Quickie reaction: Dolphins overcome mistakes against Jets. Do what they’re supposed to do
So it was not a thing of beauty.
The Dolphins yielded four sacks and double-digit hits on new-old starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played for the inactive Tua Tagovailoa.
Dolphins running backs Matt Breida and Patrick Laird fumbled on consecutive third-quarter drives inside Dolphins territory.
And there was nothing really consistent about Miami’s offense the entire day, including Fitzpatrick.
But the defense played very well, continuing its dominance over the Jets in limiting them to no touchdowns in 25 possessions this season. Cornerbacks Nik Needham and Xavien Howard both had interceptions.
And the Jets were their winless selves, missing a short field goal before halftime and turning three-and-out into their most consistent offensive weapon.
So, Dolphins over the New York Jets 20-3 on Sunday.
And I’m not going to complain. Because ugly wins don’t count any less than masterpieces.
And this uninspiring victory has put the 7-4 Dolphins among the AFC teams so far holding one of the postseason’s prized berths. So that will have to make everyone happy for the time being.
By the way, I’ve covered plenty of Dolphins games they were supposed to win. And they ended up losing. The Dolphins were supposed to win this one and did just that.
So there’s that for perspective.
The Jets, 0-11, offered a little resistance in the first half. But very little.
They managed a field goal drive to open the game but that was the extent of the damage they did that half.
Although Frank Gore gained 60 rushing yards the first half, the Dolphins defense kept the Jets 0-for-2 on red zone touchdown scoring opportunities. And the Jets missed a 29-yard field goal to close the half.
Gore managed only 14 yards the second half.
Womp, womp, womp.
The Dolphins got an interception on the Jets first offensive series of the second half when Needham got his first interception of the season.
That marked the 17th consecutive game the Dolphins have at least one takeaway in a game. So, again, very good work by the Miami defense.
This story was originally published November 29, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
