The Miami Dolphins worked through many mistakes and came away with a 31-24 win over the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 15.
Miami played one of the worst halves of football that they have all year in the first half of this game. They were sloppy and slow to start, almost as if they were still relaxing on their bye week.
Fans were holding their breath nearly every time Tua Tagovailoa threw the ball because it was being tipped up in the air on most attempts. He finished the day with two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The pick-six was a clear example of Tagovailoa staring down his target, Hunter Long, and the defensive back was able to read his eyes and break on the ball.
Like the offense, the defense was slow to start, giving up 17 points in the first half. They couldn’t stop Tevin Coleman or Michael Carter when they were running the ball, and Zach Wilson looked like a Hall of Famer with how many easy completions he was getting.
Luckily, they stepped up in the second half, shutting out the Jets’ offense by bringing back the pressure that they weren’t using early. Wilson and others made some incredibly athletic plays at times, but there were way more positive plays for Miami’s defense.
In total, they brought Wilson down six times and held them out of the end zone in the second half.
The last thing that needs to be mentioned is the running game. Duke Johnson carried the ball 22 for 107 and two touchdowns. He ran hard and was breaking tackles left and right. Even Myles Gaskin came in and rushed for 54 yards on 10 carries.
It was against a poor Jets team, but Johnson deserves opportunities going forward. If they can put together a duo of Johnson and Phillip Lindsay down the stretch, the group could be in good hands.
The game was too close for comfort, but a win is a win, and the Dolphins have now won six games in a row.
