What a bizarre game that was.
The Jets got the job done against the Dolphins in Week 14, downing Miami 21-19 on a Sam Ficken field goal as time expired. The action was far from exhilarating despite the final minutes, but a win is a win.
Let’s take a look back at New York’s fifth win of the season with four takeaways from the game.
Darnold gets it done…sort of
Sam Darnold was not good in the second half. That’s not up for debate. However, despite his underwhelming half of football, he stepped up down the stretch and put the Jets in a position to win.
Darnold’s pitch and catch to Vyncint Smith essentially set up Sam Ficken’s game-winning field goal. The Jets got bailed out by the referees deciding to review defensive pass interference after their drive started going backward, but Darnold got them into Miami territory in the first place, nonetheless. That deserves some sort of acknowledgment.
Adjustments abundantly clear
When the Jets played against the Dolphins in October, their defense got shredded by one of the worst offenses in the league. Gregg Williams knew that kind of performance would be unacceptable the second time around and made the necessary adjustments to stifle a Miami offense that has gotten hot recently.
Tight end Mike Gesicki, who killed the Jets for six receptions and 95 yards earlier this season, was limited to only one catch for six yards. The Dolphins’ rushing attack was essentially non-existent, as Ryan Fitzpatrick led the team in rushing yards.
Considering how depleted New York’s defense was entering Week 14, Williams deserves a good amount of praise for his defense’s performance against Miami. It wasn’t anything special, but it was an encouraging showing that proved this defense can operate on a high level when everything comes together.
The offensive line comes to play
One week after spending an entire afternoon under duress, Sam Darnold had a clean pocket to operate in for four quarters against the Dolphins.
Miami only got to Darnold once and recorded a mere three quarterback hits. To put the offensive line’s performance in perspective, the Dolphins sacked Darnold three times in Miami earlier this season. The lone sack the Jets offensive line gave up almost cost them the game, but overall, the unit played exceptionally well.
Darnold didn’t light up the Dolphins secondary despite having a good amount of time to scan the defense, but New York’s offensive line deserves credit for keeping its quarterback clean for most of the afternoon.
Robby Anderson’s hot streak continues
Anderson continued his hot streak against the Dolphins, hauling in seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter.
The Temple product has caught a touchdown pass in three of his last four games and has stepped up to provide Sam Darnold with a legitimate weapon to throw to on the outside.
When Anderson is on his A-game, New York’s passing attack operates at a different level. It’s hard to imagine where the Jets’ offense would be without him at this point.
