Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
The New England Patriots' chances of victory over the Miami Dolphins have improved even more.
The Dolphins have downgraded underrated nose tackle Jason Ferguson and inside linebacker Channing Crowder from doubtful to out for Sunday's game Gillette Stadium.
A battered, inexperienced defense generally isn't the blueprint to beat Tom Brady.
A significant amount of experience has vanished from Miami's defense the past two weeks. Top cornerback Will Allen went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, forcing the Dolphins to start two rookie cornerbacks (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis).
In last week's victory over the New York Jets, the Dolphins took it a step further and gave safety Chris Clemons his first NFL start in place of Gibril Wilson. That gave the Dolphins a secondary comprised of three-quarters rookies.
Miami will miss Ferguson the most. He's not a star nose tackle like Kris Jenkins for the Jets or Vince Wilfork for the Patriots, but he's in their mold. Ferguson anchors the Dolphins' 3-4 defense and is a solid run-stopper who can occupy multiple blockers.
Backup defensive tackle Paul Soliai, who was in coach Tony Sparano's doghouse over weight issues and a general lack of commitment last year, is coming off the best game of his career. Soliai was credited with six tackles, a pass deflection and the forced fumble Jason Taylor returned for a touchdown against the Jets.
Soliai will need to be a force again to compensate for Ferguson.
Crowder will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Reggie Torbor should start again.
Crowder's absence doesn't mean as much to the Dolphins as the casual fan might think. His mouth has made him more relevant than his play this season. He's a decent tackler but has zero sacks, zero passes defensed and zero forced fumbles.
Plus, the dropoff to Torbor isn't that considerable. The season the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, Torbor started their final five regular-season games and all four in the postseason, including that gargantuan upset to deny the Patriots a perfect season.
The Patriots, however, have their share of injuries. They've already ruled out left tackle Matt Light, running backs Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor, receiver Julian Edelman and defensive end Jarvis Green.
The New England Patriots' chances of victory over the Miami Dolphins have improved even more.
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The Dolphins have downgraded underrated nose tackle Jason Ferguson and inside linebacker Channing Crowder from doubtful to out for Sunday's game Gillette Stadium.
A battered, inexperienced defense generally isn't the blueprint to beat Tom Brady.
A significant amount of experience has vanished from Miami's defense the past two weeks. Top cornerback Will Allen went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, forcing the Dolphins to start two rookie cornerbacks (Sean Smith and Vontae Davis).
In last week's victory over the New York Jets, the Dolphins took it a step further and gave safety Chris Clemons his first NFL start in place of Gibril Wilson. That gave the Dolphins a secondary comprised of three-quarters rookies.
Miami will miss Ferguson the most. He's not a star nose tackle like Kris Jenkins for the Jets or Vince Wilfork for the Patriots, but he's in their mold. Ferguson anchors the Dolphins' 3-4 defense and is a solid run-stopper who can occupy multiple blockers.
Backup defensive tackle Paul Soliai, who was in coach Tony Sparano's doghouse over weight issues and a general lack of commitment last year, is coming off the best game of his career. Soliai was credited with six tackles, a pass deflection and the forced fumble Jason Taylor returned for a touchdown against the Jets.
Soliai will need to be a force again to compensate for Ferguson.
Crowder will miss his second straight game with a shoulder injury. Reggie Torbor should start again.
Crowder's absence doesn't mean as much to the Dolphins as the casual fan might think. His mouth has made him more relevant than his play this season. He's a decent tackler but has zero sacks, zero passes defensed and zero forced fumbles.
Plus, the dropoff to Torbor isn't that considerable. The season the New York Giants won the Super Bowl, Torbor started their final five regular-season games and all four in the postseason, including that gargantuan upset to deny the Patriots a perfect season.
The Patriots, however, have their share of injuries. They've already ruled out left tackle Matt Light, running backs Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor, receiver Julian Edelman and defensive end Jarvis Green.
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NFL SCOREBOARD
Thursday, 11/19
Sunday, 11/22
7:06 4th Qtr Washington 6 Dallas 0 12:31 4th Qtr Cleveland 29 Detroit 31 10:52 4th Qtr San Francisco 10 Green Bay 30 4:54 4th Qtr Pittsburgh 24 Kansas City 24 5:05 4th Qtr Seattle 9 Minnesota 35 6:01 4th Qtr Atlanta 24 New York 31 10:12 4th Qtr New Orleans 38 Tampa Bay 7 2:37 4th Qtr Buffalo 15 Jacksonville 10 4:22 4th Qtr Indianapolis 17 Baltimore 15 4:05 PM ET Arizona St. Louis 4:15 PM ET San Diego Denver 4:15 PM ET Cincinnati Oakland 4:15 PM ET New York New England 8:20 PM ET Philadelphia Chicago
Monday, 11/23
WEEKLY LEADERS
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- R. Williams MIA - RB
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- T. Owens BUF - WR
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- @ JAC | 2:37 4th Qtr