Are New England Patriots as good as Miami Dolphins are bad?

The 100th NFL season is shaping up to be historic, but we know the New England Patriots are not this good. Is New England better than any team playing the historically bad Miami Dolphins?

We are just through two weeks of the 2019 NFL season, and already this feels like we could be witnessing history. The New England Patriots are 2-0 with a +73 point differential. The all-time record for point differential in a season is +315. This year’s Patriots are on pace to destroy that mark.

Not to be outdone, the Miami Dolphins are 0-2 with a -92 point differential. The all-time record for worst differential is -287. Miami is currently on pace to be outscored by 736 points.

It’s only two games, and these two paces go hand-in-hand considering New England just beat Miami by 43 points. We’re not concerned with whether or not each team sets the all-time record. Miami surely will, because if they aren’t trying to compete, what else can we expect?

Instead, we ask a more dynamic and polarizing question. Which “team” will be better this season, the Patriots or whichever squad is facing Miami in a given week?

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate the New England Patriots in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

The sample size is too small at the moment since New England takes up half of Miami’s sample, but moving forward, this will be fascinating to follow. If we agree the Patriots are the best team in the league, on a full-season basis, they would surely have to be better than a one-game sample of a slew of other squads. But when those squads face what could be the worst team of our lifetimes, that changes the math.

In Week 1, the Dolphins played what looks to be an okay Baltimore team. They lost by 49, an even worse performance statistically than the one that came against the Patriots. This alone doesn’t bode well for New England being better than the collective Miami foes.

The schedule for Miami doesn’t offer much reprieve either, at least right away. The Dolphins face Dallas in Week 3, who looks like a legitimate NFC contender. They then face a super talented Chargers team that will be clambering for consistency after a rocky start to the year. After a Week 5 bye, Miami gets maybe the easy part of the schedule, facing Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, the Jets, Indianapolis and Buffalo again over the next six games.

Obviously, all five of those teams will be favorites over Miami, but not like this first month. All five of these teams may be solidly below-average clubs, especially since Ben Roethlisberger is out for the season. Are the Bills good, or have they just played really weak opponents to this point? I lean toward the latter. Are the Colts good? It’s hard to say.

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Nevertheless, after what may or may not be an easier stretch, the schedule gets tricky again for the Dolphins. They face Cleveland and Philadelphia back-to-back, have four of their last six on the road, and get a Week 17 game against the New England Patriots.

If the Patriots have wrapped everything up by Week 17, they may rest a whole bunch of starters. Regardless, they won’t be able to change this contest in Week 17. A great performance by them would just boost the Miami opponent collective.

Things will be clear before this final game, and despite this wondrous start to the year for the Patriots, I don’t see any way they finish as a superior club to the Miami opponents. That includes a very real possibility that Miami wins an actual game against the Giants in Week 15.

It’s too hard to keep up wild, extreme paces in the NFL. The Patriots won’t be at top speed every week. The difference here is that the Miami collective opponent is not one team trying to keep up a pace. It is a different team each time out trying to feast on an opponent that is giving them a free W. For once, New England doesn’t stand a chance.

Dan Salem:

It’s unreal how dominant the New England Patriots have looked, but we can both agree they’ve played inferior competition. Miami is terrible, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are just as lackluster. It’s unclear if New England will face an opponent this season who legitimately matches up with them. What we know for certain is that the Dolphins will not win a football game, barring a miracle set of missteps by their opponent in a given week.

Miami should trade Josh Rosen because the slew of quarterback injuries certainly makes his services a hot commodity. But to more important matters, your question of the Patriots or the field. Teams facing the Dolphins are going to look great. New England is going to look great. Since we don’t yet know if the Buffalo Bills are for real, there are only five games on the Patriots’ schedule that pose a real challenge.

They come in consecutive weeks from November through early December. They are as follows:  at Ravens, at Eagles, vs. Cowboys, at Texans, vs. Chiefs.

If the Jets and Giants are both terrible, then Miami has three easier games on its schedule. Maybe Washington, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati will also look bad when they meet the Dolphins. The fact remains that we don’t quite know who is really bad yet this season, Miami aside, but we kind of know who is going to be good.

Every year, one great September team falls on its face, but more or less we have an idea about teams that are winning. Those that lose in September are more of an enigma, as several each season rebound for long stretches of winning.

The bottom line is that any team facing Miami is better than the Patriots on a given week. New England has some heavy hitters on its schedule with solid rushing attacks and strong defenses. Include the Bills who often play them close, and its not a stretch to see the Patriots lose three games. Even if they don’t, its unlikely New England wins big after Week 3.

Teams facing the Dolphins are going to universally win big. Miami might set the record for most shutout loses in a season. The city might lose its team. The stadium might be empty by Week 4. We’re just beginning to see the levels of their ineptitude and sadness this season.