New England @ Miami preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 15, 2013 ) New England 20, Miami 24

The New England Patriots have taken 11 of the last 13 AFC East Division titles and the 2014 squad looks poised to make it 12 of 14. The Miami Dolphins, who host the Patriots in the season opener on Sunday, are just trying to put a rough 2013 season behind them and move forward with the focus on the field. The Dolphins were impressively competitive last season despite the locker room turmoil that surrounded Jonathan Martin and the offensive line, though it only resulted in a .500 record.

New England quarterback Tom Brady dealt with an almost entirely new corps of receivers in 2013 and still threw for 4,343 yards. Brady will have some continuity among his receivers in 2014, presumably including the return of Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski, who did not play in any of the four preseason games but declared himself ready to go for Week 1. Miami brought in new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor to speed up the offense and hopefully keep quarterback Ryan Tannehill off the turf.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -5. O/U: 47.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (2013: 12-4): New England is once again a popular pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl thanks to Brady’s familiarity with the receivers and a healthy defense that should benefit from the returns of nose tackle Vince Wilfork and linebacker Jerod Mayo. The defensive secondary has been an Achilles heel for the team in recent seasons, but the acquisition of Darrelle Revis gives the team its best cornerback since Ty Law and moves versatile players like Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington into nickel and dime slots. “They do a lot of things very well,” Brady told reporters of the defense. “Very good secondary that’s tough, aggressive, jump a lot of routes. Our defense is tough to go against.”

ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (2013: 8-8): The turmoil along the offensive line helped cause Tannehill to take a league-worst 58 sacks in 2013, but newcomers Brandon Albert and Ja’Waun James are around to beef up the tackle spots. Miami also imported running back Knowshon Moreno, who gashed the New England defense for 224 yards as a member of the Denver Broncos in a Nov. 24 meeting last season, to combine with Lamar Miller in the backfield. “I’m excited about the plan we have,” Tannehill told reporters. “I’ve said it over and over again, the guys that we have, just how we’re going to attack, not this week but the following weeks. it’s finally here.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Patriots coach Bill Belichick needs one win to become the sixth coach with 200 regular-season victories.

2. The Dolphins pulled out a 24-20 home victory over New England on Dec. 15 behind 312 yards and three TDs from Tannehill.

3. Brady is 17-7 with 42 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in his career against Miami.

PREDICTION: Patriots 35, Dolphins 24