5 things to watch in Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game

After a promising start to the season, the Patriots have been sliding. They enter Sunday’s contest against the Dolphins with a three-game losing streak. The last two losses against the Jets and 49ers were not very competitive.

Miami has dominated the series against the Patriots in recent years, winning seven of the last nine games. The Dolphins are 3-1 against the Patriots under coach Mike McDaniel.

However, Miami has been struggling without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was placed on injured reserve in mid-September after suffering a concussion.

There are no teams scoring fewer points than the Patriots and Dolphins Miami (11 points per game) is last in the league, and the Patriots (13) are second to last.

Here are five things to watch as both teams try to break out of their scoring slumps.

1. Dolphins receivers

Miami’s Tyreek Hill had seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in the team’s season opener against Jacksonville after being detained by police and handcuffed during a traffic stop on his way to the game.

The eight-time Pro Bowler has not reached the end zone since then. He has been limited to 29 yards per game during Miami’s last three contests. Jaylen Waddle, who is coming off three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, has not had a catch longer than 21 yards since Week 1.

Generating pass-rush pressure will be vital for the Patriots as they attempt to contain Miami’s speedy receivers. The Patriots have struggled to keep quarterbacks in the pocket, and that proved to be dangerous with Aaron Rodgers and Brock Purdy buying plenty of time with their legs.

The last thing the Patriots want to do is give Tyler Huntley time to get Hill and Waddle involved.

2. Patriots’ ability to snap the ball

Patriots coach Jerod Mayo announced this week that center David Andrews is expected to have shoulder surgery and be out for the season.

Nick Leverett, who started 10 games for the Buccaneers blocking for Tom Brady in 2022, filled in for Andrews last week. According to Pro Football Focus, Leverett did not allow any quarterback pressures or hits.

“I thought Nick did a decent job stepping in there this past game,” Mayo said. “And now that he’ll get more reps during practice, you expect him to continue to get better every single day.”

Snapping the ball without Andrews was an issue for the Patriots during the preseason, but Leverett didn’t appear to have much trouble with it last week.

Most of Leverett’s NFL experience is at guard, but he and Jacoby Brissett will have to communicate well in the absence of Andrews.

“I always say, you want to see the same picture,” Mayo said. “It starts with the center, and it starts with the quarterback.

“So it’s definitely important as far as being on the same page, IDing the mike points and all those things. So, with that being said, Nick, he can do it. He’s proved that he can do it, and hopefully he continues to get better.”

3. Body language under pressure

A pair of Patriots receivers showed signs of frustration during last Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

DeMario Douglas apologized Wednesday for throwing his hands in the air and jumping up and down after plays.

Mayo was asked about Douglas and rookie Ja’Lynn Polk showing their emotions on the field.

“As a team, we don’t want to show or voice our frustrations on the field like that as visible to everyone,” Mayo said. “Look, it’s good to have guys that want to go out there and make plays, guys that want to go out there and compete. It’s a natural human instinct to be frustrated when things aren’t going your way.

“Look, things aren’t going our way as a team right now, and am I frustrated? Absolutely. But I understand that we have a lot of work to do. It’s the first quarter of the season. Now we’re going into the second quarter of the season, and hopefully we’re getting better.”

4. Reinforcements from IR

The Patriots will add receiver Kendrick Bourne and safety Marte Mapu to the roster for Sunday’s game.

Those players became eligible to return this week after beginning the season on injured reserve.

They all could play a role in bolstering position groups that have been struggling or hit by injuries.

Bourne was the Patriots’ leading receiver at the time of his injury last year. Takitaki started seven games and made 65 tackles at middle linebacker for the Browns last season. The Patriots lost middle linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley for the season with a pectoral injury. Mapu could add depth behind Kyle Dugger, who left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.

5. Antonio Gibson’s role

Mayo said earlier in the week that he was considering benching Rhamondre Stevenson over his fumbling issue. Stevenson has fumbled in all four games this season.

Meanwhile, Gibson has yet to fumble and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry.

Gibson’s most productive season was 2021, when he topped 1,000 yards while playing for the Commanders.

Stevenson has been the featured back for this offense so far. However, Gibson has both the longest run (45 yards against the Seahawks) and longest catch (50 yards against 49ers) by a Patriots player this season.

He might get some more touches this week, and it’s an opportunity to see what he can do with them.