It seems as though Tom Brady can't take the heat.
At least that's what his record in Miami would suggest.
The Patriots will travel to South Beach to face the Dolphins on Sunday in a showdown of the top two teams in the AFC East. But, fortune doesn't favor the visitors. In Brady's time at the helm in New England, he is 7-9 in Miami with 15 interceptions. One might think this is a decent road record, but that's not the case when you look at his 85-32 record in all other away games.
It also doesn't help that this matchup is in December. The 19-season veteran has a 26-7 career record on the road in the final month of the year with nearly every one of those losses in Miami. Brady is 1-5 against the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium in December, and 25-2 against all of his other opponents.
“It’s been a challenging environment," Brady said, via WEEI.com. "I think the climate plays some role and they always seem to play well when they play us down there. We are not going to get beat by the weather, we’re going to get beat by the Dolphins. That is what we realize."
"We have to get our mind right," he added. "We have to have a great week of preparation and go down there and try and play a great game against a team that has really hung in there."
The 6-6 Dolphins enter the contest in a tight playoff race, while the 9-3 Patriots are enjoying the top spot in their division.
If Brady's slump in Miami continues, the Dolphins could position themselves for a postseason run.
According to SB Nation, their playoff chances would increase to 19 percent if the Dolphins can once again top the Patriots at home, with no other results added to the equation.
"It's just really about playing good when it comes down to it, and there's no magic formula for that," Brady said Friday, via CBS Sports. "It's just going to take us playing a great game of football. There's a lot on the line for both teams. It's a tough place to play obviously, but it's a good challenge for us, too."
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.