Miami Dolphins
Face of the Franchise
Dolphins vs. Jets final score: Reactions as Miami dominates for win
Source: https://www.thephinsider.com/miami-...al-score-reactions-as-miami-dominates-for-win
The Miami Dolphins opened their Week 14 game against the New York Jets with three-straight touchdown drives. The Miami defense came to play on the day, dominating from the opening kick through to the end of the contest – New York’s only touchdown came on a punt return. The Dolphins smacked around their AFC East rivals all game.
The game was not perfect for Miami, who struggled to find an offensive rhythm during for much of the middle 30 minutes of the contest, but they dominated a bad team on Sunday and kept themselves alive in the AFC playoff picture.
Running back De’Von Achane’s injury will be the major storyline after the game, with a ribs injury limiting him to just seven carries – albeit for 92 yards – in the game. He spent most of the afternoon on the sideline in a parka.
Below you will find our full-game recap of all the action. Reactions are in italics.
Final Score
Dolphins 34 – 10 Jets
First Quarter
Dolphins explode on ground enroute to early score
The Dolphins won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick. Four plays later, they were in the endzone for the opening score of the game. A beautifully designed counter end-around run from wide receiver Jaylen Waddle picked up 21 yards on the second play of the drive, then running back De’Von Achane powered through the middle of the line to gain 39 yards. Miami capped the 69-yard drive with a three-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to Waddle for the score.
Miami came out looking to establish the run game early, and they were effective. Achane was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November and is already looking to back it up in December. That is the start the Dolphins need in a game that they have to and should win.
Dolphins 7-0.
Dolphins defense smothers Jets’ first drive
The Jets’ first drive featured an incomplete pass when quarterback Tyrod Taylor was forced to throw away the ball to avoid a sack, a three-yard run from running back Breece Hall, and an incomplete pass with Miami cornerback Rasul Douglas making a great pass breakup. The defense gave New York nothing, and they forced the three-and-out punt.
Miami continues chunk-play attack
After stopping the Jets with less than a minute of time of possession coming off the clock, Miami went back to their big-play attack on New York. The Dolphins opened with a 23-yard pass from Tagovailoa to tight end Greg Dulcich. Two plays later, Tagovailoa threw to tight end Darren Waller for 13 yards, then to Waddle for 24 yards. On 1st-and-10, Achane found a lane to the offense’s left and made his way into the endzone.
The Miami offense is hitting through the air and on the ground right now, which makes this offense scary. If they can keep this up, it will be a long day for the Jets.
Dolphins 14-0.
Miami defense forces turnover
The Dolphins’ defense continued their onslaught after the kickoff. After giving up a six-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to tight end Mason Taylor, Miami stuffed Hall at the line of scrimmage for no gain. On 3rd-and-4, Tyrod Taylor looked toward Mason Taylor, but the pass was ruled incomplete – until a Dolphins challenge showed linebacker Tyrel Dodson was able to squeeze the ball between his legs, preventing it from hitting the ground and coming away with the interception.
What a play from Dodson. Great challenge from the Dolphins to get the ball. Miami has a chance to put this game out of reach in the first quarter.
Dolphins immediately turn takeaway into points
Starting at the Jets’ 29-yard line, Miami overcame a mid-drive false start penalty as Tagovailoa threw to Dulcich twice for 18 yards and had a pop-pass to wide receiver Malik Washington for three yards. On 2nd-and-Goal from the two-yard line, running back Jaylen Wright powered through the middle of the line for the score.
Perfectly done. Make the Jets pay for the turnover with a touchdown.
Dolphins 21-0.
Jets three-and-out after quarterback change
Tyrod Taylor headed into the locker room with a groin injury, leading to undrafted rookie Brady Cook entering the game. After a nine-yard run from Hall, a run for no gain from Hall and an incomplete pass, led to a three-and-out punt.
Cook is making his NFL debut. The Dolphins need to make him feel the pressure of playing at the NFL level.
Dolphins match three-and-out, give up punt return
Miami got the ball back with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter, but could only pick up eight yards on the drive and were forced to punt. Jets wide receiver Isaiah Williams caught the punt at the 22-yard line, returning it 78 yards for the score, potentially giving New York a spark.
Damn. Williams worked his way through Miami’s coverage and found the space down the sideline. The biggest hit he took was from his own player as he reached the goal line and was flipped into the air. Miami’s defense is dominating, but the team is no longer shutting out the Jets with the punt return.
Dolphins 21-7.
