The Miami Dolphins are rolling as of late, and if they want to continue their winning streak they are going to need to find a way to defeat the resurgent New England Patriots on Sunday. A lot will be riding on Sunday’s game in Miami, and a lot will be different about this encounter.

Miami will enter Sunday tied with New England at 6-4 and 2nd in the AFC East division, one game behind the division leading New York Jets (7-3). If the Dolphins defeat the Patriots on Sunday, they will be keeping pace with the Jets and improving their division record to 3-1 (7-4 overall). A victory puts them that much closer to a possible playoff berth. A win keeps them close in the divisional race and keeps them in the mix for a Wild Card spot at worst. A loss however, and the Dolphins will drop to 3rd in the division and will drop them lower into the mix of possible Wild Card teams.

Circumstances will also be different this time around, much different than when the two teams met in Foxboro back in September. Back then, Miami was 0-2 and given NO chance of winning, while New England was still trying to find its new offensive identity in the post-Tom Brady era. The Dolphins rolled out the Wildcat formation and thoroughly confused and beat down the Patriots. This time though, New England is more comfortable with backup Matt Cassel, and in addition to taking the Dolphins more seriously, they will be looking for the Wildcat formation this time around. Miami also must be prepared for New England to come out firing on all cylinders in an attempt to avenge their embarassing defeat in September.

If ever there was a game Miami could not overlook, this is it. This may arguably be the most important game the Dolphins have played in 2-3 seasons, hopefully the players can use their head coach’s enthusiasm to pull off another crucial victory and keep their streak alive.