The Patriots are likely going to be in a foul mood this Sunday and that is bad news for the Panthers.  Tom Brady will come out throwing the ball early and often to Randy Moss and Wes Welker in this game.  The Panthers do have 17 interceptions this season so Brady will have to be careful with the football unlike last weekend against the Fins.  Don’t look for the Patriots to take the foot off the gas pedal even if they jump to a quick lead in this football game as they will try to score every time they have the ball just like they did against the Titans earlier this season.

The defense has to stop the running game of the Panthers but that will be easier said than done as they are averaging 151.9 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carr this year.  The Patriots will likely be doubling Steve Smith all game long and dare QB Matt Moore to beat them through the air with someone else which isn’t likely.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 33, PANTHERS 13

The Patriots have lost 23-year old back-up safety Bret Lockett for the year.  Lockett played in 10 games for the Patriots this season and he made 7 tackles and forced 1 fumble.  The Patriots have activated DL Titus Adams off the practice squad to replace Lockett on the roster.  The 26-year old Adams has not played in a game yet in his career.

The Patriots choked on defense in this game as they led Chad Henne torture them all game long.  Fins’ kicker Dan Carpenter kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the game as the defense let the kid QB drive right down the field at the end of the game to beat them.  LB Jerod Mayo led the way for the Patriots on D last night with 12 tackles, 1/2 a sack and he had a QB hit.  CB Darius Butler pitched in with 8 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  The Dolphins finished up with 416 total yards on offense (88 rushing, 328 passing) in this game.

Tom Brady had a so-so game for him completing 19 of 29 passes for 352 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Laurence Maroney led the way on the ground for the Pats yesterday with 41 yards rushing on 13 carries (3.2 ypc).  Sammy Morris pitched in with 40 yards rushing on 9 carries (4.4 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 25 yards (12.5 avg).  Kevin Faulk pitched in with 3 carries for 15 yards (5.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Wes Welker had another outstanding game for the Patriots with 10 grabs for 167 yards.  Sam Aiken only caught 1 pass but it went for a 81-yard TD.  Randy Moss only caught 2 passes for 66 yards (33.0 avg) with a TD.  The Patriots finished up with 448 yards on offense (96 rushing, 352 passing) in this game.  The Patriots are now 7-5 on the season but their lead in the AFC East is only 1 game over each the Fins and the Jets.

The Patriots have a weak schedule the rest of the way so they need to finish off the Dolphins’ hopes this Sunday.  The Dolphins need to take care of business this weekend or they should start getting ready for 2010.  The Patriots beat the Dolphins four weeks ago 27-17 at Foxboro.  The Patriots will stick to the same thing that worked so well against the Fins the first time and that is throwing the football.  Tom Brady threw for 332 times the last time these two teams played and he will likely torture the rookie corners on the Fins’ roster.  Look for Randy Moss and Wes Welker to both go over 100 yards receiving in this game.  The Patriots will likely only turn to the running game to help grind out the clock.

The Dolphins will come out running the football against the Patriots on Sunday.  The Patriots are allowing 109.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so Ricky Williams should get his share of yards.  Still, look for the front seven and the safeties to be creeping up into the box to stop the Fins’ running game.  The Dolphins must have Chad Henne take a few deep shots off play action or it’s going to be a long day for them offensively.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 30, DOLPHINS 17

28-year old WR Wes Welker is still Tom Brady’s right hand man.  He has played in 9 games for the Patriots this season and he has caught 85 passes for 886 yards (10.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards (7.8 ypc) and he has returned 16 punts for 236 yards (14.8 avg).  The Patriots really need Welker to stay healthy the rest of the year because he gets the tough yards over the middle for them.  Welker has now played in 41 games in his three years with the Patriots in which he has caught 308 passes for 3,226 yards (10.5 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 91 yards (8.3 ypc) and he has returned 65 punts for 722 yards (11.1 avg).  Welker is one of the best players on the Patriots so they can’t afford to have him miss any more time due to injury this year.