ESPN Slaps Dolphins With Brutal Reality Check Before Patriots Game

The Miami Dolphins are making their final preparations for Sunday's AFC East rivalry matchup against the New England Patriots.

After taking down the New York Jets last week, the Dolphins are hoping to shock the NFL once again in Week 8 action. Beating the Patriots will be no easy task, but the Week 7 win brought a renewed energy to the team and fan base.

Malik Willis and the offense have their work cut out for them. Mike Vrabel's defense can be very stingy. Defensively, Miami will have its hands full with star quarterback Drake Maye.

While New England made it all the way to the Super Bowl last season, this season has brought new challenges. Entering this week's game against the Dolphins, the Patriots hold a 4-3 record. Maye has struggled at times and they simply haven't looked the part of a Super Bowl favorite.

Does that mean Miami has a legitimate chance of pulling off the upset this week? ESPN doesn't seem to think so.

According to ESPN's matchup predictor, the Dolphins are only being given a 20.1 percent chance of coming out with a win on Sunday. That leaves the Patriots with a 79.7 percent chance of victory over Miami.

At the end of the day, those percentages should not shock anyone. Even though the Dolphins took down the Jets last week, they are still just 1-5. Miami is expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL at season's end.

New England may have struggled at times so far this season, but the team still is fresh off of a Super Bowl appearance last season. The Patriots are not a bad football team.

We have previously taken a look at three X-Factors who must step up for the Dolphins to have a chance to pull off a win this week. The entire team will need to play up to its full potential to give Miami a fighting chance.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. Fans will be able to watch the game on CBS.

ESPN is siding with what the majority of fans and analysts are expecting from this week's game. The Patriots are expected to handle the Dolphins easily to improve to 5-3 on the year, while Miami is expected to drop to 1-6.