Miami Dolphins Black Friday Blowout
Black Friday in America is synonymous with chaos and excitement. For the Miami Dolphins, their Black Friday victory against their heated rivals, the New York Jets, had both of these fully in stock. The team was led by their running game and defense, namely Raheem Mostert and Jevon Holland. The 34-13 final score paints a picture of the Fins trampling the Jets en route to their 8th win. However, the final outcome fails to fully encapsulate the absolute absurdity of another ridiculous game in a rivalry chock-full of them.
Jevon Holland Headlines Stout Defense
In recent weeks, the Miami Dolphins have shaped up into a formidable crew under Vic Fangio. While the New York Jets are, for lack of a better term, offensively challenged, that doesn’t dispute just how successful the Dolphins defense was today. The Fins D were like security guards preventing property damage, only allowing a paltry 159 total yards and one offensive TD. 2 interceptions and a monstrous 7 sacks caused the Jets’ offense to never be able to take off. One of these interceptions was a massive shift in momentum. After two costly interceptions by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Jevon Holland intercepted a hail mary off Tim Boyle at the end of the first half. He then proceeded to take the ball all the way back for a touchdown, causing a massive shift in momentum and a 17-6 score at the half.
The momentum shift led to the Dolphins cruising in the second half to a win against their hated rival. However, it did not come without negatives. Star 3rd-year linebacker Jaelan Phillips will miss the rest of the season due to a torn Achilles suffered this week. Much has been said about field conditions, particularly Metlife Stadium’s, so I won’t go too in-depth. This is a huge loss for the Miami Dolphins defense, and one can only hope Phillips has a speedy recovery.
Raheem Mostert Jumpstarts Recently Slow Offense
On the offensive side of the ball, the Miami Dolphins started off with a bit of hiccups in the first half. A dropped pass by star receiver Tyreek Hill in the endzone led to a turnover on downs, with another drive stalling out near the red zone, leading to a field goal. Tua Tagovailoa’s pick-six and second interception at the end of the first half were costly, but in the end, overcome by Jevon Holland’s aforementioned pick-six. The second half was much better, with the Dolphins offense putting together 3 drives that led to scores. Their only other possession ended with a Tagovailoa fumble. The team totaled 395 total yards, with 243 passing and 167 rushing. Questions still remain about Tua’s ball security and considering the past two weeks, he clearly needs to clean up the turnovers if the Dolphins want to compete with the big boys in the AFC.
On the receiving side, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both totaled 100 receiving yards for just the second game of the year. The two looked fantastic against a very formidable Jets secondary. Hill, after his early drop, was automatic the rest of the way. However, the real star on offense in the Miami Dolphins victory was the running backs. Raheem Mostert continued to post career numbers, with 94 rushing yards and 1 touchdown very solid efficiency. Also, recently returned Jeff Wilson Jr. and newly acquired Darrynton Evans provided a spark in the backfield, averaging 5.4 and 8.0 yards per carry respectively.
On to Next Week
Oddly enough, over the past couple of games, the Dolphins winning formula has leaned away from the passing offense and more towards defense and running, a more old-school approach. With the Washington Commanders up next, the Miami Dolphins will look to continue making a playoff push to win the division for the first time in 15 years.
Main Photo Credit: Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
