Why to watch:
This AFC East clash will feature two very angry teams. Miami is coming off a 23-3 loss at Buffalo -- the Dolphins' only two defeats have been to the Bills -- and afterward, fuming coach Jimmy Johnson instructed his players only to talk about the upcoming game with New England.

At least Johnson no longer has a quarterback controversy on his hands. The offense went nowhere under Damon Huard in Buffalo, and it's clear the Dolphins need Dan Marino back. However, the future Hall of Fame quarterback won't be ready for this one. And the tightly wound Johnson just might implode if the Fish drop two in a row.

The Patriots are also reeling after a 24-17 loss to Bill Parcells and the hated Jets on Monday night in Foxboro -- a setback that dropped New England into fourth place when a win would have meant a first-place tie. The trip to Miami is huge for the Pats, who can't afford to fall another game behind the division's other three contenders. New England's next four games are all tough -- at Miami, at Buffalo, vs. Dallas and at Indianapolis -- so the Patriots could be in danger of falling out of the wild-card picture if they begin to falter.

This is a rematch of one the season's most thrilling games, the Dolphins' 31-30 victory at New England in Week 6. Miami lost Marino in the first quarter and fell behind 14-0 before Huard came off the bench to lead a dramatic rally. Despite that loss, the Pats have won five of their last seven meetings with Miami, and they'll be intent on a little payback here.

This one will also be a study in contrasting styles. Miami will try to pound the football and eat up the clock, relying on its defense to win the game. New England will throw the ball around 40 times and try to strike quickly. The battle between the Dolphins defense and Patriots' high-octane attack should be the best part of this matchup.

Who to watch:
Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe threw three INTs in the loss to the Jets after throwing just four picks in his first eight games. Of course, Bledsoe didn't get much help from the running game, which mustered just 79 yards against New York. Either veteran RB Terry Allen or rookie Kevin Faulk must provide some type of threat on the ground.

Patriots WR Terry Glenn was held without a catch by Dolphins CB Sam Madison in the first meeting. Expect the Pats to move Glenn around a little this time to get the star wideout open more. Patriots TE Ben Coates had just two receptions Monday night after complaining about his role in the offense. Patriots WRs Shawn Jefferson, Tony Simmons and Troy Brown will test a very deep Dolphins secondary. Patriots rookie Andy Katzenmoyer and the rest of the linebackers will need to contain the mobile Huard better than they did in the first matchup.

	INJURY REPORT
	Patriots: OUT: LB Ted Johnson (biceps). QUESTIONABLE: LB Vernon Crawford (knee); RB Harold Shaw (quadricep). PROBABLE: DE Willie McGinest (thigh). Dolphins: OUT: RB Cecil Collins (leg). DOUBTFUL: QB Dan Marino (cervical nerve root). QUESTIONABLE: T James Brown (foot). PROBABLE: S Calvin Jackson (hamstring).

Dolphins rookie RB J.J. Johnson is now the featured back after Cecil Collins broke his leg Sunday in Buffalo. Miami doesn't have much depth behind Johnson after trading Karim Abdul-Jabbar and cutting Tyrone Wheatley in preseason. Dolphins FBs Rob Konrad and Stanley Pritchett might get a couple more carries than usual. Huard is 3-1 as the starter, but he's facing adversity for the first time in his NFL career. He will try to get the ball to speedy WR Tony Martin, who likely will be matched up with Pats' Pro Bowl CB Ty Law.

Dolphins LT Richmond Webb will need to control Pats DE Willie McGinest, a pass-rushing specialist. Remember, the Pats sacked Huard nine times in that first game. Dolphins DTs Tim Bowens and Daryl Gardener will try to help the run defense rebound from an awful outing in Buffalo.

Patriots' numbers to know:
New England went 2-for-11 on third-down conversions and held the ball for just 19:53 in its Week 6 loss to Miami. Remember, although the Pats scored 30 points, two touchdowns came on interception returns by the defense. The Pats will have just six days to get ready for this one after getting 15 days to prepare for the Monday night game with the Jets. That might be a good thing because New England was noticeably rusty early against the Jets after such a long layoff.

Dolphins' numbers to know:
Miami was held to just 101 total yards and a franchise-low six first downs last week at Buffalo. The Dolphins' biggest problem was an inability to run the ball after Collins went down early with a broken leg. Miami averaged just 2.1 yards per carry and had only 60 yards rushing, holding the ball for less than 22 minutes. The Dolphins have scored just four touchdowns and 52 points in their past four games. They will likely need more than that to keep up with the Patriots.

What it means:
As usual, every divisional game in the AFC East rocks the standings. The Dolphins are trying to keep pace with the Colts for first place, while the Bills (7-3) are only a half-game out and own the tiebreaker with Miami. The Fish cannot afford to fall behind streaking Indianapolis, which has won five straight.

New England is all of a sudden fighting for survival. If the playoffs started today, the Pats would not be in. If they lose here, the Pats will be two games back of the Dolphins and most likely two back of the Colts, who play at Philadelphia. Pete Carroll's team must make a stand after a potentially demoralizing home loss to the Jets.

Sean Salisbury's breakdown
Patriots' game plan:
New England will try to get Bledsoe started early, while running the ball to keep the perimeter speed of Miami's defensive ends from controlling the game. The Patriots throw to set up the run. When they run, the Pats need to do it inside because they can't run outside against Miami.

The Patriots should come out in a three-wideout set and challenge Miami. The Dolphins like to play man-to-man coverage on the outside, and New England is coming off a bad performance against the New York Jets. So I expect the Patriots to challenge early and throw the ball.

The New England defense is going to do exactly what the Dolphins defense will try to do to Bledsoe. They will run a lot of different blitz packages. They will pressure from the edges -- from the corner, from the slot. They will twist inside and blitz up the middle. The Patriots will make sure Huard gets two reads at the most. They want him to start watching the pass rush instead of watching downfield.

While Huard has done a good job of filling in for Marino, he is still young and impressionable. If the Pats hit him a few times, I'd expect the ball to leave Huard's hand sooner than he would like. They will pressure Huard from the outside so he can't use his athleticism to make plays.

Dolphins' game plan:
Marino has practiced this week, but I'm assuming Huard will be the starter Sunday. The Dolphins want to run the ball, but Collins is out. Johnson and Konrad will need to provide a pounding running game. The key is that the Dolphins can't gain 110 total yards and expect to win. They have a defensive offense, handing the ball off, keeping the game close and kicking field goals to win. They can't do that against New England, especially if the Patriots get up early. If they have to play catch-up without Marino, it could be a long day because the Patriots could force a lot of turnovers.

The Dolphins defense should grab the film of the Patriots-Jets game and say, "This is how we are doing it." Defensive coordinator George Hill is underrated and does a great job of game-planning. The Dolphins must make sure that they are containing on the outside and blitzing inside. The Jets came with four or five different blitzes up the field. The linebackers were active early on. I expect the same thing from Miami.

Miami needs to take Bledsoe out of his rhythm early. If he comes out and completes seven or eight passes in a row, Miami will have a hard time. The Dolphins need to hit him as often as they can because the more a quarterback is hit, the better chance a defense has of taking him out of his rhythm early.

Pivotal Player:
Huard. Can he pick it up and move the offense? The Dolphins have been winning on defense all year. Their offense has to do something. For him to keep the game close early is important.