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Dolphins-Jets Week 12 Highlights and Lowlights

Breaking down the big plays and bad plays for the Miami Dolphins in their 20-3 victory against the New York Jets in Week 12
Dolphins-Jets Week 12 Highlights and Lowlights
Dolphins-Jets Week 12 Highlights and Lowlights

A look at the highlights and lowlights for the Miami Dolphins in their 20-3 victory against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

HIGHLIGHTS

FIRST HALF

-- LB Andrew Van Ginkel got around the corner and forced a holding penalty on Jets tight end Ryan Griffin.

-- Safety Brandon Jones came through an opening in the middle of the offensive line to sack Darnold and force the Jets to settle for a field goal on their opening drive.

-- Matt Breida, starting at running back, converted a third-and-1 on the Dolphins' opening drive with a 4-yard run.

-- The Dolphins stopped the Jets' second drive with a third-down incompletion when Xavien Howard had tight coverage against Jamison Crowder down the right sideline.

-- Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a nifty 22-yard completion to Mike Gesicki to convert a third-and-2 on the Dolphins' second drive.

-- Jason Sanders nailed his NFL-best seventh field goal of 50 yards or longer, this one from 54 yards, to tie the score 3-3.

-- Xavien Howard did a nice job of shoving rookie Denzel Mims out of bounds after he jumped to catch a third-down pass, making it an incompletion.

-- Fitzpatrick was on the money on a slant to DeVante Parker for an 11-yard gain.

-- New running back DeAndre Washington had two consecutive receptions for a first down.

-- The Dolphins sure looked like they caught a break on a 19-yard reception by Parker when it clearly looked as though he never completed the catch before the ball was knocked loose. The initial ruling of the completion was upheld after a Jets challenge, though CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore said he would have ruled it an incomplete pass.

-- Fitzpatrick did a great job of throwing Parker open with a back-shoulder throw on the next play.

-- Fitzpatrick finished off the drive with his 13-yard touchdown pass to Gesicki, who high-pointed a jump ball in the end zone.

-- The Dolphins ran a beautiful screen to Breida, who took advantage of some good blocking for a 13-yard gain.

-- Sanders' second field goal, from 51 yards out, was right down the middle as he continues his remarkable season.

-- The Dolphins caught a break when Jets kicker Sergio Castillo missed a chip-shot 29-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half.

SECOND HALF

-- Zach Sieler closed off a hole very quickly stop Josh Adams after a 1-yard run.

-- Howard had such good coverage on a deep pass to rookie Denzel Mims that Mims climbed over him and was flagged for offensive pass interference.

-- Nik Needham stopped the Jets' first drive of the second half when he picked off Sam Darnold after the Jets quarterback had rolled out to his right.

-- Fitzpatrick threw to a spot and Parker caught the pass and turned into a 25-yard gain.

-- Linebacker Jerome Baker dropped Jets running back Ty Johnson after 1-yard gain on a third-and-4 in the third quarter, though Baker was injured on the play.

-- Breida had a 12-yard run on a draw play, running through a big opening up the middle.

-- Kyle Van Noy and Raekwon Davis teamed to sack Darnold on the first play of the fourth quarter.

-- That was some play by linebacker Elandon Roberts to shoot through the gap and stick Frank Gore to drop him for a loss on a fourth-and-1 on the third play of the fourth quarter.

-- Roberts later teamed with fellow linebacker Jerome Baker to drop Darnold for a sack on first down.

-- DeAndre Washington showed a nice burst on his 16-yard run.

-- For the second consecutive week, Howard made a nice catch to come up with an interception. As he's done so often, he undercut Breshad Perriman's route to get his seventh pick on the season.

LOWLIGHTS

FIRST HALF

-- On Sam Darnold's first pass attempt, the Jets pick up the Dolphins' twists up front and that allows him to make an easy completion to Jamison Crowder for a 16-yard gain.

-- The Dolphins allowed the Jets to convert a third-and-9 with a 36-yard completion from Darnold to Breshad Perriman, who got behind the secondary in what appeared to be zone coverage.

-- Rookie Robert Hunt, getting the start at right tackle with Solomon Kindley out with a foot injury, committed a false start on the Dolphins' first offensive snap.

-- The Dolphins appeared ready to go for a first down on fourth-and-2 from the Jets 38 on their first drive but were called for too many men on the field.

-- Gesicki appeared to lose the ball in the sun on a third-down incompletion.

-- Xavien Howard gave up a 19-yard completion to Jets rookie Denzel Mims when he allowed inside position and Mims went up to catch a nice pass by Darnold.

-- The officials missed a clear roughing-the-passer penalty on Jets linebacker Tarrell Basham when he hit Fitzpatrick at the knees after the ball was thrown.

-- The Dolphins gave up a 30-yard completion to Mims on a third-and-9 from the Jets 8 when Mims got behind Emmanuel Ogbah, who had dropped in coverage.

-- The Dolphins allowed Darnold to scramble up the middle 4 yards to convert a third-down situation right before the two-minute warning.

-- The Dolphins gave up runs of 14 and 17 yards to Gore on the Jets' last drive of the first half.

SECOND HALF

-- Fitzpatrick was sacked on the second offensive play of the half.

-- Byron Jones had great coverage on Breshad Perriman down the left sideline but let Perriman make the adjustment to make a 27-yard catch.

-- The Dolphins failed to pick up a twist up front by the Jets and that allowed former Miami linebacker Neville Hewitt to come in free and sack Fitzpatrick to end a third-quarter drive.

-- With the Dolphins in full control of the game, Breida gave the Jets some life when he fumbled at the Miami 45-yard line late in the third quarter.

-- Patrick Laird followed Breida's touchdown when linebacker Jordan Jenkins punched the ball out of his hands late in the

-- Guard Ereck Flowers negated a nice run by Washington when he was flagged for holding in the fourth quarter.


Published
Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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