Welcome to Season 10, Episode 17 of the Unconventional Preview, a serious yet lighthearted, nostalgia-tinted look at the Patriots’ weekly matchup.
Oh, this one is going to get weird. These late-season Patriots-Dolphins matchups almost always do, no matter the stakes.
Especially when Miami is the backdrop.
In Bill Belichick’s 22 seasons as coach, the Patriots are 10-11 in December/January games with the Dolphins. In games at Miami, it’s almost implausibly worse given the Patriots’ overall consistent excellence during that span and their habit of playing their best football late in the season: The Patriots are 2-8 against the Dolphins from Dec.