The last thing that the New England Patriots need is some extra motivation or incentive to beat a team. But Miami Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry may have given the Pats some motivation going into their Super Bowl defense in 2017 – Landry has proclaimed that the Dolphins will sweep the Patriots this season.
That’ll play well.
Landry made his bold proclamation across the pond in London during an NFL UK tour, and SI’s Peter King talked with him about the comments afterward.
Landry predicted the Dolphins would beat New England twice this season, and that doing it with Tom Brady still in his prime would add to the satisfaction of his predicted sweep.
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“If you’re a competitor, that’s the way you should feel, and I don’t mind saying it,” Landry said a day later. “It’s time for a change. I have all the respect in the world for the Patriots, and I respect Tom Brady tremendously. But they’re not our big brother anymore.”
That’s a fair point Landry made – you*should* show confidence in your team and their abilities. But the Patriots were the team that did the sweeping in 2016, beating the Dolphins in Weeks 2 and 17. The first matchup in Foxboro didn’t even feature Tom Brady, and Jimmy Garoppolo led New England to a seven point win by throwing for three touchdowns without an interception.
Landry did his part in the two games, combining for 211 yards on 19 catches. But he only reached the end zone once, and early leads for the Patriots meant the Dolphins had to throw more in the second half to get back in the games.
Coming of a playoff berth in 2016, Miami appears to be New England’s biggest threat for the AFC East crown in 2017. But with Landry being so bold about his team’s chances against the Patriots, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Dolphins are in for a pair of rougher games than usual.
