Love them or hate them, the New England Patriots have been the most dominant NFL franchise of the 21st century. Since the turn of the millennium, the Pats have been to the playoffs 18 times, made 11 Super Bowl appearances and captured six Lombardi Trophies.
During that same span, the Miami Dolphins have advanced to the postseason just twice, and on both occasions, they were eliminated in the wild-card round. New England and Miami kick off their 2022 regular season against each other in Week 1 in 11 days, and the oddsmakers seem to be sensing a shift in power in the AFC East.
Week 1 marks the first time in eight years that the Miami Dolphins are betting favorites over the New England Patriots.
The Dolphins are three-point favorites for the season-opener. They haven't been favored over the Patriots since Dec. 15, 2013.
The Dolphins having the edge heading into the season-opener shouldn't come as a surprise to many after they had one of the biggest summers of marquee offseason acquisitions, highlighted by the pickup of All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The Patriots, meanwhile, had a relatively uneventful offseason in terms of free agency and trades, with wideout DeVante Parker arguably their biggest addition.
Although Bill Belichick and company bounced back from a disappointing 2020 season (their first without Tom Brady) to qualify for the playoffs under 2021 rookie quarterback Mac Jones, the Pro Bowl signal-caller has reportedly looked less than spectacular during training camp and the preseason. Chad Graff of The Athletic recently reported, "There's reason to believe (Jones) isn't fully prepared for Year 2," while former wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson quipped on ESPN's "Keyshawn, JWill & Max" that the Alabama product "looked like bad macaroni and cheese" during the preseason.
Miami hosts New England at 1 p.m. ET on Sept. 11.
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