Dolphins C Mike Pouncey vs. Patriots DT Vince Wilfork
Nose tackles like Wilfork, a player who possesses cat-like quickness despite carrying 340-plus pounds, consistently disrupt the game. However, the past few times New England played the Dolphins the Patriots used Wilfork as a defensive end on the left side of the defensive line, taking away the side Miami runs it favorite plays. That approach might not be feasible with
Chandler Jones (injury),
Ron Brace (injury) and
Jermaine Cunningham (suspension) sitting out Sunday's game, and
Kyle Love battling a knee injury. Pouncey is the NFL's second best center according to ProfootballFocus.com. He's ranked behind Minnesota's Mike Sullivan this week. Pouncey has only allowed one quarterback hit and one quarterback pressure, and his ability as a puller sparks Miami's rushing attack.
Patriots WR Wes Welker vs. Dolphins CB Jimmy Wilson
The Dolphins specifically signed
Richard Marshall so he can handle the nickel spot, possibly containing Welker's impact on Miami in division games like Sunday's. But Wilson, a converted safety, has inherited the spot because Marshall's on injured reserve due to a back injury. At times Wilson has played well, but he's struggled. Opposing quarterbacks have a 104.5 quarterback rating when throwing at receivers he's defending. Welker, who is 39 yards shy of his fifth 1,000 yard receiving season, catches 72.7 percent of the passes thrown his way. He's targeted 10 times a game by
Tom Brady and averages 5.9 yards after the catch.
