Dolphins Aim To Take Down Injury Riddled Jets

Miami Gardens, FL – After a disappointing Thanksgiving outing, the Miami Dolphins must set that aside and focus on their next target, the injury-riddled New York Jets.

There’s no getting around how crushing their loss to Green Bay was, as it added fuel to the fire. The annoying narratives that Miami can’t beat good teams or play in the cold will have to continue. They’ll only stop when they prove the media wrong.

At the very least, the Jets might be the right opponent for the Fins. With an interim head coach and general manager, injuries on both sides of the ball, and a disgruntled quarterback who had to face the New York media, the Jets are as big a mess as any team in football.

The Dolphins don’t control their destiny and their playoff hopes are slipping away. But a win over the Jets can cure a lot and possibly get them back on the right track.

A Cornucopia Of Sadness

Yes, it was cold. And yes, it was against a good opponent. But what happened on Sunday was unacceptable for Miami. The game felt over after halftime, and Tua’s great performance was wasted.

The first few drives for Miami were hard to watch due to turnovers, including a muffed punt, and silly penalties, including unsportsmanlike conduct. Eventually, they tried to rally but fell short against Green Bay because being down 24-3 at halftime is hard to overcome in 30 minutes.

A big issue was that Tua was let down by his offensive line. In the last few games, they did a good job protecting Tua and giving him time. Against Green Bay, however, he was sacked five times.

A SACK ON 4TH & GOAL!

Pro Bowl vote 🗳️: https://t.co/JsfUV5geTn pic.twitter.com/4uLlomGoxI

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 29, 2024

Despite the bad start, the Dolphins had a chance to make it a one-score game late, but a goal-line stand stopped that. 365 yards and two touchdowns is a good stat line for Tua, but it feels like he was the only one that showed up.

We Have A Plane Down

The New York Jets are another team that had high hopes this season and have been ultimately let down. After a 2-3 start to the season, they pulled the plug on head coach Robert Saleh, turning to Jeff Ulbrich. After dropping to 3-8 on the season, they fired their general manager, Joe Douglas, now going to Phil Savage.

Since that, the Jets now stand with a 3-9 record. They got their wins against Tennessee, New England, and surprisingly, Houston. Still, an ongoing three-game losing streak (And a five-game losing streak before that) has made the playoffs an afterthought.

Aaron Rodgers won a Super Bowl with the Packers in the 2010 season. Since then, he’s been searching for a spot in the big game once more but always came up short in Green Bay. He joined the Jets last season, but suffered a season-ending injury in Week one, and now looks to lead a dysfunctional team in the right direction. He’s 41 years old, by the way.

Aaron Rodgers hasn't thrown for 300 passing yards in 34 consecutive starts 😱 pic.twitter.com/ejmYHzcHul

— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) December 6, 2024

On paper, Rodgers has only played okay, with 2627 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Keep in mind that Tua has 2,125 yards and 15 touchdowns despite missing FOUR games due to injury. His offensive line hasn’t done him many favors, having been sacked 28 times.

The Jets’ offense isn’t awful, but plain mediocre. They average the second-fewest yards per game with 291.3, only in front of New England. Their running and passing games are both below average. You’d be hard-pressed to find an offensive stat that is in the Top 16 because I sure couldn’t.

Broken Glass And Paper Skin

What makes this frustrating for the Jets is they have undeniable talent on offense, with running back Breece Hall and wide receiver Garrett Wilson being reliable weapons. Hall, by the way, is expected to miss this game after aggravating a prior knee injury.

Significant #Jets news for Sunday: RB Breece Hall and CB Sauce Gardner will both be listed as doubtful. In addition, LB CJ Mosley (neck) will be placed on Injured Reserve, ending his season.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 6, 2024

The strength of the Jets has been their defense, but that’s been under fire as of late. They hold opposing offenses to just over 300 yards, which is third-best in the league. However, they’ve only recorded two interceptions up to this point, the second-least in the NFL, only in front of their neighbors – the New York Giants.

Injuries can be blamed for this. Pro Bowlers Sauce Gardner and CJ Mosley are expected not to play in Sunday’s game. Gardner pulled a hamstring last week, and Mosley has been placed on IR and will miss the rest of the season.

Final Thoughts

On paper, this seems like a game Miami should win handily. Now, it’s a divisional opponent and the Jets look to play spoiler.

Still, the Jets have too many issues. The Dolphins’ defense should apply heat on Rodgers all game long, and they should see great success. On the other side of the ball, Tua and the Dolphins need to capitalize on an injury-riddled Jets defense.

Looking at the bigger picture here, the Dolphins need to defeat their weaker opponent. They’ll be the worst team Miami will play in the final five games of the season. The second-worst team is, well, the Jets but in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

MIAMI – 31

NEW YORK – 17