Defense rises! Dolphins pick off Darnold four times, go back over .500

Some 45 minutes after the Dolphins won their fifth game of the season, the victor was still clutching his spoil.

Rookie linebacker Jerome Baker was at his locker Sunday afternoon, fulfilling his media obligations, with a football snugly secured in the crook of his right arm.

“Jerome! Jerome!” defensive end Andre Branch shouted from across the room. “Can I get your autograph? Put the ball down! Just do the interview.”

Baker’s response: “I’m not letting it go, no time soon.”

Who can blame him?

There’s no telling when Baker will have another moment like this.

The football he gripped was the one that Jets quarterback Sam Darnold threw to him in the fourth quarter of the Dolphins’ 13-6 triumph Sunday. Baker returned the gift interception 25 yards for a touchdown, simultaneously providing the game’s margin of victory and outscoring both the Jets’ and Dolphins’ offenses.

“There’s nothing like it,” Baker said. “It’s just the sweetest feeling ever, especially getting into the end zone and you see all your brothers run towards you. [You] get a little tired, but it’s all worth it.”

Sweet, yes. But redemptive too.

Not just for Baker, but the entire Dolphins defense. The same group that allowed 74 points in the Dolphins’ last two games kept the Jets out of the end zone.

Let us know when you figure this team out.

Because just when you think you have a read on them, they do the opposite.

The Dolphins beat the Jets Sunday despite gaining just 168 yards on offense, managing just seven first downs, converting 3 of 16 third downs and having one play of more than 20 yards.

Those stats shouldn’t just get you beat, but get you blown out.

So how did Miami win?

By picking off Darnold four times. By sacking him four times. By breaking up passes eight times. And by hitting him seven times.

Yes, the same Dolphins defense that got trampled the last two weeks.

Explain that.

Please.

Here’s a guess: That the Dolphins live and die by the big plays.

And on Sunday, they were living large.

They picked off Darnold on three of the Jets’ final four possessions, including on the game’s final drive, when New York had a chance to tie.

Walt Aikens ended that chance with the team’s fourth and final pick. T.J. McDonald and Kiko Alonso each had an interception as well.

Not to be overlooked: Cameron Wake had a vintage game, sacking Darnold twice.

The Dolphins needed every one of those plays with an offense that was inept.

Brock Osweiler completed 15 of 24 passes for 139 yards.

The Dolphins had 64 yards rushing.

And yet, they are 5-4, and their season is still very much alive. The Jets fell to 3-6 after getting swept on the season by Miami.

What makes the Dolphins’ defensive effort even more astounding:

They did it largely without Reshad Jones, who took himself out of the game in the first half for undisclosed reasons. While Jones has played through a torn labrum for much of the season, sources tell the Miami Herald that Jones’ self-removal was not injury related.

This is a two-time Pro Bowl safety we’re talking about here. A former team captain.

A player held in high regard in the locker room, as evidenced by the long chat he had with Wake on the sidelines, with Wake’s arm resting on Jones’ shoulder.

Wake later declined to say what they discussed, stipulating that it was “between him and I.”

The follow-up question: Is he too hurt to play?

“That’s between him and I.”

That second response was telling. If Jones had something legitimate keeping him from the game, Wake and dozens of other teammates would have come to his defense. But few, if any, did. In fact, one defensive player said he was not surprised Jones checked out and never checked back in.

So, there’s drama in Dolphinsville.

Same as it ever was.

And yet, with a backup quarterback who misses wide open receivers, an offensive line with one healthy starter and a cornerstone defender who refuses to play, the Dolphins will head to Green Bay next week just a half-game out of the sixth seed in the AFC.

It almost doesn’t compute.

But an opportunistic defense covers up a lot of warts.

“We just played a good brand of defense today and that’s just something that we had to get back to — not trying to do too much, not trying to cover up for a guy, everybody just doing their job and letting the calls play,” said defensive tackle Akeem Spence. “Just playing defense.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2018 at 4:03 PM.