Dolphins Week 12 Opponent Breakdown: New York Jets
The Miami Dolphins will look to move to 8-3 when they face the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in Week 12 in the first-ever Black Friday game.
The Jets, who suffered a crushing blow in their first game of the season when they lost newly acquired Aaron Rodgers to an Achilles injury, will go into the game with a 4-6 record.
To get some answers on five major questions related to the Jets, we turned to Ralph Ventre, publisher of SI Fan Nation sister site Jets Country.
1. What are the chances that new starting QB Tim Boyle can inject some life into the Jets offense?
RV: Slim to none. Even with a good understanding of Nathaniel Hackett's offense, Boyle does not possess the physical tools required to produce at the NFL level. Although he will likely get the ball out in a more timely fashion than Zach Wilson did, Boyle lacks the arm strength of his predecessor and simply can't make every necessary throw. Albeit a thankless situation, Boyle averaged only 2.4 yards per pass in relief of Wilson against the Bills. I think Trevor Siemian is a better option, but he lacks the familiarity with Hackett.
2. How much of the blame for the Jets' offensive failures fell at the feet of Zach Wilson as opposed to the offensive line and maybe other factors??
RV: The cause of the Jets' offensive struggles extends beyond Wilson's performance, but the former No. 2 overall draft pick certainly deserves a healthy portion of the blame. It's hard to absolve someone who ranks near, or at, the bottom of the NFL in nearly every meaningful passing metric. With that said, it is unfair to ask any quarterback to operate behind this injury-decimated, makeshift offensive line. The Jets will likely deploy their eighth different starting offensive line combination Friday. The team has started five different players at right guard and four different right tackles. It also doesn't help that Wilson becomes wildly ineffective when facing even the slightest amount of pressure. Not to be overlooked is the absence of viable weapons around Wilson. Outside of receiver Garrett Wilson and running back Breece Hall, the Jets feature little offensive firepower. Allen Lazard has been a disappointment and Mecole Hardman is already gone. The team dresses three undrafted receivers with less than two years of experience. Running back Dalvin Cook seems a step slower than he did in Minnesota and the Jets have received minimal production from their tight ends.
3. The Jets defense has been pretty good all season before caving in a bit against Buffalo last Sunday; what are the chances it can muster the kind of performance against the Dolphins that could lead to an upset?
RV: There has been so much asked of the defensive players this season and they've delivered for the most part. All four victories have been driven by the defense, but it's only a matter of time before the dam breaks. The offense's inability to score at an adequate level will continue to take its toll. If the Jets pull a stunner Friday, it'll be because of an extraordinary defensive effort. They'll likely need help from a defensive or special teams touchdown to complete the upset.
4. How do you imagine the Jets will try to contain or least limit the damage that Tyreek Hill can do??
RV: The Jets are extremely strong at the boundary cornerback position with Sauce Gardner and DJ Reed. They likely won't assign one particular defender to follow Hill throughout the game, but everything is on the table when dealing with an elite playmaker. It's a near impossible ask for any defensive back to match Hill's world-class speed, so the pass rush will play an important role. Disrupting Tua Tagovailoa's timing and rhythm may be the best way to limit Hill's production.
5. What's your best guess as to how this game will play out?
RV: I don't envision the Jets having much offensive success even with Boyle at the controls. Their ceiling is probably 13-16 points and their ability play from behind is limited at best, so a fast start is key. The Dolphins shouldn't expect to put up a 70 burger Friday, but a double-digit victory is more than attainable. Dolphins 30, Jets 9.
