The Miami Dolphins have not played well at all over the last month, which is why they are massive underdogs for their game against the New England Patriots this weekend. But Jarvis Landry predicted over the summer that his team would beat the Pats twice in 2017, and the star wide receiver sees no reason to back down now.
While Landry made it clear that he has great respect for the Patriots, he remains confident.
“Honestly, it’s a pride thing and also, it’s something for us, a mindset,” Landry said, per Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. “I spoke about it. They’re a team that I have great respect for always. I know guys over there, Tom (Brady). It’s nothing against them. It’s just something that, as a competitor, you want to win. Just like every game, I approach it the same, and that’s the mindset.”
You can’t expect Landry to say he believes the Dolphins will lose on Sunday and again in Week 14. As a 17-point underdog, Miami would be overcoming historic odds with a win in Foxboro. Landry isn’t concerned with what the oddsmakers say.
“I don’t care about Vegas,” he said. “I don’t care about numbers. Any given Sunday, anybody can beat anybody. That’s the beauty of this league, that’s the beauty of the NFL, and that’s why I love this sport so much. You never know. This may be the game that turns our season around. You never know. For us, we just focus on ourselves and put good days together so that when we get to the game, we’re confident, we’re playing fast and we can pull one out.”
The spread itself shouldn’t concern Landry nearly as much as the reasoning behind it. The Dolphins have lost their last four games, and they look terrible on the both sides of the ball. Landry, who has caught a touchdown in six of the last seven games, has been a lone bright spot. Jay Cutler, who may miss Sunday’s game with a concussion, has been horrendous. Even the quarterback’s wife seems to be throwing in the towel on the season.
New England is coming off blowout wins over the Broncos in Denver and Raiders in Mexico. Bill Belichick’s defense, which looked completely lost to start the year, is starting to round into form. We admire Landry for trying to be a leader, but anything other than an easy Patriots victory on Sunday would be a big surprise.
