The Five Biggest Storylines for the Dolphins-Jets Rematch
The Miami Dolphins will look to get back to their winning ways when they complete their season series with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
The Dolphins are 6-4 but saw their five-game winning streak with their 20-13 loss against the Denver Broncos in Week 11; the Jets are 0-10 and coming off a 34-28 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here are the five biggest storylines for the game:
Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will be back as the starting quarterback with Tua Tagovailoa made inactive because of the thumb injury he sustained in practice Wednesday. It will be Fitzpatrick's first start since Oct. 18 against, ironically, those same New York Jets when he threw three touchdown passes in a 24-0 Dolphins victory. Fitzpatrick did throw two interceptions that day, including one near the Jets goal line when he tried to force a pass to tight end Mike Gesicki. Given Fitzpatrick's more aggressive nature as well as the situation at running back (see number 3), expect the Dolphins to open up on offense in this game. Fitzpatrick in the lineup also means likely more productive days for DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki.
2. Defending Darnold
The Jets also are making a change at quarterback, with starter Sam Darnold returning from a two-game absence because of a shoulder injury. Veteran Joe Flacco started at quarterback for the Jets when they played at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 6. This will be Darnold's fifth career game against the Dolphins. Darnold is 1-3 against Miami with four touchdown passes, eight interceptions and 11 sacks.
3. Running Low on Running Backs
The Dolphins' two most impressive running backs this season have been former University of Washington teammates Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed, but neither will play against the Jets. Ahmed is out with a shoulder injury, while Gaskin remains on injured reserve despite returning to practice this week. That means the running back duties against the Jets figure to be split among Patrick Laird, Matt Breida and DeAndre Washington, and there's no clear favorite as to who will get the bulk of the playing time in this game.
4. Will Wilkins' Return Make a Big Difference?
The Dolphins defense is coming off a disappointing performance against Denver, especially against the run, though it was a second consecutive game without starting defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. He's back from the Reserve/COVID-19 list with the same energy he's always brought, but more importantly will help the defensive tackle rotation. Perhaps more importantly, the Dolphins are not facing a running game nearly as efficient as that of the Broncos with running backs Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon.
The Dolphins are 6.5- or 7-point favorites depending on where you look, which means they're clearly seen as a better team than the Jets, which is not surprising considering the Jets are 0-10. But New York has been competitive in its past two games, losing on a last-second field goal against New England and mounting an impressive comeback effort that came up just short against the Chargers. So the Dolphins aren't about to overlook the Jets, particularly given their current 10-game road losing streak against teams coming in with a losing record. What's more damning about the streak is that in seven of those games, the Dolphins had a better record coming into the game. But the difference in the number of wins between the Dolphins and their opponent during this streak has never been higher than three before now — and that was last week when the 3-6 Broncos defeated the 6-3 Dolphins. Now would be a good time to end that streak.
