Last year, the Patriots missed out on the postseason because the Dolphins, with the same overall record, won the division via the conference-record tiebreaker. The Ravens, who also went 11-5, won the second wild-card spot over New England by virtue of a better conference record.
The disappointing finish to an 11-win season reinforced the importance of games against division and conference opponents to the Patriots.
“There’s no question about it,’’ Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said. “I remember when I came into the league, nine games was kind of the measuring stick. You rarely saw a team [win] nine games, 10 games that didn’t make the playoffs. Now you’ve got a team that wins 11 games that doesn’t make the playoffs.
“I think there’s no question, it all starts within your division. The division games are as critical as you get in this thing. To leave it up to kind of fate or the luck of the draw or any of those things, it’s probably not the best thing to do. You need to take care of your division first.’’
Despite their overall records - the Dolphins are 3-4, the Patriots 5-2 - the Dolphins already hold a potentially crucial advantage; they are 3-0 against AFC East foes, while the Patriots are 1-1. Meanwhile, the Patriots, at 3-2, are tied for the sixth-best conference record in the AFC with the Dolphins and Bengals.
The Patriots understand this game’s importance, “especially right now with them having three division wins,’’ defensive lineman Mike Wright said. “This is the biggest game of the year at this point.’’
Many observers have pointed to this five-game stretch as the defining section of the Patriots schedule. A victory in Week 12 over the currently undefeated Saints would make for impressive window dressing - but it still would be only window dressing. The Patriots more likely will shape their season against the Dolphins, Colts, Jets, and, after they face New Orleans, the Dolphins again.
