In Brief
» Last meeting: In Week 9, the Patriots held off the visiting Dolphins, 27-17.
» Streaks: The Patriots have won four of the past five, but trail the overall series, 49-39, including the playoffs.
» Last week: New England went into New Orleans and left with a meager 38-17 loss. ... Miami faltered down the stretch and was beaten by Buffalo, 31-14.
Keep your eye on ...
Joey Porter making his presence felt: Prior to getting shut out in his first game against the Patriots this year, Porter had been on a roll vs. New England, with eight sacks in his last four outings. He talked plenty of trash before getting blanked in the Week 9 meeting, and it is on him to come up big this time around.
Wes Welker's production: When Welker is heavily involved in the Patriots' game plan, they are far more dangerous. In fact, New England is 4-0 this season when Welker has at least 100 yards receiving, and only 2-3 when he doesn't (this does not include two games Welker missed). After a tough game against the Saints, in which Welker was held to a season-low 32 yards, look for the Patriots to get him involved early and often.
Did you know?
Since 2000, the Patriots are an NFL-best 50-28 in December. ... New England's Randy Moss is 8 yards away from joining Jerry Rice as the only players in league history with 10 1,000-yard receiving seasons. ... Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has a 4-0 record in December. ... If the playoffs started today, the Patriots would be in and the Dolphins would be out. Get an updated look at the postseason picture.
