The New England Patriots Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins leaves us in a similar situation. The Patriots have locked up a playoff berth and travel to Miami to face the Dolphins to close out the regular season. This has typically been a situation where New England has struggled.

Click here for odds on New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins Week 18 game, via FanDuel.

The Dolphins have won six of the last eight meetings down in Miami. Many of those times were late in the season, with the Patriots having clinched a playoff spot and the Dolphins were already eliminated. This year is going to be different, and I am going to tell you why.

Here are my 4 bold predictions for the New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins Week 18 matchup.

*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Patriots Week 18 Predictions vs. Miami Dolphins

4. New England does not rest anyone

The Patriots have already locked up the playoff berth. The division title is not out of the question, but the Buffalo Bills play the New York Jets at the same time Sunday. If the Bills beat the Jets, Buffalo wins the AFC East. That led many to wonder if the Patriots might rest some starters, whether that is for the entire game or during the 2nd half.

For more insight on the Patriots' Week 18 matchup against the Dolphins, listen below:

That's not the Bill Belichick way. His philosophy has always been to play to win. If injuries happen, so be it. During the 2009-2010 season, during Week 17, that philosophy caught up with Belichick. The Patriots had the division locked up, but put everyone on the field against the Houston Texans. Pro Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker once tore his ACL and MCL, missing the rest of the year.

That has not deterred Belichick. He has stuck to this philosophy. Given his track record of playoff success, it's hard to argue with.

3. Rhamondre Stevenson goes over 100 yards, 1+ touchdowns

Patriots running back Damien Harris is still dealing with a hamstring injury. He played last week, scoring twice vs the Jacksonville Jaguars, but only rushed nine times in the win.

Meanwhile, rookie tailback Rhamondre Stevenson has been blowing up lately. He rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars.

The Oklahoma product has shown that he has the size and speed to make plays all season. The rookie has almost 600 yards rushing on 4.4 yards per carry, with five rushing touchdowns.

The two-headed monster of Harris and Stevenson is hard for any team to deal with. With Harris still a bit banged up, I would expect Stevenson to get a large chuck of the work again Sunday. Last week, the Dolphins allowed D'Onta Foreman to run all over them. We should see a duplicate performance again Sunday from Stevenson.

2. The Patriots defense shuts down Tua Tagovailoa

Article Continues Below
More Betting News
Blanchfield Barber prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Dominik Zawartko ·
Gamrot Klein prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Mateusz Gamrot vs. L’udovit Klein prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Garrett Kerman ·
Brahimaj Goff prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Ramiz Brahimaj vs. Billy Ray Goff prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Garrett Kerman ·
Jacoby Lopes prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Dustin Jacoby vs. Bruno Lopes prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Jaren Kawada ·
Viera Chiasson prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Kelten Vieira vs. Macy Chiasson prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Dominik Zawartko ·
Reese Todorovic prediction, ufc vegas 107 odds
Zach Reese vs. Dusko Todorovic prediction, odds, pick for UFC Vegas 107Dominik Zawartko ·

At times this season, Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has looked really good. During Miami's seven game winning streak, Tagovailoa played very efficient football. He did not turn it over much. The defense played outstanding, putting the offense in advantageous position. None of that will happen Sunday.

The Dolphins 3-step drop, quick passing game has a difficult time against man coverage. Not every team is built to be able to play man to man defensively. The Patriots can. Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson is among the league's best.

His eight interceptions are 2nd in the NFL behind only Dallas Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs. I would expect him to shadow Miami's standout rookie wideout, Jaylen Waddle. The wide receiver on the other side, DeVante Parker, has not bee on the same page with Tagovailoa lately. He only brought down four of his 13 targets last week in the loss to the Tennessee Titans. He did not record a single catch the game prior to that.

With the Patriots ability to take the quick passing game away from Tua, I think the Miami offense is going to struggle.

2. New England wins late-season game in humid Miami

As I talked about above, New England has struggled down in Miami. The heat and humidity have played a factor in a lot of that. Going from practicing and playing in frigid Massachusetts, to dealing with the humidity of south Florida is quite the change. That has coach Belichick making sure his team understands the importance of hydration.

But the main reason I really like the Patriots in this game in the matchup. For years with Tom Brady, the Patriots offense was built off the ability to throw the football. This year is obviously very different. They lean on ground game as much as anyone in the NFL.

As good as Miami's defense is, the weakness is clearly stopping opponents running games. That is exactly why I expect Stevenson, and Harris if he plays, to have really good games. We aren't going to see only three pass attempts like we did in Buffalo earlier this year. But I do not believe rookie quarterback Mac Jones will play a huge role Sunday.

Plus, another major factor is psychological. The Dolphins entered their game last week in a playoff spot. They left the week eliminated. Not just not in a playoff spot, but mathematically eliminated. I do not expect the strongest effort from the team in South Beach under those conditions.