FOXBORO — Sitting at 4-3 and second in the AFC East, the New England Patriots enter their Week 8 matchup against the 1-6 Miami Dolphins as seven-point favorites.

However, this matchup presents more challenges than the initial eye test may suggest. Miami is fresh off its first win of the season, and despite their struggles, the Dolphins have a roster with plenty of young talent capable of making life difficult for New England.

Running back Ollie Gordon is coming off his most productive outing as a pro, toting the rock 25 times for a career-high 103 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Malik Willis also provides his own set of challenges. Drafted by the Mike Vrabel-led Tennessee Titans in 2022, Willis is a dual-threat QB who can hurt a defense with his legs.

Malik on the move! 🏃‍♂️

📺 @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/fChyf2Ob5L

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 25, 2026

"They play extremely hard," Vrabel told the media at his Wednesday press conference. "I think that they've continued to improve, and I know that they're probably – and they should be – excited to play at home in front of their crowd. We'll have to go on the road inside the division here and continue to improve."

While New England may be favorites on paper, they'll need to clean up several areas to ensure that when they head back to Foxboro, they do so with another tally in the "win" column.

1. Consistency in the Ground Game

The Patriots are coming off a Week 7 outing against the Chicago Bears in which they rushed 14 times for 70 yards, both season lows.

Their 122 rushing yards per game ranks 11th in the NFL. However, a lack of consistency has led to stretches in which the Patriots struggle to establish the run, limiting their offensive potential.

Of course, New England's injury streak has significantly affected its offensive line. Guards Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mike Onwenu and Greg Van Roten have all been placed on injured reserve. The Patriots are now relying on Walter Rouse, Matt Pryor and Ben Brown, who is recovering from a knee injury sustained against the New York Jets.

That's not to mention fullback Reggie Gilliam and wide receiver Mack Hollins, both of whom made noticeable contributions as run blockers before landing on IR.

Hollins' absence has been particularly noticeable, as the Patriots' wide receiver corps has struggled to block downfield. That includes A.J. Brown, who drew criticism from fans after missing several blocks in the Week 7 loss to Chicago.

“I won’t make any excuses,” Brown said when asked if his ankle had affected his ability in the run game. “I missed a couple of blocks. I’ll leave it at that.”

If New England can get its ground game back on track, including finding ways to get the struggling TreVeyon Henderson going, it could provide a much-needed boost to the offense.

2. Generate Explosive Plays in the Return game

The Patriots, up to this point in the season, have failed to create big plays on returns, an area where they had success last year.

That starts with Marcus Jones, who is coming off an All-Pro season in which he averaged 14.3 yards per punt return and scored two touchdowns.

Through seven games in 2026, Jones is averaging 11.3 yards per return and has yet to record a return longer than 19 yards.

The kick return unit has also struggled to make an impact. According to FOX Sports, New England's kick returners are averaging 24.9 yards per return, ranking 25th in the NFL. Their longest return of the season is just 37 yards, good for 27th in the league.

With the Patriots struggling to generate explosive plays on special teams, a change at kick returner may be worth considering.

Kyle Williams and Corey Kiner have primarily handled those duties, but Henderson could be an intriguing alternative.

When asked about the possibility of giving Henderson opportunities as a kick returner, Vrabel didn't rule it out of the picture.

"I think that that's probably something that we'll always consider and weigh the options," Vrabel said. "We'll focus here on Miami and what we feel like we need to do to be able to create some positive momentum in the return game, whether that's with Corey or Kyle, and then certainly take a look at anybody else."

In his rookie season, Henderson returned nine kickoffs for 209 yards, averaging 23.2 yards per return.

And while preseason production doesn't always translate to regular-season success, Henderson returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown in his first preseason game against the Washington Commanders in 2025.

THE FIRST TIME HE TOUCHED THE BALL IN THE NFL!!!!@TreVeyonH4 | @NFL

📺: WBZ pic.twitter.com/NcT2a635nx

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 8, 2025

If the Patriots want a change, Henderson could be an enticing option given his home run-hitting ability.

3. Tightening Up the Tackling

Missed tackles have been an issue for New England at times this season, and the problem peaked against the Bears.

The Patriots missed 17 tackles against Chicago, a season high and a mark that is hard to overcome against any opponent.

"The tackling wasn't good enough, not against this team," Vrabel said after the game. "I would say that we need to turn the ball over and tackle better, and those are fundamental skills."

Jones (six), Charles Woods (three) and Robert Spillane (two) were the Patriots' biggest offenders.

Against a Miami offense coming off their most productive performance of the season, New England can't afford to give the Dolphins extra yards through poor tackling.

The Patriots luckily don't need to overhaul their defensive approach, but they do need to execute the fundamentals more consistently.