FOX-[NFL] New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins Live Free

So, a few things have happened since the Patriots last took the field in January.

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The franchise’s most iconic player signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a global pandemic shuttered the world, and you probably learned way more about a zookeeper named Joe Exotic than you ever thought you would.

But on Sunday a bit of normalcy returns! Football is (finally) back in Foxborough!

Let’s get to the preview:

THE BIGGEST STORYLINE: The Cam Newton era is here
Cam Newton

New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton passes during an NFL football training camp practice, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, Pool)AP

After years of speculation surrounding who would be Tom Brady’s heir — Jimmy Garopplo, Jarrett Stidham, etc. — Bill Belichick went totally off menu with his selection.

The Patriots inked Cam Newton to a one-year, prove-it deal in early July, and he’s earned the keys to the kingdom at Gillette Stadium.

The match makes sense on a number of levels.

Newton is talented as heck, highly motivated, and he’s not going to be “the kid who replaced Tom Brady.” Though the pressure to follow Brady would be daunting for almost any quarterback, the former MVP is unfazed by it. He’s already Cam Newton.

“That’s not pressure to me,” Newton said. “Pressure is when you’re looking at your children and you’re saying you’re 31 and you don’t know – you’re not ready to retire but nobody is calling your phone. That’s pressure. When you don’t have control of your destiny. So for me, I’m elated, I’m excited, I’m all that and a bag of chips because I knew that if God didn’t show favor over me, man, who knows where I’d be right now.”

DOLPHINS OFFENSE VS. PATRIOTS DEFENSE
DeVante Parker, Stephon Gilmore

Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker catches a pass over New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)AP

— Can Gilmore bounce back against DeVante?

Nobody was more responsible for the Patriots’ December demise than DeVante Parker.

You know the story: Parker torched Stephon Gilmore for eight catches and 137 yards, the Dolphins won a Week 17 shocker in Foxborough, the Patriots lost their first-round bye, and were one-and-done in the Wild Card round.

It’s time to see if the reigning Defensive Player of the Year can dish some payback out.

“The good thing about football, every year starts over,” Gilmore said. “So, you know, you’ve got a chance to prove yourself every year. This is the first game that you get the opportunity to go out there and prove yourself. I take that mindset each and every week no matter what happened last year, the year before. I try to prove myself each and every week and every game… I’m looking forward to it.”