Sunday, September 7, 2014

Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens

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The American Football Conference East division will have two teams competing at Sun Life Stadium in the opening week of the 2014 National Football League. A year ago, the Patriots were the No. 2 seed in the AFC and easily won the division with a 12-4 record. With an 8-8 record, the Miami Dolphins finished in third place in the division and will look to have a better season beginning with this week 1 showdown. These two rivals have always played tough games and this opening week game will be a solid test for both squads.

The Patriots will be led in this game by Tom Brady, their All-Pro, former two-time Most Valuable Player. Brady is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time with three Super Bowl titles and has found great success regardless of the roster moves made throughout the season. One of the roster changes made this offseason that upset Brady was the trade of lineman Logan Mankins. Even without Mankins, Brady will have the help of other star offensive players including Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereem, Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, and Brandon LaFell. Defensively, the team will be led by Vince Wilfork, Devin McCourty, Alfonzo Denard, and Jerod Mayo.

For the Dolphins, they are led by their third-year quarterback, Ryan Tannehill. The former Texas A&M star has seen much improvement in his game and will be relied upon by the franchise to continue to improve his performance. In addition to Tannehill on the offensive side of the ball, the team will also be led by running back Knowshon Moreno, who left the Denver Broncos for Miami in the offseason, Mike Wallace, Rishard Matthews, and Charles Clay. On the opposite side of the ball, the team will rely on players like Cameron Wake, Will Davis, Brent Grimes, and Cortland Finnegan.

Injuries to Watch

New England Patriots

08/29/14 DB Brandon Browner Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-4 of regular season
08/24/14 TE Rob Gronkowski Knee probable Sunday vs. Miami

Miami Dolphins

08/13/14 QB Pat Devlin Hamstring IR
08/08/14 S Reshad Jones Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-4 of regular season
07/27/14 DE Dion Jordan Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-5 of regular season
07/27/14 C Mike Pouncey Hip PUP

Guy's Pick: Take New England

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