The Jets will have a chance to put their embarrassing Week 9 loss to the Dolphins behind them when Miami comes to town on Sunday.
New York not only gave the Dolphins their first win of the season that week, but it turned in a performance that made many wonder what was up with Sam Darnold and the direction of the offense. The Jets couldn’t get much going throughout the course of the afternoon and ultimately faltered down the stretch in a loss that certainly stung.
All of that has a chance to become ancient history in Week 14. As long as the Jets focus on these four keys to their offense, they’ll be in good shape.
Avoid past mistakes
When the Jets went down to Miami in October, they simply couldn’t get out of their own way. From turnovers to poor throws and questionable reads by Sam Darnold, New York’s offense found itself stuck in a rut.
There’s no doubt that Adam Gase has been harping on eliminating the mistakes of October in film sessions throughout the week. The Jets’ offense has looked worlds better since that game (even despite last week’s setback against the Bengals), so it’s not unreasonable to assume Darnold can put the past behind him and turn in a solid performance on Sunday.
The Dolphins play hard, but they’re still 3-9 and feature a roster that lacks depth and talent in certain areas. As long as the Jets can shake off what transpired in Week 9, they’ll be able to take advantage of that.
Feed Le’Veon
Le’Veon Bell’s usage has been sporadic over the past couple of weeks, but there’s no reason the Jets shouldn’t hand him the ball early and often against the Dolphins.
Miami’s run defense isn’t exactly up to snuff when it comes to stopping a player of Bell’s caliber for four quarters. Yes, Bell hasn’t had his best season, but he’s still an elite runner who can burn an opposing defense. He took 17 carries for 66 yards against the Dolphins in Week 9, but was seldom featured on the ground in the second half. That has to change this weekend.
At the very least, the Jets need to get Bell touches against Miami. He caught eight passes for 55 yards in the first matchup between the two teams, so expect a heavy dose of New York’s bell-cow back both running and catching the ball in Week 14.
Work Jamison Crowder back into the game plan
Crowder was an integral part of New York’s recent three-game winning streak, serving as Sam Darnold’s favorite target through the air. For whatever reason, he disappeared against the Bengals last weekend.
As Crowder’s production dipped to only two catches for eight yards, New York’s offense struggled. That’s not a coincidence. If Crowder isn’t getting the ball, the Jets’ passing attack isn’t nearly as good.
Crowder had himself a nice game against the Dolphins earlier this season, catching Darnold’s only touchdown pass that game. It would behoove Adam Gase to work his shifty slot receiver back into the gameplan on Sunday.
Get Griffin Going
To say the Dolphins are susceptible to getting beat by opposing tight ends would be somewhat of an understatement.
Miami allowed Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz to combine for nine catches and almost 100 yards last weekend. The Jets don’t boast a dynamic tight end duo like Philadelphia, but Ryan Griffin has proven he is good enough to get the job done all by himself.
Attacking the Dolphins’ secondary as a whole should be a major part of New York’s gameplan on Sunday, but targeting Griffin specifically should be a point of emphasis throughout the game considering Miami’s previous performances against athletic, pass-catching tight ends.