Second Quarter
Jets nearly come away with first interception, Miami survives to punt
The Dolphins opened the drive with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter, ending the period after a 13-yard run from Achane. After the break, Achane picked up a yard, then two incomplete passes led to a Miami punt. The Dolphins got lucky on the drive, with the first incomplete pass coming off a tipped ball that probably should have been intercepted – which would have been New York’s first interception of the season.
Miami got lucky with the near interception. That probably should have been brought in by the Jets’ defender, but they escape and punt away the ball. With the way the defense has been playing, that should not be an issue.
Jets go three-and-out again
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Hall picked up nine yards on the first two plays, setting up a 3rd-and-1 play. A botched snap on the third-down play nearly led to a Miami recovery of the fumble, but the Jets maintained control, leading to yet another three-and-out punt.
Through four possessions, the Jets have yet to record a first down. They have punted three times and lost the ball on the Dodson interception. New York has 24 total yards thus far. Miami’s defense is absolutely dominating the Jets – and it was doing it even before Cook was thrust into the game.
Miami matches three-and-out
A two-yard loss on a screen pass attempt pushed Miami back, but Wright was able to gain six yards on the second-down run to give Miami a manageable 3rd-and-6. The Jets’ defense blitzed perfectly, however, with four plays seeming to meet at Tagovailoa before the quarterback could even finish his drop back, with the eight-yard sack leading to a Miami punt.
After three touchdowns to start the game, Miami has punted three straight times on three-, five-, and three-play drives. Not sure what has changed, but the Dolphins need to get back into rhythm.
Jets still without a first down
Dolphins linebacker Chop Robinson recorded a strip-sack on first down, with Hall falling on the loose ball for a six-yard loss. Hall was able to pick up 11 yards on the next play, but a false start gave back some of the yards. Cook threw to Taylor for six yards on 3rd-and-8, leading to another Jets’ punt.
Miami’s defense is getting after the Jets, and they are not giving New York any space to operate. The offense needs to wake back up, but the defense is absolutely cruising right now.
Wright replaces Achane in Miami backfield
Achane opened the drive with a 29-yard run, but appeared to grab his knee after the tackle and headed to the sideline to be checked out. Wright replaced Achane, picking up 15 yards on four-straight runs before 3rd-and-6 turned into 3rd-and-11 on a false start penalty. Miami ran a screen to Dulcich, but offsetting penalties negated what was a 25-yard gain. Miami gained a yard on a Wright run before settling for a 43-yard field goal from Riley Patterson.
Achane’s injury is the story of this drive. He headed into the locker room late in the possession with the team calling it a ribs injury, listing his as questionable to return. He looked uncomfortable walking toward the locker room. Wright is playing well in his place, but Miami needs the electricity Achane brings to the team every time he touches the ball.
Dolphins 24-7.
Rasul Douglas ends Jets threat
The Jets picked up their first first-down top open the drive with a screen pass to wide receiver John Metchie III for 10 yards. After two incomplete passes, Cook threw a deep pass, with the referees calling pass interference on Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to move the ball 39 yards down the field. After a Hall run for a three-yard loss and an incomplete pass, Cook looked toward Metchie in the endzone, but cornerback Rasul Douglas picked off the pass for Miami.
That pass interference penalty was questionable, but Douglas ended any threat from the Jets’ offense. That was a great pick, with the cornerback leaping to catch the pass. Perfectly done, and great way to take advantage of a rookie quarterback trying to make a play.
Miami punts after trying to eat clock
Miami started with the ball at their five-yard line after the interception, with Wright picking up six yards on the first play. A run for a one-yard loss and an incomplete pass forced Miami to punt, but the team took 20 seconds off the clock and forced the Jets to use two of their timeouts.
The incomplete pass on the third-down play was sketchy, with Miami trying to set up a screen pass, but Wright not looking for the ball and Tagovailoa just trying to end the play – replay showed it was a forward pass, but it just barely missed being a backwards pass/fumble.
Jets end half with incomplete passes
Cook attempted two passes at the end of the half, but both fell incomplete as the half ended.
Halftime Stats
Third Quarter
Jets continue offensive struggles in second half
New York started with the ball in the second half, and were able to pick up a first down after a nine-yard pass to Williams and a four-yard run from Hall. After that, however, a sack from Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Bradley Chubb pushed the Jets back and they were forced to punt on 4th-and-7.
The defense picked up where they ended the half. The Jets were able to get a first down, but they are getting after Cook and making plays.
