Holland, Dolphins Overwhelm Jets
The Miami Dolphins dominated the New York Jets pretty much from start to finish on Black Friday, but it was a highlight play that Jevon Holland that ended whatever suspense there might have been.
Holland's 99-yard zigzagging interception return for a touchdown on a Hail Mary on the final play of the first half extended the Dolphins lead to 17-6 and in reality sealed the outcome for Miami.
The final score was 34-13 in a game statistically dominated by the Dolphins.
Before he left the game, Phillips had a sack along with a pass batted at the line of
But things got tight at the end of the first half after Jets cornerback Brandin Echols returned a Tua Tagovailoa interception 30 yards for a touchdown that made it a 10-6 score with 58 seconds left in the second quartter after the Jets missed the extra point.
The Jets got a second interception with 2 seconds left, this one by D.J. Reed, and new Jets starter Tim Boyle then launched a Hail Mary that fell short of Jets receivers and allowed Holland to make an uncontested interception.
The victory was marred by the injury to outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, who had another great performance until he was carted off the field midway through the fourth quarter what looked eerily like an Achilles injury.
DOLPHINS OVERWHELM JETS
The game, though, was a showcase for just how much better the Dolphins are than the Jets at this time.
While the Dolphins converted third-down situations at a better than 60 percent clip, the Jets didn't get a conversion until the fourth quarter, which also was the first time their offense took a snap in Miami territory.
Jaylen Waddle (114) and Tyreek Hill (102) each topped 100 receiving yards for the Dolphins, who improved to 8-3 on the season.
Hill scored the Dolphins' first touchdown in the first half after he dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone on an earlier drive and Raheem Mostert scored on runs of 13 and 34 yards in the fourth quarter.
Jason Sanders hit field goal goals of 38 and 54 yards to account for the rest of the scoring.
The defense contributed seven sacks, including two by Christian Wilkins, and two interceptions, with Jerome Baker picking off Boyle in the fourth quarter after Xavien Howard tipped a pass intended for running back Breece Hall.
Along with Phillips, the Dolphins also lost tackle Terron Armstead in the second half with what was described as a calf injury. The left tackle had come into the game nursing a knee injury that had him listed as questionable on the final injury report.
After Austin Jackson was ejected for his part in a skirmish early in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins ended the game with Kendall Lamm and Kion Smith as their tackles.
After the Holland interception, the Dolphins added Sanders' second field goal and the Mostert touchdown, which capped a 92-yard drive that took up 9:03 of the third and fourth quarters.
By that time, the outcome long was sealed.
This overall wasn't a work of art for the Dolphins, who in addition to the two interceptions lost a fumble in the fourth quarter after a botched exchange between Tua and running back Darrynton Evans, who was elevated from the practice squad Thursday.
That turnover led to the Jets' only offensive touchdown of the game, a 1-yard pass from Boyle to Garrett Wilson.
The Dolphins recovered the ensuing onside kick and Mostert ran the ball four straight times for 46 yards to give him 94 yards for the game.
