The Miami Dolphins will look for better results when they host the New England Patriots on Monday.
In Week 12, Miami visited New England and was beaten 35-17. The loss was Miami's fifth in a row and it likely put an end to any postseason hopes. The Dolphins halted their skid against the Broncos last week, but are large underdogs in this game.
New England enters with a 10-2 mark and is headed once again to the postseason. Miami is 5-7 and has dealt with a number of injuries this season. Tom Brady has been usual dominant self, while Jay Cutler has battled with inconsistency all season long. Cutler has never beaten New England in his career and that is unlikely to change on Monday.
The Dolphins have struggled in national games and the spotlight will be on them once again. Miami is 1-7 in the last eight games it has played on Monday Night Football. The opponents have been tough in many of those contests and the Dolphins have been unable to defend their home field in multiple opportunities. The Patriots meanwhile are one of the more successful teams in recent night games, regardless of the day of the week.
Even though injuries have been an issue for Miami this year, it has a relatively healthy roster heading into this game. The Dolphins will pretty much be at full strength, wth even Mike Pouncey expected to play. Pouncey tweaked his hamstring in last week's game and seemed to be a question mark at the time for this contest.
New England will be without the services of Rob Gronkowski. The tight-end was suspended by the league for his actions last week. While losing Gronkowski is noticeable, the Patriots have shown an ability to win without him in the past. Brady has a number of other options at his disposal and the Patriots have plenty to play for. New England is currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the #1 seed in the AFC.
Monday's game will begin at 8:30 p.m.
