The New England Patriots (1-3) will take on the Miami Dolphins (1-3) at Gillette Stadium in Week 5.
The Dolphins are without their star quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, and the offense looks as abysmal as the Patriots’ offense has been. This is a matchup between the two worst offenses in the league as Miami is averaging 11.3 points per game and the Patriots are averaging 13.0 points per game.
This is a must-win game for both teams.
This week’s x-factor player for the Patriots is safety Jaylinn Hawkins. As a quick refresher, we’re labeling the x-factor player as someone we feel has the largest impact on a potential victory if they perform well, based on matchups and trends.
With both Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers banged up, the team will need to rely on their newcomer to handle a lot of the workload Dugger does to take the pressure off. Dugger did not participate in practice on Friday, and he is currently listed as questionable to play.
The Patriots will be tasked with crashing the box to stop the run and containing Tyler Huntley, leaving Hawkins as the center-fielder helping in coverage and crashing down when needed.
While Sione Takitaki and Marte Mapu project as the nickel linebackers, they haven’t seen the field yet. With issues on the edge and Anfernee Jennings not 100 percent, they will need to rely on Jahlani Tavai to play more on-ball, forcing the safeties into the box and leaving the back-half vulnerable.
Hawkins has played well this season as the third safety, but he will be asked to play one of the best games of his career. The Dolphins rely on motion and their run game to get the passing game going, and with two explosive players like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, it’s only a matter of time before it pops.
Hawkins can perform over the top, allowing the other safeties to fill into the Ja’Whaun Bentley and Tavai roles, as Tavai fills in the Matthew Judon role to set the edge. If Hawkins fails, they’ll need to bump everyone back to normal, which could allow for an explosive run game.
I think the Patriots were planning to utilize three safeties as they did with Adrian Phillips, Devin McCourty and Dugger a few years back. The thought was that Mapu or Hawkins could command the McCourty center-fielder role. However, depending on Mapu’s readiness, it could limit the aggressiveness of DeMarcus Covington’s crew.
We will see how the game plays out, but all eyes should be on Hawkins as the x-factor player of the week.