The Miami Dolphins are 8-8 heading into their date with the playoff-bound New England Patriots in Week 18. Despite missing the boat to the postseason, the Dolphins want to punctuate their regular season schedule with a victory at the expense of their AFC East division rival. With that said, here are some Dolphins Week 18 Predictions for Miami’s matchup against Bill Belichick and the Pats.

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Miami Dolphins Week 18 Predictions 

4. Tua Tagovailoa outshines Mac Jones

It was Tua Tagovailoa who welcomed Mac Jones into the 2021 NFL regular season back in Week 1 when the Dolphins sneaked past the Patriots for a 17-16 win in Foxborough. The rookie, however, had a better individual performance in that contest than his former college teammate in Alabama, as Jones finished with 281 passing yards and a touchdown while avoiding an interception on 29/39 completions.

Tagovailoa, on the other hand, went 16/27 for 202 passing yards and a touchdown while also throwing a pick. A lot has happened since. And after several weeks of football following that initial meeting between the Dolphins and the Patriots, but entering Week 18 of the season, it’s still Jones who owns the better numbers than Tagovailoa.

Jones has passed for more yards and more touchdowns, and also keeps a higher QB rating than the Fins’ signal-caller. But with the Dolphins out of playoff contention, they can draw inspiration to go all out from making it a goal to conclude their 2021 NFL season with a victory – and a 2-0 head-to-head series win in the regular season against New England. That should be enough motivation for Tagovailoa to come up big in this contest and score a more impressive performance against Jones. 

3. Jaylen Waddle goes off for 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown

Waddle has been among the bright assets– if not the brightest – of the Dolphins this season. He put the NFL on notice right away, scoring a touchdown and finishing with 61 receiving yards on four catches and five targets in the win over the Patriots in the season-opener. He has become the no. 1 weapon of the Dolphins downfield this season, as evidenced by the fact that he leads the team in receiving yards, touchdown catches, targets, and receptions.

New England’s pass defense has been brutal to opposing quarterbacks and receivers this season. The Patriots’ stop unit is top two overall in passing yards allowed per game, opponents’ completion percentage, and interception rate, so it would take for Waddle a tremendous effort to reach 100 yards in this game. He’s too talented, though, for people to just count him out from accomplishing such a feat against a stingy Patriots defense. 

2. Miami’s defense rebounds

Miami took everyone on a wild ride this season by going 1-7 in its first eight games before going on a seven-game win streak that got snapped in a 34-3 road loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. It’s hard to tell from their embarrassing defeat to the Titans, but the Dolphins’ defense has come up huge for the Dolphins in the second half of the season.

Naysayers would be quick to point out the weak schedule the Dolphins had during the team’s lengthy undefeated streak with Miami beating the New York Jets (twice), New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and the New Orleans Saints during that span, but to allow just an average of 11.7 points over a seven-game stretch was still admirable, regardless of the strength of the opposition.

After the setback at the hands of Tennessee, Miami would want to see its defense close the season out on its top form. The Dolphins’ defense was not perfect in the first meeting with the Patriots, but it got the job done nonetheless. New England collected 393 total yards in that game and went 11/16 on third downs, but got held to only 1/4 in the red zone and was forced to commit a couple of turnovers. 

1. Dolphins swim away from the 2021 NFL season with a victory

Miami has yet to make the playoffs in the Brian Flores era. They’ve also taken a step back this season after going 10-6 in 2020. Nevertheless, Flores steering the team to a second-consecutive season of above .500 football would be beneficial for both his job security and the Dolphins’ morale. That’s why Sunday’s game against the Patriots matters to Miami. Don’t be surprised to see Miami shocking the Patriots again. Click here for the odds on the Dolphins’ upcoming game against the Patriots, courtesy of FanDuel.