Quick Take: Dolphins-Patriots

Published: Nov 03, 2009 at 05:32 AM

In Brief

» Last meeting: The Patriots broke open a close game with 21 unanswered points to close the fourth quarter and came away with a 48-28 victory in Week 12 of last season.
» Streaks: New England has won four of the past six meetings, but still trails the overall series, 49-38, including the playoffs.
» Last week:Ted Ginn brought two kickoffs back for touchdowns to lead the Dolphins past the Jets, 30-25. ... The Patriots were on a bye.

Keep your eye on ...What's up with the Wildcat?: The Dolphins had used their innovative formation to great effectiveness until the second half of a Week 7 loss to the Saints. They did not employ the Wildcat much in last Sunday's game against the Jets and it will be interesting to see how often they utilize it in New England -- the place where they first unveiled it early last season.

Jason Taylor's resurgence: The veteran defensive end/linebacker rejoined the Dolphins in the offseason after a disappointing one-year hiatus in Washington and he has returned to his Pro Bowl form. He has 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and last week scored an NFL-record sixth career fumble return touchdown. Miami needs him at his best if it hopes to slow down Tom Brady and the explosive Patriots.

Brandon Meriweather's emergence: New England's third-year safety has played very well this season. He is coming off a game in which he took advantage of inexperienced Bucs QB Josh Johnson and picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown. He will look to capitalize on inexperienced Dolphins QB Chad Henne in a similar fashion -- as will promising rookies Darius Butler and Pat Chung.

Did you know?

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is 7-2 against the AFC East. ... Miami's Joey Porter has a sack in four straight games against New England. ... Since 2007, Patriots WR Wes Welker leads the NFL with 269 catches. ... New England has won 24 consecutive regular season games with Junior Seau on the roster.

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