The Miami Dolphins enter Week 14 of the NFL season fresh off a stunning 37-31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium and now hit the road for two consecutive games in the cold, blustery confines of MetLife Stadium in northern New Jersey. First up for the Dolphins? A familiar face in Adam Gase and the New York Jets. The Jets currently sit at 4-8 on the season and Brian Flores’ Dolphins have already logged one win over New York so far in 2019.
Could another be in store? Here are three bold predictions for Miami’s second crack at the Jets this season.
Sam Darnold plays his best game vs the Dolphins
Darnold’s career against the Dolphins has been pretty underwhelming. For all of his promising flashes as a young quarterback, Darnold is 0-3 in his career against Miami while throwing two touchdowns to seven interceptions in those three games. Darnold won’t have a high bar to cross here, but he’s played well in recent weeks and Miami’s barren secondary should provide him opportunities to attack in the passing game.
Darnold’s best game to date against Miami? His most recent one. He passed for 260 yards and one touchdown while completing 69% of his passes.
The Dolphins log a season high in rushing yards
Perhaps this is wishful thinking. But the Dolphins should be able to keep this contest in striking distance all game, which will prevent the team from abandoning the run and passing on every play. That, paired with the absence of Kalen Ballage in the Dolphins backfield, will add up to a better rushing effort for Miami that what the team has shown in recent weeks.
The team has rushed for 100 yards as collective unit once this season, against the Bills in Week 7 (109 yards). Ryan Fitzpatrick, Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin combine to push that mark this week against the Jets.
The Dolphins sweep the season series
The Dolphins going on the road and sweeping the series from the Jets would be about as demoralizing a turn of events as you could possibly scheme up for former head coach Adam Gase.
We’re here for it. Gase had Jets fans feeling optimistic after three straight wins — but the Jets laid an egg against the Bengals this past weekend, a reminder that these Jets are an erratic, unpredictable bunch. Miami is a constant presence each week: they’re scrappy underdogs who play hard and are motivated by proving people wrong. They’ll have plenty to play for this weekend.