Miami three-and-out near goal line
Wright picked up a yard on the first down play from the Dolphins’ seven-yard line, but Waddle was injured on the play and struggled to get off the field, leading to Miami using a timeout. Tagovailoa was lucky on second down that a floated pass toward Wright in the flat was not picked off for a touchdown, then Wright gained five yards on a run. Miami punted on the three-and-out possession.
Tagovailoa went through his progressions well on the incomplete pass, but when he turned toward Wright, it was obvious it was headed that way, then he floated the pass. That should have been an interception, and it would have scored a touchdown, but linebacker Mykal Walker dropped the ball. Pure luck there. Tagovailoa needs to get back to looking like the quarterback of the first quarter.
Dolphins defense continues domination
A first down pass from Cook to tight end Jeremy Ruckert gained 14 yards, but the drive stalled there. On 3rd-and-9, Sieler again got to the quarterback, with Chubb cleaning up on the play, pulling down Cook for another sack. New York punted.
Officially, the sack was given to Sieler, who is turning it on late in the year. The defense is simply dominating right now.
Miami flips field, but still punt
The Dolphins opened at their 29-yard line, and got lucky on second down when a toss to running back Ollie Gordon II bounced off the running back’s chest, but he was able to fall on the loose ball. Miami ultimately moved down to the Jets’ 42-yard line, but they had to punt from there.
Not the high-power offensive drive that was saw in the first quarter, but they at least were able to move the ball out of their own end and keep the pressure on the Jets’ offense to sustain a drive.
Fourth Quarter
Jets fake punt leads to field goal
New York put together a drive through the end of the third quarter and into the fourth period. The drive was highlighted by a fake punt, with the Jets pulling off a 20-yard gain on 4th-and-89. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Cook found fullback Andrew Beck for 17 yards, moving New York to the Miami 24-yard line. Two plays later, Cook threw to Taylor for a 13-yard gain before the Miami defense shut down New York’s attack, leading to a field goal.
The defense looked tired on that possession, but they still did not allow the touchdown. Now the offense needs to take some pressure off the defenese.
Dolphins 24-10.
Wright runs clock, Gordon scores
Miami opened the drive with 12:08 remaining in the game and turned to Wright to run as much clock as possible. On a nine-play drive, Wright carried the ball six times, picking up 49 yards on the drive. Tagovailoa threw one time, finding Waddle for 11 yards. Gordon ran mid-drive for no gain, then ended the possession with a seven-yard run into the endzone.
Wright went over 100 yards, reaching 110, on the drive; the offense misses Achane’s explosiveness, but Wright, who was a forgotten member of the roster earlier this season, has done a great job in replacing the injured starter. Miami ate 8:42 off the clock on the drive.
Dolphins 31-10.
Dolphins defense gets sack happy
The Jets ran 10 plays on the drive. Miami recorded sacks on three of them, with linebacker Matthew Judon, Sieler, and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu each tallying a quarterback takedown. The Melifonwu sacks came on 4th-and-10, leading to a turnover on downs for the Jets at their 31-yard line.
The sacks were coming faster than I could keep up with them on X. Obviously the Jets are in pass-only mode, and they are using a rookie, undrafted quarterback, so Miami is taking advantage of the situation right now.
Zach Wilson returns to MetLife in mop-up duty
The Dolphins pulled Tagovailoa for the end of the game, turning the offense over to Zach Wilson. Wilson had not played in a game since leaving the Jets after the 2023 season, serving as the backup with the Denver Broncos last year but never appearing. The drive centered on Miami’s running game, with both Wright and Gordon getting carries while the Jets used their timeouts. Miami added three points on a 53-yard field goal from kicker Riley Patterson.
Miami is simply trying to run the clock at this point. Wilson getting back into a game at MetLife Stadium was a good moment.
Cook directs Jets into redzone, Ethan Bonner ends the threat
Beginning at their 40-yard line, the Jets looked to strike quickly. After an incomplete pass, Cook was able to find Mitchell for a 24-yard gain, then backed it up with a nine-yard pass to Metchie before the two-minute warning. On a 2nd-and-10 a few plays later, Cook threw to Williams for 15 yards before looking to the endzone, only to have cornerback Ethan Bonner pick off the pass for the touchback.
What a play by Bonner. That felt like it was going to be a late-game touchdown, but Miami’s defense never gave up and they only allowed one field goal throughout the game. Great play from Bonner, who ripped it away from the receiver one handed as he was falling.
Dolphins kneel out clock
Wilson knelt twice to end the game.
Source: https://www.thephinsider.com/miami-...al-score-reactions-as-miami-dominates-for-win
Rasul Douglas since this tweet (ranks among all CBs):
46.7% reception rate allowed (10th lowest)
