Brandon Marshall at his best on the field . . . and after the game, too
Brandon Marshall #15 of the New York Jets hauls in a touchdown pass in the first quarter against Brent Grimes #21 of the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Brandon Marshall has embraced his role this season as the voice of maturity within the Jets' locker room and as the media liaison representing the players' interests in how their story is presented. On the bad days, that means owning the blame for a loss, but he's at his best when the platform supporting his pronouncements consists of nine catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
That's where Marshall was coming from after the Jets' 38-20 victory over Miami on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It was a win that righted the Jets' season at 6-5 and boosted their confidence heading into a critical turf war next Sunday -- in front of a Giants crowd -- that could have a dramatic effect on the playoff hopes of both teams.
"I think we are a playoff team," Marshall said after the Jets' second win in the past six games. "You're seeing a lot of ups and downs, but we also know we're capable of getting the job done. The mission now is to maintain the momentum that we created today and be consistent."
Unlike Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, Marshall never has made an issue of how many times he touches the ball, but he can't help but feel that the more big plays he makes, the better chance the Jets have of winning. Certainly, the record would back him up.
"There's no 'I' in team, but I get paid a lot of money to make plays, and I feel that if I just do my job, it may be the difference," Marshall said. "I have amazing teammates, but I don't want to let them down. I want to play more consistently."
Luckily for the Jets, the Dolphins gave Marshall, Eric Decker and Devin Smith the chance to make big plays with frequent single coverage.
When the Jets steamrolled the Dolphins earlier this season in London, 27-14, running back Chris Ivory carried for 166 yards. So Sunday, the Dolphins stacked the box with at least seven and often eight players to contain Ivory, who got 61 of his 87 yards in the second half after the passing attack was clicking.
So Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went vertical early, getting the opening 17-yard TD to Marshall on a fade over Miami cornerback Brent Grimes. Fitzpatrick completed a 92-yard drive before halftime with a 16-yard scoring strike to Smith for a 14-0 lead. In the fourth quarter, Marshall was singled up on Grimes down the sideline for a 47-yard completion that set up a 3-yard TD that he plucked in front of a screened-out Grimes.
Marshall burned his former Dolphins teammate on the field but later praised him as second only to Darrelle Revis as a cornerback. But Marshall added, "All my routes today looked the same, and it was tough for anybody that was going to be out there because we saw tendencies through our film this week."
Fitzpatrick threw four TD passes, was not intercepted and had a passer rating of 118.9, but his chemistry with Marshall, in particular, was undeniable.
"We had a great day," Marshall said with a smile. "The last couple weeks has been tough for all of us. But today is what we need if we want to win. We hit the shots when we were supposed to . . . If we want to crawl back into this thing, we have to continue to do that."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
