Advertisement

Dolphins vs. Jets: 4 things to know about Miami before Week 12

tyler greenawalt
·4 min read

The last time the Jets faced the Dolphins, they were shut out 24-0 and looked the worst they have all season. That game signaled a deviation between the two squads, one that sent the Jets further down the winless road on their way to possible 0-16 season, while the Dolphins went on to win three of their next four games, build a nice 6-4 record and contend for a playoff berth.

As the teams meet again, not much has changed (except, potentially, the quarterbacks). Tua Tagovailoa will start for the Dolphins after a late-game benching last week, while Joe Flacco could earn his third consecutive start if Sam Darnold’s shoulder isn’t fully healed. While the Jets’ offense looks much improved since that Week 6 loss, they haven’t been able to pull off wins.

They’ll try to change that this Sunday. In the meantime, here are four things to know about the Jets’ Week 12 match with the Dolphins.

Tua will start

(Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Tagovailoa saw his first NFL action at the end of the Jets’ Week 6 loss to the Dolphins and went on a nice three-game win streak as the starting quarterback before coach Brian Flores benched him at the end of Miami’s Week 11 loss. Flores confirmed Tagovailoa would retake his starting job for Week 12, but it paints a shaky picture of the Dolphins’ quarterback situation. Tagovailoa hasn’t blown teams way with his play, but he’s been serviceable. He’s completed 61.9 percent of his passes and averaged just 148.25 passing yards on 23.75 attempts over his four starts with six passing touchdowns He is 3-1, though, with the lone loss coming last week. The Broncos and Cardinals provided the best blueprint for stopping Tagovailoa: pressure. The Broncos sacked Tagovailoa six times in their win, while the Cardinals sacked him three times in a close loss.

Running back roulette

(Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

There are a bevy of running backs the Jets could go up against in Week 12. Undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed led the Dolphins backfield the past two weeks with 33 rushes for 128 yards and a touchdown, but original starter Myles Gaskin is eligible to return from injured reserve and Matt Breida could play a role, too. Patrick Laird and DeAndre Washington could also see action. The Jets have been up and down against the run this season, but only allowed 29 total yards to the Chargers last week. The Dolphins don’t boast a potent rushing offense, but Ahmed and Gaskin have played well despite their inexperience and could pose problems for the Jets, especially as pass-catchers.

Dolphins have forced a turnover in every game

(Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports)

The Jets will need to play mistake-free football against the Dolphins’ defense. Not only has Miami forced at least one turnover every game this season, but it is also tied for third in the league with 17 total takeaways and cornerback Xavien Howard leads the NFL with six interceptions himself. Miami is an opportunistic defense the Jets can ill-afford to feed. Flores’ squad finds was to force takeaways, and it’s helped them build a 6-4 record heading into Week 12. They’ve picked the ball off nine times and recovered eight fumbles. Regardless of how the offense plays, it’s the defense the Jets should fear.

Dolphins don’t allow passing touchdowns

(Jenna Watson-IndyStar-Imagn Content Services, LLC)

The Jets have five passing touchdowns in their past two games but will face a Dolphins secondary that’s allowed the third-fewest touchdowns through the air this season – 13 – or about 1.3 per game. Miami can thank Howard and Byron Jones for that – they’ve been one of the best tandems in the league and the secondary as a whole has allowed just five individual 100-yard performances this season. Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims will have their work cut out for them, as well as whoever lines up under center. It could be tough sledding for the Jets' offense if their passing game is stifled. La’Mical Perine landed on injured reserve and Frank Gore has plodded to a 44.7 yards per game average. The Jets have faired well passing the ball but will likely struggle this week.