Patriots players who must step up Week 12 in rematch with Dolphins

The Dolphins were historically one of the Patriots’ toughest opponents during the dynasty era, but you could still usually count on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick emerging victorious against their division rival.

My how things have changed. The Patriots have lost seven of their last eight games to the Dolphins, including this season’s matchup at Gillette Stadium. They’re 2-7 against the Dolphins since Brady left following the 2019 season.

The Patriots have been especially bad against the Dolphins in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where they’ve lost six of their last seven games. They’re 2-9 over their last 11 games in Miami.

Given how the Patriots have played this season, it seems unlikely this is the year their fortune will turn around in South Florida. The Patriots already lost to the Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa, and now the starting quarterback is back in the lineup.

But for the 3-8 Patriots to win, these players need to step up.

RB Rhamondre Stevenson

Stevenson hasn’t been the root cause of the issues in the Patriots’ rushing attack — we’ll get to that later — but he is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry and fumbled again in Sunday’s loss to the Rams. That brings him up to five total fumbles on the season.

The veteran running back was benched earlier this season when he began the year with fumbles in four straight games. The Patriots should have a shorter leash on Stevenson if the fumbles continue this time around.

Antonio Gibson is running pretty well right now. He has 44 yards on nine carries in his last two games. JaMycal Hasty has also proven to be a capable backup.

One other note on the Patriots’ running backs: They can all catch out of the backfield. They should have combined for more than 310 yards on 50 catches this season.

If they can get more involved in the passing game, it would be an easy way for Drake Maye to fire off some easy completions with the potential for yards after the catch.

WR Ja’Lynn Polk

We’ve written this before, but Polk, the 2024 second-round pick, is currently on pace for a worst rookie season than Tyquan Thornton, who was cut last week.

Things are actually getting worse for Polk, who has just 11 catches on 28 targets for 80 yards in 10 games. In his last six games, Polk has three catches on 15 targets for just 19 yards.

He’s last among qualified wide receivers in yards per route run at 0.38. For comparison sake, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who the Chargers selected 34th overall when the Patriots traded down to No. 37 overall to take Polk, is averaging 2.27 yards per route run. DeMario Douglas leads qualified Patriots wide receivers at 1.48, and Kayshon Boutte has a 1.05 mark.

Polk was also penalized for a false start on Thursday. It sounds like the Patriots will continue to give him opportunities to see if they can get him going.

Offensive line

Let’s highlight three players in this group: left guard Michael Jordan, center Ben Brown and right tackle Demontrey Jacobs.

Jacobs let up a sack and six total pressures to the Rams last week. Brown allowed a sack and hurry. Jordan let up one hurry and has performed better over the last four games.

But those are the three players who could be demoted if the Patriots want to start Cole Strange when he’s ready to return from last December’s season-ending knee injury.

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Strange is being tried at left guard, center and right guard. Brown could be a one-for-one replacement at left guard for Jordan or center for Brown. If Jacobs continues to struggle, then the Patriots could plug Strange into right guard and move Mike Onwenu to right tackle.

Perhaps the Patriots could surprise us, but it does seem like Strange isn’t going to be used as a starter right away. But he was playing the best football of his career before last season’s injury. If he picked up where he left off, then he would provide a boost to an offensive line still struggling to find its footing.

CB Jonathan Jones

Jones has historically played well against the Dolphins, especially wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The veteran cornerback is in his ninth season. He received the lowest single-game PFF grade of his career in Sunday’s game with a 27.1 mark.

PFF had Jones letting up four catches on six targets for 123 yards with three touchdowns and a pass breakup.

Jones will continue to be a mainstay in the secondary at cornerback, safety and in the slot. He must play better to make sure Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t go off.

S Kyle Dugger

Dugger also struggled as he returned to the field from an ankle injury. PFF charged him with three missed tackles.

Dugger will be paramount in limiting Hill and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and in stopping speedy running backs De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert and Jaylen Wright. The Patriots will likely have to go lighter on defense to account for the Dolphins’ speed. That could result in more snaps in the box for Dugger, who can’t keep whiffing on tackles.

ATH Marcus Jones

Jones has been solid on defense this season and one of the team’s biggest bright spots as a returner. He also finally contributed on offense Sunday for the first time since his rookie season, recording a 5-yard rush.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt previously didn’t know Jones had played on offense. That’s not a joke.

But we’d like to see him play on offense even more. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington didn’t seem concerned about overloading Jones, saying he’s well conditioned enough to play on offense, defense and special teams.