allowing huge cutback
lanes for the backs in the last two weeks. Getting back Trey Flowers and Patrick
Chung, who sometimes acts as another linebacker, will help, but the unit as a
whole just needs to start playing better. Passing GameI¡¯m not going to single
out the receivers here. The whole unit has been very underwhelming. Tom Brady
has yet to eclipse 300 yards passing in a game, and already has two
interceptions in three games, which is uncharacteristic of him. Right now,
there¡¯s no one other than Rob Gronkowski that has any chance of beating man
coverage. If I were playing the Patriots, I¡¯d run man and double Gronk, and
they¡¯d never have a chance. This problem should be alleviated if Julian Edelman
comes back the same player he was before his injury last season. And if Josh
Gordon can get it together and actually be a factor, then this offense could
really be dangerous. For
me
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Hogan are simply pieces that need better players around them to be successful.
Play CallingThis is one that people have been bugged about for a while now. Some
of the calls that offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels makes are head
scratching. He¡¯ll call the same running play a few times in a row, whether or
not it works. Then on 3rd and short with the offense struggling to get anything
going, he¡¯ll call a run off the guard that loses two yards. It just makes no
sense at all. He¡¯s certainly dialed up some great plays here, but it seems that
he has a very hard time getting the offense going if it isn¡¯t clicking. Not sure
if this one is going to change, but I know I sure hope he¡¯ll step his play
calling up. SpeedThey say speed kills. Well, so does lack of speed. The Patriots
have looked slow on offense and defense the past two weeks after looking solid
against the Texans in the opener. There are certainly players banged up or
suspended that will help when they come back, but the entire team looked to be
moving in wet cement Sunday night. Dont¡¯a Hightower in particular has looked
like he¡¯s lost a step, which would be a massive blow for a team that desperately
needs a playmaker on defense. Sometimes, if you¡¯re thinking too much and not
just playing, you can play slower than you actually are. Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s what
is going on here, and the coaching staff can figure it out. Because otherwise,
it¡¯s going to be a very long
season
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far. There¡¯s too much speed in the NFL, and AFC, for you to be able to compete
without good team speed yourself.This week is as close to a must-win as you can
have this early in the season. Lose and you¡¯re 1-3 with 3 straight losses, and,
more importantly, you¡¯re down three games to the Dolphins. That absolutely
cannot happen ¨C so expect them to bounce back and play well. If we know their
season is on the line, so do they, and you can bet the farm they won¡¯t just roll
over the way they have the last few weeks. Pat is the host of the Weekend
Warrior PodcastInteract with him on Twitter @wtplane