2026-01-04 Dolphins @ Patriots

New England has real leverage in this “meaningless-for-Miami” finale: a win locks the Patriots into at least the AFC #2 seed, and the only path to the AFC #1 seed / bye is Patriots win (or tie) + Broncos lose to the Chargers. NBC Sports Boston+1
Miami, meanwhile, is already eliminated, so the spoiler angle (and who actually suits up / how long) matters more than standings for them. 98.5 The Sports Hub

The chart is a classic “home edge vs. opponent punch” setup:

• Patriots (ASC Cancer) get Moon in the 1st plus Jupiter in Cancer in the 1st near the ASC = crowd/venue lift, emotional momentum, and a “things bend but don’t break” protection.
• Dolphins (DSC Capricorn) get a Capricorn pile-up sitting right on the Descendant (Sun/Venus/Mars within ~1° of the DSC) = the opponent shows up loud, physical, and very willing to turn this into a fight.

If New England is truly “live-rehearsal” mode (starters playing), they should have enough to control the game — but the aspects scream: surges, weird swings, and one “how did THAT happen?” moment. PFSN

Playoff implications & “resting players” reality check

• Patriots:
  • Win/tie → guaranteed #2 seed or better.
  • Win + Broncos loss → #1 seed + bye.
• External wrinkle: Chargers are resting multiple starters (including Justin Herbert), which directly impacts New England’s #1-seed path (since they need a Chargers upset).
• Patriots approach: multiple reports frame it as not a full rest week (more “tune-up”).
• Injuries/returns (NE): Campbell + Milton Williams activations/availability have been headline items, with several others ruled out.

Chart dominants (traditional-first)

Sign / element / modality (traditional 7):

• Heavy Earth (Capricorn): Sun–Mercury–Venus–Mars all Capricorn → 4 Earth / 2 Water / 1 Fire.
• Massive Cardinal emphasis (Capricorn + Cancer): “initiate/attack/answer back” energy.

House emphasis:

• H1 (ASC team vibe): Moon + Jupiter = emotional charge + “luck buffer.”
• H6 (grind/attrition): the Capricorn stack lives in the 6th but is functionally on the 7th cusp (DSC). Translation: trench game, conditioning, execution, and health-management themes decide the vibe.
• H10 (outcome/public result): Saturn + Neptune in Pisces near MC = “fog, narrative, weirdness,” plus pressure.

Angles & team rulers (this is the spine)

ASC = Cancer 15°14′ → Patriots are ASC (home).
DSC = Capricorn 15°14′ → Dolphins are DSC (away).

Patriots (ASC) ruler: Moon

• Moon Leo in H1 = strong “home team emotional engine.”
• Moon aspects:
  • Moon ☍ Pluto (H7): power struggle, momentum flips, a “dark” swing (turnover, special teams jolt, ref-ball moment, or sudden score).
  • Moon △ Saturn / △ Neptune (H10): if New England gets control, they can stabilize and manage clock/field position.
  • Moon ⚻ Mercury exact: misreads, audibles that feel “off,” or timing routes a beat early/late.

Dolphins (DSC) ruler: Saturn

• Saturn Pisces in H10 (near MC) ☌ Neptune: the opponent’s ruler is sitting in the house of the result. That’s notable: Miami can absolutely make this game look uncomfortable or strange — but Pisces/Neptune can also mean dissolve, deflate, or “can’t finish the drive.”
• Saturn ⚹ Uranus: one inventive wrinkle works (formation, fake, gadget, surprise onside look, etc.).

The big aspect story (how this game “feels”)

1) Sun ☌ Venus ☌ Mars in Capricorn, all opposing Jupiter in Cancer (H1)
This is the headline. It’s force vs. buoyancy:

• Dolphins bring punch + edge (Capricorn Mars on the opponent angle).
• Patriots get Jupiter-on-ASC cushioning (big-favorite “they pull away anyway” signatures can look like this).

2) Sun/Venus ⧄ Uranus
Semi-squares are great for “randomness”: a busted coverage TD, a muffed punt, a bizarre penalty chain, or a sudden tactical gamble that changes win-probability fast.

3) Mercury □ Neptune (separating)
Classic “communication haze” aspect — especially with cold/wind/snow-flurry vibes. Expect at least one drive-killer that feels self-inflicted (wrong route depth, snap count confusion, timeout burn, delay).

House-based predictive notes (old-school “book” reads)

• 6th-house Capricorn stack near the DSC: the opponent’s “work rate” shows up. Miami’s best path is ugly: pressure, ball control, dragging New England into execution errors. If the Dolphins hang around early, it’s through grind + field position rather than finesse.
• 10th house Saturn–Neptune: outcomes can feel “murky” for long stretches. This is a chart where the favorite can be ahead, yet the game still feels annoyingly complicated until late 3rd / 4th quarter.
• Pluto in H7: rivalry intensity, “prove a point” energy, and a higher chance of one pivotal snap deciding spread/total outcomes.

Clean astro lean (not a lock, but a read)

• Straight-up: Patriots lean (Moon + Jupiter in the 1st is hard to fade at home).
• Game texture: Dolphins show teeth (Capricorn pile-up on the DSC), so expect resistance and at least one swingy sequence before New England asserts.
• Betting vibe (if you’re framing it): volatility + weather-lean tends to favor weird covers / late backdoors more than clean blowouts. (Market has NE as a big favorite with a mid-40s total.)