Winners of the AFC East, the New England Patriots (13-3) continue their quest for the top overall seed in the conference when they host the Miami Dolphins (7-9) Sunday afternoon.
Led by sophomore Drake Maye, the Pats have won 12 of their last 13 games. They are looking to win 14 games for the first time since 2016. They won Super Bowl LI that season. Their schedule has not exactly been a gauntlet of great opponents, but they have dominated it. New England’s offense ranks Top 10 in Total Offense and Top 7 in Total Defense.
Winners of five of their last seven, the Dolphins have rallied after an atrocious start (2-7). Miami is looking to finish strong and avoid their first 10 loss season under Mike McDaniel. Rookie Quinn Ewers has supplanted Tua Tagovailoa as QB1. He has thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions in his two starts under center.
Last week, Ewers and Miami knocked off Tampa Bay in South Beach, 20-17. The former Texas Longhorn threw for 172 yards including two touchdowns without turning it over to lead the Fish to the win. The Patriots ripped the Jets, 42-10, last weekend. Maye threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers as New England cruised to the division title and their 13th win.
Lets take a deeper look at each of these teams, the quarterbacks, the injured list, and a few trends.
NBC Sports has all the latest info and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates courtesy of Rotoworld, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch the Dolphins at the Patriots live Sunday
- Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026
- Time: 4:25PM EST
- Site: Gillette Stadium
- City: Foxborough, MA
- Network/Streaming: FOX
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Game Odds: Dolphins at Patriots
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Miami Dolphins (+455), New England Patriots (-625)
- Spread: Patriots -10.5
- Total: 45.5 points
This game opened at New England -10.5 with the Game Total set at 46.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!
Quarterback Matchup: Dolphins at Patriots
- Dolphins Starting QB: Quinn Ewers
Last Game: 12/28 vs. Tampa Bay – 14-22, 172yds, 2TDs, 0INTs, Sacked 2 times, 4 carries for 5yds rushing
Season: 3GP, 39-60, 485yds, 2TDs, 2INTs, Sacked 4 times, 7 carries for 10yds rushing - Patriots Starting QB: Drake Maye
Last Game: 12/28 at Jets – 19-21, 256yds, 5TDs, 0INTs, Sacked 1 time, 3 carries for 22yds rushing
Season: 16GP, 340-474, 4203yds, 30TDs, 8INTs, Sacked 47 times, 98 carries for 409yds rushing
Dolphins at Patriots: Team Stats and Betting Trends
- The Pats have not won a playoff game since winning Super Bowl LIII
- Drake Maye is the favorite to win NFL MVP per DraftKings (-400)
- Maye leads the NFL in comp pct (71.7%), yards per attempt (8.9) and passer rating (112.9)
- Maye enters Week 18 with the 3rd-highest passer rating by a QB under the age of 24 in a season in NFL history (2018 Patrick Mahomes – 113.8, 2019 Lamar Jackson – 113.3 and just ahead of 1984 Dan Marino – 108.9) all those QBs in those seasons won the NFL MVP
- New England is 10-5-1 ATS this season
- Miami is 8-8 ATS this season
- The OVER has cashed in 10 of New England’s 16 games this season (10-6)
- The OVER has cashed in 8 of Miami’s 16 games this season (8-6-2)
Dolphins Player Injuries
- RB De’Von Achane (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- WR Jaylen Waddle (ribs) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- TE Darren Waller (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- C Aaron Brewer (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- DE Chop Robinson (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- DT Jordan Phillips (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LB Jordyn Brooks (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- S Minkah Fitzpatrick (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
Patriots Player Injuries
- WR Kayshon Boutte (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- TE Hunter Henry (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- FB Jack Westover (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LG Jared Wilson (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- DE Christian Barmore (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- NT Khyiris Tonga (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LB Harold Landry III (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
- LB Robert Spillane (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
Rotoworld Best Bets
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Dolphins and the Patriots
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Dolphins +10.5.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 45.5.
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