When the NFL announced the schedules for all 32 teams on Thursday, we found out that the Miami Dolphins will play the New England Patriots in the season opener for the third year in a row.
This matchup will take place at Hard Rock Stadium, but it will be different than their contests in recent years, as the Dolphins no longer have head coach Brian Flores and his years of familiarity with the Patriots’ system.
However, Miami does have new head coach Mike McDaniel and an improved roster from the last time these two teams squared off. Even with their clear holes in the past, Miami had won four of their last five games against New England.
Bill Belichick’s team is also going into 2022 with a lot of questions. They lost offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the Las Vegas Raiders, dealt Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost a number of key defenders, including cornerback J.C. Jackson.
For those reasons, it’s not a surprise that the Dolphins are favored by 2.5 points in the season opener, according to Tipico Sportsbook. Miami is also favored on the moneyline with their victory market at -160. The over/under in this game isn’t crazy either, with the total being set at 44.5 points.
With plenty of time before this game actually kicks off, these numbers will likely change, but Miami looks like the better team on paper.
