Dolphins Blank Jets 30-0, Reach 10 Wins On The Season

Miami Gardens, FL – Following Monday’s disaster that was the Tennessee Titans game, the Miami Dolphins had one mission when they took on the New York Jets for the second time – dominate against a clearly inferior team. And, they did just that in one of the most complete games this team has played all season. That includes multiple blowout wins against Denver, Carolina, and Washington just to name a few. However, despite big-name injuries on both sides of the ball, the Dolphins offense still produced, and the defense shut out an NFL team – Jets also with massive setbacks – to the tune of a 30-0 W.

To set the scene for this game, Miami had an impressively long injury report following all the downed Dolphins in that Monday Night Football game. So, the players who couldn’t suit up today for the Fins include MVP candidate Tyreek Hill. His road to 2,000 receiving yards took a massive hit, but more importantly for this game, one of the most reliable weapons Miami has is missing his first game all season.

Pregame notes: (continued)

The final injury report is not great for Miami, with Tyreek Hill, Jevon Holland, and Xavien Howard out among other playmakers.

However, Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson are in for Miami's offensive line.https://t.co/x3rVuNV1lN

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) December 17, 2023

On defense, the Dolphins missed a handful of players including most of their secondary. This was enough to write this game off as a potential upset alert for Miami against a New York Jets team that just knocked off the Houston Texans…despite Miami already roughing up the Jets earlier this season on Black Friday.

The Playmakers Available Make Plays

Even with all these players down, the depth of Miami outmatched what the Jets had to offer, starting with the quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa made it clear that this offense can function just fine without Tyreek Hill, and his solution was Jaylen Waddle. He might have had one of his best games as a Dolphin, racking up 142 yards and a 60-yard bomb off of eight catches.

Perhaps the fact that the Fins have already taken on the Jets helped Tua and this team heading into the rematch. This is despite their previous win against their AFC East rival, where Tua did not have his best game, throwing two interceptions. However, at Hard Rock Stadium, Tua was near-perfect going 21 for 24 with 224 yards, a single passing touchdown, and no picks.

“Take what they give me. That’s really what I came out with,” said Tua postgame. “Can’t turn the ball over, although we almost had one. But yeah, I would say can’t turn the ball over against a team like that, and I think we did really well with that today.”

Nevertheless, against one of the most suspect rushing defenses in the league, the running game for Miami had a feast near the goal line. Raheem Mostert recorded 42 yards and two touchdowns. That brought his tally up to 20 TDs on the season, the most of any Dolphin in a single season in NFL history, surpassing Mark Clayton and Ricky Williams.

Two Sides Of The (De)Fence

Speaking of the Jets defense, their elite secondary had no answers for the Dolphins today as their biggest stars excelled in cardio instead of turnovers. Sauce Gardner, for example, was matched up with Waddle for most of the game and only achieved three total tackles.

While we have a minute, here's a look at Tua's bomb to Waddle for their second touchdown of the day. #FinsUphttps://t.co/S1vvgfzSuq

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) December 17, 2023

That being said, as is the case for the last few games of the season, the Fins fed off what the defense provided them, and they did not disappoint. You have to keep in mind how difficult it is to shut out a team in the NFL. Even when Miami scored 70 points against Denver, they still gave up 20 points. On the flip side,  the Jets offense looked inept against a hungry Dolphins squad.

With the secondary reeling from injuries, it looks like Miami’s best answer to this was to bullrush Zach Wilson on almost every play to ensure he can’t throw it to his receivers. Sure enough, the Jets’ offensive line didn’t do him any favors as Wilson has next to no time in the pocket for plays to develop.

Ultimately, the Jets offense consisted of four turnovers, a failed fake punt, and five real punts. Eventually, Wilson exited the game with a concussion and Trevor Siemian stepped in, but they still were unable to get by Miami’s defense. At the end of the first half, New York recorded a total of four yards.

Bradley Chubb had his best game as a Dolphin, recording seven total tackles, three sacks, two tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Even when Wilson came out of the game and Siemian took over, he and the defense didn’t skip a beat.

“It was more of the same for sure,” said Chubb postgame. “Nothing really changed. Zach is a lot more mobile with his feet, can make you miss, extend the play like that. I would say the rush lanes changed probably, but the game plan itself didn’t.”

Along with Chubb, Brandon Jones also had a remarkable game, making both interceptions for Miami in the second half, helping to secure the shutout. Despite the new-look secondary for this team, New York’s offensive weapons were locked down.

Here's how Miami got their first score, starting with a strip sack on Zach Wilson by Christian Wilkins. https://t.co/3mYo45JLYE

— Jake Gibson (@JakeTheEmcee) December 17, 2023

Looking Ahead

There’s not a whole lot to say. Miami needed this win to ensure they stayed with the big teams of the AFC, and they accomplished their task. This improves their record to 10-4 and still sit comfortably in first place in the AFC East. They’re only one game behind the first-seed Baltimore Ravens.

Up next for the Fins is a three-game stretch against some of the best teams in football. That starts with hosting the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve (December 24th) at 4:25 pm.

📸Credit: Miami Dolphins