Who has the edge? Dolphins at Patriots in battle of South Florida QBs

Here’s a look at how the Miami Dolphins (1-3) and New England Patriots (1-3) match up in six key areas ahead of Sunday’s Week 5 game at Gillette Stadium (1 p.m., FOX):

When the Dolphins run: It feels like Miami has been leaving much on the table in the run game, especially when this team could stand to benefit from being effective on the ground while it plays without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins averaged 3.5 yards per carry in Monday night’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, with De’Von Achane getting just 1.5 yards per attempt with 15 yards on 10 carries.

Rookie Jaylen Wright saw a new high in attempts with nine carries for 32 yards, and the Dolphins could get a boost to their 24th-ranked rushing offense if veteran Raheem Mostert returns. As Tyler “Snoop” Huntley gets another start at quarterback, his mobility could bring another dimension to the Dolphins offense while Tagovailoa is out, as he looks to expand on the team-high 40 rushing yards he had Monday.

Like with Mostert, another boost could come in a potential return for left tackle Terron Armstead at left tackle, although rookie Patrick Paul had fine flashes in his first NFL start — with some understandable down moments. The interior of the offensive line still needs to provide more, especially to give confidence in going up the middle in short-yardage situations against a Patriots defense that ranks ninth. New England, though, has surrendered 281 rushing yards over the past two games. The Patriots are also without linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (IR) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (NFI). Edge: Even

When the Patriots run: New England power runner Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, but his best rushing performance was in the Patriots’ lone win in their opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has struggled to get anything going in their two recent losses to the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. The combination of him and the shiftier Antonio Gibson has New England ranked 12th in rushing, going against Miami’s 16th-ranked run defense, which has given up big plays like the 41-yard scamper to Tennessee’s Tony Pollard on Monday night that set up the Titans’ first touchdown.

If Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. can return against the Patriots, that helps a lot in run defense, which needs to be more consistent but has strong pieces between him, fellow inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive tackles Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell. One problem for Miami has been rookie edge defender Chop Robinson setting the edge when he’s in the game, and now the Dolphins know they won’t have Jaelan Phillips the rest of the year due to a partial ACL tear in his right knee.

They go against a Patriots offensive line that has big right tackle Mike Onwenu but remains without guard Cole Strange, who’s on PUP list, and has center David Andrews trying to work back from a shoulder injury. Edge: Even

When the Dolphins pass: Coach Mike McDaniel believes the orchestration of the offense for Huntley will be better in his second start and third week with the team. The hometown kid will have to take it to the road in Gillette Stadium after it was a struggle to run the offense in a home debut with the team. Huntley failed to surpass 100 passing yards, going for 96 on 14-of-22 passing against the Titans, without a touchdown or interception but running for a score.

The Dolphins offense has to find ways to get the ball to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, a duo which only combined for 59 receiving yards against Tennessee. Huntley missed chances to find them, but Hill also dropped a backward pass that resulted in a turnover and Waddle had a costly drop of his own downfield. It’s possible Miami gets the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. off PUP list this week, and tight end Jonnu Smith also needs to get incorporated into the offense. A struggling New England secondary, which ranks 28th against the pass, had safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers missing practice early in the week.

The Patriots no longer have Matthew Judon rushing the passer off the edge. He was traded to the Atlanta Falcons this preseason. Keion White, a 2023 second-round pick, already has four sacks. Under normal circumstances, it’s evident that there are holes in Patriots pass defense to take advantage of, but the Dolphins have to prove they can execute without Tagovailoa. Edge: Patriots

When the Patriots pass: New England has the league’s worst passing offense, and coach Jerod Mayo is sticking with Jacoby Brissett over rookie Drake Maye behind center. Brissett, a Dwyer High product and former Dolphins backup quarterback in 2021, is completing 60.4 percent of passes for 536 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in four games.

Tight end Hunter Henry is the only Patriots pass-catcher to surpass 100 receiving yards total in four games. They simply don’t have many go-to options in a receiving corps of Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, former Miami Hurricane K.J. Osborn and South Florida product Tyquan Thornton. This could be an opportunity for cornerback Jalen Ramsey to roam in the secondary and bait Brissett into a bad decision. Plus, fellow cornerback Kendall Fuller could come back from concussion protocol this week, but Miami may need to turn to Marcus Maye over Jordan Poyer as he deals with a shin injury.

Miami’s fifth-ranked pass defense could have a huge advantage in this category that potentially changes the course of the game. The Dolphins have also led the league in third-down defense. They’re dealt the devastating blow of losing Phillips, but they need Emmanuel Ogbah and Robinson to be among those stepping up in rushing the passer before Bradley Chubb returns off PUP list from last season’s knee injury. It’s a good time for Robinson to earn his first career sack. Edge: Dolphins

Special teams: New England’s special teams unit isn’t as scary without perennial Pro Bowl gunner Matthew Slater. It’s still a decent group, though, with kicker Joey Slye 8 of 9 on field goals and punter Bryce Baringer averaging 45.5 net yards per punt with 13 inside the 20 and only one touchback.

Braxton Berrios has given the Dolphins some big returns in each of the past two outings, and Jake Bailey, a former Patriot, has been strong on his punts. The Dolphins unit, though, has been penalized too much in this phase of the game, and the group was fortunate not to have an ugly turnover Monday night when Duke Riley nearly touched a partially blocked punt that went beyond the line of scrimmage before an opposing player did. Edge: Patriots

Intangibles: The Dolphins are facing as much adversity as they have in the McDaniel era, but the Patriots also haven’t presented much reason to believe they’re going anywhere. Miami has too much talent and too many leaders on its team to fold off a 1-3 start, and this squad enters Gillette Stadium with an urgency to get on track before the bye week. Edge: Dolphins

PREDICTION: Dolphins 13, Patriots 12

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