The time for relaxing is over and most fans are probably quite happy to have their team from New England back in action this weekend. The meat of the schedule is on the horizon and it starts with a battle Sunday afternoon against the highly competitive 3-4 Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Are the Patriots the more talented team? Sure. Does that mean they’ll walk all over the Dolphins like they did the Titans and Bucs? Not so fast. AFC East battles between Miami and New England are often unpredictable and nearly always very interesting in some way or another. So sit back and get ready for Tom Brady & Co. to return to action by enjoying this week’s Kill the ‘Cat edition of the Friday Six-Pack.

1.  Stop the run – The Wildcat has been the story of the week, but regardless of what formation the Dolphins run out of the Patriots must contain Miami’s talented ground attack. The visitors have a big, powerful offensive line. They have a pair of franchise-type talents at running back in Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. And they have a young, inexperienced starting quarterback. Clearly they want to run the ball, control the clock and keep the game on their terms. This is a good challenge for a still-evolving New England defensive front. Look for Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo to have big weeks, like they’ll need to, for the Patriots to stop a Miami rushing contingent that averages 153.4 yards a game. Stopping the run, or the Wildcat, is about manning up, playing sound technique and winning one-on-one battles. The Patriots will do just that.

2.  Protect Brady – When Tom Brady has had his struggles in the past with the Dolphins, it’s often been due to a pass rush that forced him into some bad plays. Jason Taylor is back for the Dolphins and ready to get after his good friend “Tommy.” Joey Porter is talking the talking, but can he walk the walk like he did early last season in Foxborough with four sacks? The offensive line faces a strong challenge this week from a pretty good Miami front with the talented book-end pass rushers. Matt Light is out so Sebastian Vollmer will face the toughest test of his young career. He struggled at times against the Bucs in London. He’s going through he learning process, but you have to hope he doesn’t get taught a costly lesson by Taylor, Porter and the rest of the Dolphins. If Brady has enough time to work and stays upright he should find plenty of plays through the air against rookie corners and a young Dolphins defensive backfield. Look for the Patriots to use a lot of bodies in protection with the tight ends and running backs working to help out the boys up front and for Moss to find a couple big plays against a Dolphins defense that’s last in the league in big plays allowed.

3.  Pin in Ginn – Rex Ryan is still wondering how his Jets lost to Miami. The answer is Ted Ginn. Though considered a bust as a former No. 9 overall pick who’s essentially a backup WR, Ginn’s pair of 100-yard kickoff returns were the difference last week for Miami. He’s got great speed with that electric ability for the big play. And his second return showed he can break tackles/make people miss. Sam Aiken and Co. need to ensure that the third phase of the game doesn’t cost New England this weekend. My money says it won’t.

4.  Depth charge – While New England hasn’t suffered too many major injuries to major players, the injury bug has bit relatively often for the Patriots. Running back remains thin with Fred Taylor and Sammy Morris out. Wide receiver will be thin either way, but it will be nice to get Julian Edelman back. Guys are going to have to step up on the defensive line just as their offensive counterparts have done with Matt Light banged up. As long as Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker can remain healthy enough to play – both Moss (back, shoulder) and Welker (knee) have dealt with issues already – this team can win. But the roster’s depth is being challenged a bit across the board. New England is yet again showing the ability to pull together backups at a variety of spots and still find a way to win games. That must continue moving forward.

5.  Bridge work – More so than in this always-tough division battle, the Patriots are going to need to be playing their best football in the coming weeks. That’s a far cry from what the team needed to bring to the field in its last two games, blowouts of the Titans and Bucs. The bye week was a time to rest up and self scout in preparation from the month-plus of games that will likely define this Patriots team’s season. The Dolphins are a very competitive team and make for a good opponent for a New England team looking to build toward its best overall football heading into Indy and New Orleans. The Patriots must use the Dolphins game to improve their own efforts, but can’t look past Miami to the challenges that lie ahead.

6.  Great Tate – After getting his feet wet in England, Brandon Tate could be a wild card in this matchup as well as for the offense moving forward. Tate clearly has the speed, athleticism and playmaking ability. Now he needs to make sure he’s on the same page with Tom Brady, something that was an issue in London. Sooner or later my guess is that Tate makes big plays both in the return game and on offense. Maybe I’m expecting a little too much a little too soon. But with Miami focused on the guys that have burnt them with regularity in the past – Moss and Welker – maybe Tate can fly under the radar and find himself in position to make some things happen.
Prediction:
I think this is a good matchup for the Patriots. The Dolphins are a tough team that has kept itself in games in a variety of ways this season. But I just don’t see Miami running the ball down the Patriots throat and getting enough pressure on Brady to mess up the offense. I really think New England knows exactly what it has to do to win, and aside some freak plays, I think the Patriots will get the job done. I actually it will be relatively easy, something in line with 38-13 Patriots win. Then, we can start breaking down yet another midseason matchup with the Colts in Indy. But New England must take care of the business at hand first.

What do you think? Could the Patriots look past Miami and fall into this trap game? Or is this a tune-up for the Colts? Predictions? Let us know with a comment below.