Instant takeaways as Tua Tagovailoa, Raheem Mostert, Dolphins cruise past Jets

MIAMI GARDENS — Tyreek Hill couldn’t go.

But Jaylen Waddle, Tua Tagovailoa and Raheem Mostert could. So too the Dolphins’ defense, which made sure the New York Jets weren’t going anywhere.

Put it together and the Dolphins bounced back from their Monday night collapse by coasting past the New York Jets 30-0 Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.

It was the Dolphins' first shutout since 2020, a 24-0 win over the Jets.

Although Hill looked like he might play while warming up, he was inactive for the first time as a Dolphin because of an ankle injury suffered against the Titans, putting the onus on Tagovailoa to get the ball to Waddle early and often.

They combined eight times for 142 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown. Mostert added two short rushing touchdowns as the Dolphins took what surely was an insurmountable 24-0 lead into halftime.

Why insurmountable? The Jets managed just 4 yards in the first half even though Miami’s secondary was without injured starters Xavien Howard, Jevon Holland and DeShon Elliott. Only starting cornerback Jalen Ramsey played.

The Jets finished with 103 yards. The Dolphins’ record for fewest yards allowed in a game was 76 to Buffalo in 1973.

Mostert’s scoring runs covered 2 yards and 1 yard to raise his touchdown totals to 18 rushing and 20 total. With that, Mostert broke the franchise records of 16 rushing TDs (Ricky Williams, 2002) and 18 total TDs (Mark Clayton, 1984).

And Tagovailoa could hardly miss all day, finishing 21-of-24 for 224 yards.

The Dolphins are 10-4 for the first time since 2000. Miami is 18-3 in its past 21 home games, the best such stretch since 1986.

The Dolphins also have won eight straight at home against the Jets (5-9) and surely ended any talk of quarterback Aaron Rodgers rushing to come back from an Achilles injury suffered in the season-opener.

Now, of course, things turn serious for the Dolphins. They close out the regular season aiming for the No. 1 seed in the AFC but must face three teams with playoff hopes: vs. Dallas, at Baltimore, vs. Buffalo.Here are the Takeaways from Sunday's rout:

More: Miami Dolphins pummeling New York Jets without Tyreek Hill | Live updates

Tyreek Hill makes an unselfish decision …

If the Dolphins did indeed let Hill decide whether he could go because of his ankle, he made an unselfish decision to sit this one out.

Hill has made no secret he’s aiming to become the first receiver to break the 2,000-yard barrier, but having him healthy for the stretch run is far more important.

And now, he has fallen off the pace.

Hill has 1,542 yards in 13 games played. That’s an average of 118.61 yards per game. At his current pace, he’d finish with 1,897.6 yards, having played 16 of the 17 regular-season games.

Can he make up lost ground? It won’t be easy.

Hill will need 458 yards in the three remaining games. That’s an average of 152.6 yards, a total he has hit five times this season.

… But have no fear, Jaylen Waddle is here

Waddle has spent time in Hill’s shadow, which would happen to anybody on a team with the Cheetah. But with Hill out Sunday, that wasn’t an option.

Things looked shaky when Waddle landed hard on the fourth play of the game. He spent time in the blue tent and was questionable to return. The Jets wished he hadn’t.

With the Dolphins up 10-0 but their offense sputtering, Waddle and Tagovailoa provided a jolt of caffeine.

Waddle blew past cornerback D.J. Reed, who was slipping on the turf, and Tagovailoa hit him in stride for your basic one-play, 60-yard touchdown drive.

Waddle now seems certain to become the first player in Dolphins history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

Waddle needs just 36 yards in the final three games to accomplish the feat.

Defense bounces back with authority

After giving up those two late touchdowns in the collapse against Tennessee on Monday night, Miami’s defense needed a bounce-back performance.

And who better to do it against than the Jets and their 32nd-ranked offense?

Vic Fangio’s defense flexed its muscle on the first Jets series. On a first-and-10 from the Jets’ 24, Bradley Chubb and Christian Wilkins combined to sack reigning player of the week Zach Wilson. Chubb also separated Wilson from the ball before the play was blown dead, allowing a wide-eyed Zach Sieler to nearly record his second touchdown in six days. Sieler had to settle for a fumble recovery on the 1 to set up Mostert’s first touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.

Bradley Chubb keeps thinking the football is his

Chubb, counted on even more with Jaelan Phillips out with an Achilles injury, had three sacks, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to continue his recent hot streak.

Chubb, acquired in a deal that sent a first-round pick to Denver in November 2022, leads the team with 9.5 sacks.

He entered the game with four forced fumbles, third-most in the league. Chubb also had a streak of four games with a sack earlier this season, has a QB hit in all but two games and seems well on his way to his third Pro Bowl selection.

This and that …

Nice heads-up by Raekwon Davis and Wilkins to stuff the Jets’ fake punt, dropping ballcarrier Ashtyn Davis for a 1-yard loss. … Robbie Chosen doesn’t seem to get how this offensive offside thing works. He was called for that in the first quarter, but only after signaling to the official that he was onside, then turning away. Sorry, Robbie, but when you look at the official, it’s a question, not a declaration. Had Chosen maintained eye contact with the official, he would have avoided the penalty. Having said that, how did we go decades, it seems, without hearing a referee call an offensive offside penalty? And now it’s an apparent point of emphasis? … Wilson didn't even make it to halftime. He was replaced by Trevor Siemian. Wilson missed the rest of the game because of a concussion. He finished 4-of-11 for 26 yards. He was sacked four times. ... Brandon Jones, filling in at safety, had two interceptions.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Instant takeaways as Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins cruise past Jets