Last Week:
Dolphins lost to the Titans 28-27
Jets beat the Texans 30-6
Advantages:
QB: Dolphins
- Tua has had some down moments as of late while Zach Wilson just played the game of his life against the Texans in a downpour. Still, I have to say that Miami has the advantage. Tua has played great at times and is okay in games where he is getting hit a bunch (who isn't?) but Zach Wilson has either been atrocious or good (See KC and Texans). I will take the once thought of MVP candidate.
- Breece Hall is still an exciting player and while the Jets haven't gotten him going as a rusher, he has been a weapon in the receiving game which isn't ideal for a Dolphins team that just let Tyjae Spears go for 89 yards on 6 receptions. Still, when Miami actually runs the ball, Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane have produced at an extremely high clip. Miami has the edge but the Jets, thanks to Breece Hall, still have a chance to make some game changing plays.
WR: Dolphins
- I assume despite the ankle injury that Tyreek Hill will play in this game. Either way, the Dolphins have the advantage here thanks to their depth outside of Hill and Waddle where the Jets have nothing outside of Garrett Wilson.
TE: Jets
- Durham Smythe is pretty much useless as a receiver and the Jets have gotten production out of their tight ends at times, especially last week against the Texans. Neither unit is particularly good but the Jets have the edge.
OL: Push
- Miami could be heading into this game with only Austin Jackson standing on the starting offensive line. Miami continues to get nothing out of Terron Armstead who has the chance to play Sunday, Rob Hunt is still battling his hamstring injury and will miss this week, and Connor Williams is done for the year. Meanwhile the Jets offensive line is still awful and just as banged up, if not worse, as Miami's is.
DL/EDGE: Jets
- The Dolphins defensive line really got after Will Levis last week but they consistently failed to bring Levis down outside of one Christian Wilkins sack whereas the Jets defensive front got 5 sacks on the Texans last week. Now both units have to play banged up offensive lines and after watching Miami's offensive line Monday night, I am scared you know what less.
LB: Jets
- The Jets already have one of, if not the best, linebacking duos in the league with CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams so when you compare them to the Dolphins who will be without Jerome Baker, clear advantage for the Jets.
CB: Jets
- Last time Miami played the Jets they were able to cook Sauce Gardner a bit but DJ Reed still made a lot of plays. Now Miami is coming off a game where the secondary got shredded by a rookie QB and Xavien Howard looked awful. The Jets corners played perhaps their best game of the season last week so I will give the edge to the Jets. Especially if they don't have to play Tyreek Hill.
S: Jets
- Will Jevon Holland or DeShon Elliott play in this game? At this point I have no idea. Jordan Whitehead has been stellar this year for the Jets and Tony Adams has been okay as of late. But this game comes down to injuries. If Brandon Jones is forced to play, look out because he has really struggled in coverage this season.
Key Story Lines/Keys to Victory
Before we talk about the offense and defense, the weather is going to play a massive role in this game. Current projections have Sunday's game being played in 20-30mph winds with rain. Each team is going to need to run the ball and fortunately, Miami has had success with that whereas the Jets have not.
The key story line offensively for this game is which Miami Dolphins offense is going to show up and how with the Dolphins playing either 3 or 4 backups fair against the Jets defensive front? Will we see the Dolphins offense that ran the ball at will on the Jets and was able to hit deep shots or the one on Monday night that couldn't protect the QB and couldn't execute in the red zone. Big change from the offensive line Miami had the first time they played the Jets. All season long we have said that the Dolphins are their own worst enemies and they continue to let that be the case.
Defensively, which Zach Wilson are you going to get and will you be able to clear up some of the communication issues that plagued this team against the Titans? The Dolphins should be able to shut down the run game after limiting Derrick Henry to only 2.0 yards per carry so it'll come down to the pass defense to stop Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall out of the backfield.
Prediction:
I have to pick Miami to win this game. You can't get embarrassed like you did last week and then come out and lose the game. I think it'll be a defensive struggle, especially because of the weather conditions, and Miami is able to come out on top in the end thanks to a strong day from the Dolphins' running attack.
Dolphins 17 Jets 13