Kelly: Dolphins’ dominance of Jets showcases growth of both lines | Opinion
Ollie Gordon II flexed both arms, as if he were showing off in a body building competition after reversing field to score on his 7-yard touchdown run.
The rookie was celebrating his fourth touchdown of the season, but the flex was a perfect illustration of how the Miami Dolphins offensive, and defensive lines dominated the line of scrimmage in Sunday’s 34-10 win against the New York Jets.
This was a beatdown, a complete domination.
“This game was tough. It’s definitely hard to put it in words,” Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said. “The only thing I can say is I didn’t get us prepared to play.”
Glenn might also say the Dolphins kicked his team’s backside.
Miami’s offense ran for a season-high 241 yards. The Dolphins defense limited the Jets to 207 total yards, and Rasul Douglas and Ethan Bonner both pulled down interceptions in the end zone, preventing scores.
It was a degrading beatdown, from the first quarter on.
“Run the ball!,” said Jaylen Wright, who produced his first 100-yard rushing performance (107 to be exact), and scored his first NFL touchdown against the Jets. “We’ve been winning when we run the ball efficiently, and that’s what we have to keep doing.”
The Jets players looked like they didn’t even want to be on the field after the first quarter, which is when Miami was up 21-7 after scoring points on the team’s first three drives.
New York had the team’s third-string quarterback, practice squader Brady Cook, on the field for most of the game because of a groin injury Tyrod Taylor sustained in the first quarter. And Cook performed like he had never played in a real NFL game (35.8 passer rating).
So Sunday’s game was the NFL equivalent of playing Middle Tennessee State (no offense intended to all the Blue Raiders fans out there).
“Everyone’s finally on the same page, and we want to go out there and dominate people. Not just block them, and fit them up. But to dominate folks,” Dolphins left tackle Patrick Paul said. “We’re definitely building something special. We’re having fun.
“After the first [drive] I looked at the D-linemen in their eyes and was like, ‘Wow.’ ”
Paul’s seemingly insinuating that the Jets defensive front was intimidated by Miami’s rushing attack.
Miami’s offensive line paved the way as all three tailbacks scored a rushing touchdown.
My biggest issue was the fact Miami didn’t put the Jets away until Gordon’s touchdown run, which capped a nine-play, 57-yard drive, and built a lead bigger than two scores.
But before that drive Miami’s run game disappeared once De’Von Achane left the game with a rib injury in the second quarter.
Miami’s special teams unit allowed a punt to be returned 78 yards for a touchdown, and the Jets converted a first down on a fake punt.
Tua Tagovailoa also wasn’t sharp yet again, completing 13 of 27 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. At this point it’s clear that the Dolphins are calling plays to mask whatever his issues have been this season.
Evidence of this came on two third downs where the Dolphins ran the ball instead of giving Tagovailoa an opportunity to convert, which in the past has been one of his strengths.
Clearly these Dolphins still have work to do, but it was a win, and a convincing one that extended the team’s winning streak to four games and allowed the Dolphins to win five of the last six games.
Miami’s one win from getting the record back to .500, and a victory on Dec. 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers would make the Dolphins a legitimate “in the hunt” team when it comes to an AFC wild-card spot.
Miami’s doing this December what the franchise has failed to do in past years, injecting hope into the season’s final month.
How far this team can take it, especially without Achane, who will be re-evaluated when the team returns to South Florida, might determine the coaching staff’s fate since owner Steve Ross began 2025 by telling the world the “status quo” won’t do in a statement released after a season finale loss in the Meadowlands last year.
At this point, we have to start wondering if these are the same old Dolphins.
Is this the same team that began the season 1-6, and got general manager Chris Grier canned?
Is this the same offensive line and defensive line that weighed the team down like an anchor? Clearly both units have improved, and on Dec. 15 we will see if they can take down a legitimate playoff team (Pittsburgh), which seemingly featured a legendary coach (Mike Tomlin) who is on the hot seat.
The Pittsburgh road game would be when the same ole Dolphins resurface, building the fan base up to ultimately let them down.
That’s the status quo Ross is referring to. That’s the Dolphins franchise we know, and are forced to tolerate.
So we will soon discover if the 2025 turnaround Dolphins are for real, or the same old pretenders they have been for two-plus decades.
“I love this team because they made the choice, the hard choice, to not only believe in themselves, but to put in the work, even though they’d been putting in the work and were not getting the results,” coach Mike McDaniel said. “There’s a special connection in the locker room because quite literally they didn’t need anyone to, but they were well aware they were the only people who believed in themselves.
“There’s a different level of buy-in, and also a different level of pride for the Dolphins logo, and what we’re fighting for.”
This story was originally published December 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM.
