The Five Biggest Dolphins Stories of Jets Week
Between the pursuit of Le'Veon Bell and the injury situation with Davon Godchaux, it was a busy week for the Dolphins as they prepared to face the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium.
Here's a countdown of the top five stories of the week:
Granted, Zach Sieler revealing on his Zoom media session that he lives in an RV during the regular season doesn't have a lot to do with what happens on the field, but we'll include it here because of how cool it is, first, and also because Sieler is fast becoming a key member of the defense in his first full season with the Dolphins. In fact, he just might be the biggest revelation early in 2020.
Jason Sanders is off to the best start of any kicker in Dolphins history, and his great work was recognized this week when he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Sanders was 5-for-5 each of the past two weeks and is 14-for-14 on the season. Sanders is one of five kickers who are perfect in field goal and extra point attempts so far this season, but none of the other four have made more than nine field goals. Sanders is on a path to becoming the best kicker in Dolphins history.
Maybe the strangest aspect of this game for the Dolphins is the fact they not only are the betting favorites in this game, they're heavy favorites. It's the first time in Brian Flores' tenure that Miami is a favorite, and the 9.5-point line is the biggest with the Dolphins as favorites since they were 10-point favorites in Week 3 of the 2016 season against the Cleveland Browns. So a big story line in this game is how the Dolphins will react against a team they're expected to handle comfortably. Head coach Brian Flores talked early in the week about facing a team coming in with an 0-5 record, and his no-nonsense approach should serve the Dolphins well in this game.
2. Godchaux gone ... at least for a while
In the aftermath of the big victory against the 49ers came the disappointing news that defensive tackle Davon Godchaux had sustained a biceps injury. As a result of the loss, the Dolphins elevated fellow DT Benito Jones from the practice squad for the game against the Jets, and rookie second-round pick Raekwon Davis also figures to play a bigger role. Godchaux is hoping to return late in the 2020 season, though that might be difficult to pull off. In the big picture, one has to wonder whether we've seen the last of Godchaux in a Dolphins uniform considering he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.
Davon Godchaux
Kareem Elgazzar-USA Today Sports
In a sense, this is a story that didn't happen because Le'Veon Bell ended up signing with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Dolphins pursuing a player of that stature is big news regardless. Make no mistake, Bell would have made the Dolphins better simply because he's a more accomplished and more complete back than anybody the team has on its roster at the moment. After we saw the reports of Bell's salary with the Chiefs, it's clear he didn't sign with them for the money but rather for a chance to win a championship and play in that offense. And it also means he didn't use the Dolphins for leverage, which in turn means his interest in Miami — if reports saying they were one of the three finalists are accurate — was genuine. Last point on Bell, if anyone is worried about how the public pursuit of a free agent could affect team chemistry or morale or anything like that, realize that NFL players know this is a business and every team will be looking to improve if they have the chance. If a player is going to wilt because of potential competition being brought in, is that really a player you want on the team in the first place?
