The Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots will meet on the field tomorrow for a clash of AFC East rivals and, 24 hours from now, we’ll have clarity on which team will have successfully pulled out a victory. The Patriots will be looking to climb back to .500 on the season, whereas the Dolphins are hoping to push their record to 9-5 and position themselves favorably for a playoff position.
There’s plenty on the line. And Saturday’s developments should have Dolphins fans optimistic that Miami will be as well positioned as possible for a potential victory. The Dolphins announced this afternoon that the team would be elevating WR Isaiah Ford and TE Chris Myarick for Sunday’s contest — a move that could be indicative of any number of different player statuses for Miami’s questionable players.
We have elevated WR Isaiah Ford to the active roster for Sunday’s game. We have also elevated TE Chris Myarick as a COVID-19 replacement.
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) December 19, 2020
But the developments from the Patriots are much more impactful for the Dolphins’ hopes of winning than anything we’ve seen today from Miami’s side of things. The Patriots announced that two key players, running back Damien Harris and WR Donte Moncrief, would be inactive for Sunday’s contest.
RB Damien Harris and WR Donte Moncrief have been downgraded to out for #NEvsMIA.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) December 19, 2020
Harris is the team’s leading rusher and averages 5.0 yards per carry this season — he’s a central piece of what the Patriots are able to do well. And while Donte Moncrief isn’t a prominent contributor, he was likely going to be a variable given the other news that broke today from the Patriots’ camp; although this one did not stem from the team. The Patriots’ best skill player, WR Julian Edelman, will not be activated for tomorrow’s game and will miss the rematch between New England and Miami.
Consider how much of an uphill battle it was for Miami at the end of the Kansas City game with so many skill players missing and now consider this: the Patriots will play the Dolphins with their starting running back, their starting tight end, their best receiver, their third string running back and two offensive linemen who started the year as starters. There will be adjustments necessary for New England — but even then is the talent deficiency enough to skew the game in Miami’s favor?
We’ll find out tomorrow.