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Patriots-Dolphins Week 4 Predictions

BOSTON (CBS) -- It's setting up to be a pretty big Sunday in Foxboro, as the first-place, undefeated Miami Dolphins will take on the 1-2 New England Patriots, who may be bordering on the line of desperation.

The Patriots' history at home against the Dolphins has been fairly excellent, with New England beating Miami nine straight times when the Fins make the trip up north. Overall, the Patriots have won 15 of their last 17 home games against Miami.

The Patriots will be hoping that having history on their side will help once this game kicks off on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Here's how the WBZ-TV Sports team sees Sunday afternoon's game playing out:

Steve Burton, WBZ-TV Sports

Three losses in a row is unheard of for the Patriots. The Pats will bounce back this week.

If Josh Gordon is even 75 percent healthy he will be on the field. Tom Brady needs weapons and Gordon will make it easier for others to get open.

Miami may be 3-0 but they are vulnerable. The problem is so are the Patriots, as Julian Edelman won't be back until next week. But I still think Brady and the offense will bring it on Sunday.

Patriots 28, Miami 20

Dan Roche, WBZ-TV Sports

This is one of those games where we'll "find out" what the 2018 Patriots are all about. Tom Brady and company haven't even looked "good" the past two games. Time to block better, run better, and produce some positive energy.

The defense needs to show a pass rush while setting the edge as well as tackling much better.

A loss and it could be a long season. A win and the Patriots should be on their way.

Patriots 31, Dolphins 21

Levan Reid, WBZ-TV Sports

I have to believe the Pats are going to win this game.

The Patriots have Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and James White. They also have Trey Flowers, Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty. These are some of the better players in the league. Add to that Bill Belichick, who's the best coach in the league.

This team, with those participants, can't lose three in a row and be one of the worst teams in the NFL. That would be the case if they lose to the Dolphins on Sunday. Not gonna happen.

Patriots 24, Dolphins 20

Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

Whoa, Nelly. This is a big one. And it's going to be absolutely fascinating to see how the Patriots respond. While all the stats and results of this season would require you to logically pick the Dolphins, I believe I've seen enough from Bill Belichick-coached teams over the past two decades to believe that the Patriots will find a way to win the game.

I don't think they have the firepower to pull off an "On To Cincinnati" type showing, but until I see this team actually lose three games in a row for the first time since 2002, I'm going to have to actually witness it.

This one will be close, but a late Duron Harmon interception of Ryan Tannehill will seal a much-needed win for the Patriots.

Patriots 24, Dolphins 20

Matthew Geagan, CBS Boston

I really want to see a tie, because ties are the cool thing this season and it would really make things wild down in Foxboro.

But the Patriots should bounce back with a win over a team they're trailing in the division (a fairly foreign concept for the Pats over the last two decades). It's not going to be a blowout, because the Patriots just don't have the firepower (yet) to pull that off. A Josh Gordon appearance would greatly help; even if he isn't catching passes he'll command attention, which should help Gronk. Heck, it may even help the other receivers get open, though that's no guarantee based on what we saw last Sunday in Detroit.

A return by Trey Flowers would be a gigantic boost to a defense that has struggled to generate any pressure on the quarterback. If he's back, Ryan Tannehill may actually get a few stains on his jersey.

Patriots 20, Dolphins 17

Tune in to the game between the Patriots and Dolphins on WBZ-TV on Sunday at 1 p.m., and get your day started on WBZ-TV with Patriots GameDay 11:30 a.m. Once the game ends, tune in to Patriots 5th Quarter on MyTV38 for postgame press conferences, reaction and analysis!

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