3 takeaways from the Jets vs. Dolphins in NFL Week 14
Malachi Moore of the Jets misses an interception against the Miami Dolphins at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Jets were officially eliminated from the playoff race for the 15th straight year with Sunday’s blowout loss to Miami. Here are three takeaways from the 34-10 defeat:
1. The defense didn’t show up
The Jets talked all week about having to stop the run, especially after letting Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson rack up 142 yards on the ground the previous Sunday. It was all talk.
The Jets gave up a season-high 239 rushing yards to Miami.
“It’s BS,” Aaron Glenn said. “You can’t give up [240]. It’s that simple. You can’t give it up. So you have to fix it.”
They said they were going to fix it after last week. The Dolphins had three rushing touchdowns, by three different players, and three carries that went for at least 21 yards.
Missed tackles again plagued the Jets, but it was more than that. The defense allowed touchdowns on Miami’s first three series — all in the first quarter and on 14 total plays.
“What we displayed today was not anything that we’re coached to do or what we want to do as a team,” linebacker and defensive captain Jamien Sherwood said. “We got to go out there and perform every Sunday, and today we didn’t uphold the standard.”
2. The offense went backward
With Dolphins backup quarterback Zach Wilson in the building, the Jets’ offense looked similar to when he was their starter.
They lost Tyrod Taylor to a groin injury after two series and had to finish the game with rookie Brady Cook making his NFL debut. The two had a combined 169 passing yards and three interceptions.
The Jets didn’t record a first down in their first five series. They didn’t score an offensive touchdown for the first time in six games.
Cook’s inexperience showed. He led the Jets into the red zone three times, but those trips resulted in only three points. He threw two interceptions in the end zone and John Metchie III dropped a pass that should have resulted in a touchdown.
Until Adonai Mitchell caught a pass for 24 yards before the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the Jets’ longest play was a 19-yard gain on a fake punt.
“We had a good plan, and we just didn’t execute in all parts — in the run game, in the pass game,” Breece Hall said. “Once Tyrod gets hurt, I got to do a better job of rallying the guys and getting everybody just that much more ready to execute for Brady. So I feel like from an offensive standpoint, we could have all been better for our QBs today.”
3. The Jets need more playmakers
They have them on special teams. Isaiah Williams returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Jets ran a fake punt for a first down. Austin McNamara averaged 54.3 yards on his six punts.
Bad throws and drops have happened frequently on offense, and Sunday was no different. The defense extended its NFL record of most games without an interception to start the season to 13.
The Jets had at least two chances to snap that streak, but Malachi Moore and Mykal Walker couldn’t hold on to what should have been interceptions.
“This was a game where it looked like we did have a number of [drops] from a number of different players,” Glenn said. “Even on the defensive side, when we had a chance to make some plays on the ball, we dropped the ball. Receivers have got to catch it. DBs have got to catch it. We’ve got to make our plays when they come to us.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
