There are a lot of ways you could describe the Patriots' play through the first four weeks, but chances are "really cool" isn't going to make the cut.
New England shocked the football world with a Week 1 win in Jerod Mayo's debut in Cincinnati, but it has been all downhill since. The Patriots have lost three straight while suffering a rash of injuries, the latest a season-ending injury for David Andrews that further hampers an already suspect offensive line.
That being said, the Patriots are favored (slightly) in returning home for a Week 5 divisional clash with the Dolphins. Miami has its own set of problems with Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve. The Fins badly need a win if they want to keep pace until the quarterback returns from his latest concussion.
Taking advantage of a struggling Patriots team would be a good start, although head coach Mike McDaniel isn't taking this week's trip to Foxboro, Mass., lightly.
"Absolutely, positively, it's a team that you're going to have to earn the victory, and they play a really cool style of ball that is physical and something that I think to go on the road and earn the win, you're going to have to earn the win," McDaniel said Wednesday in a midweek press conference. "Right now, I wouldn't want it any other way. I think it's a division opponent that we know each other well."
And while you might see in the Patriots a team declining from its Week 1 triumph, McDaniel sees something completely different -- or so he says.
"I see the on-tape growth in the game and the players on offense, and I see the fundamentals and technique consistently across the board that have made them a very good defense for a long time," McDaniel stated. "There's guys playing hard, very physical across the board. They will compete, and you will get their best. So I think it's a good opportunity for us because there's going to be no gifts."
Coach speak? Probably. Then again, it's not like the Dolphins can afford to take anyone lightly right now.
The Dolphins have had the Patriots' number in their most recent meetings. Miami has won four of the last five games between the two AFC East rivals. Those games, of course, featured Bill Belichick on the sideline scheming against Tagovailoa. Things will look a little different Sunday.
Will it be "cool," though? Probably not.
