Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets: Full Report Card Grades for New York
The New York Jets played like a playoff-caliber team for three quarters but ultimately were doomed by late mistakes in a disheartening loss to the Miami Dolphins Monday night.
The Jets came in with the game plan that led them to two conference championship games in the first two years of the Rex Ryan era, as they ran the ball a staggering amount and played stingy defense.
Gang Green controlled the game for most of the night and played inspired, tough football against a good opponent.
However, there are no moral victories in the NFL, especially for teams with just two wins.
Click through for grades for each of New York's positional units in the 16-13 defeat.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Geno Smith wasn't asked to do much on Monday night.
Check that—he wasn't asked to do anything for 58 minutes of the game.
The Jets ran the ball 49 of their first 58 offensive plays, and Smith had only attempted eight passes prior to the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter.
Down a field goal in the waning minutes, New York had to finally air it out, and it resulted in an interception on a forced throw by Smith.
New York's coaches obviously thought running the ball was an effective strategy, but they showed no faith in Smith whatsoever.
The second-year signal caller didn't do much to inspire confidence, however, and his failed drive at the game's finale will be remembered.
Grade: D
Running Back
2 of 10
Wow.
Now that was impressive. The Jets ran the ball and then ran it some more, mostly with Chris Johnson and Chris Ivory.
Ivory was decent, rushing 16 times for 62 yards. He picked up some tough yardage, but Miami's defensive front did a nice job of containing him.
Johnson, however, was phenomenal. The former Pro Bowler had his best game as a Jet, flashing the insane speed and cutting ability that made him a star in Tennessee.
He was responsible for several big runs and topped the century mark for the first time this year on just 17 carries.
Ivory has faded down the stretch as his body has worn down from his ferocious running style, but Johnson has sprung back to life in recent weeks.
Grade: A-
Wide Receiver/Tight End
3 of 10
The receiving corps only caught five passes and was only targeted on 10 occasions.
However, it managed to make an impact elsewhere.
Jeremy Kerley took two carries for 38 yards, and Percy Harvin managed 27 yards on six carries.
Greg Salas was also responsible for the team's only touchdown, taking a reverse handoff 20 yards to the house before leaving the game with an injury.
The receiving corps did nothing through the air but still used its speed and dynamic ability to be effective.
The blocking by the wideouts was also terrific throughout the night, as they freed up holes in the secondary for the runners.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It was a tale of two sides for the offensive line.
In the running game, it was unbelievable. The line got consistent and dominant push against Miami's front seven, opening up huge rushing lanes for New York's backs.
Nick Mangold was fantastic, and the guards picked up their play from last week.
The offensive line was one of the main reasons Gang Green was so effective on the ground (277 rushing yards, 5.7 yards per carry).
However, the unit showed little resistance to Miami's pass-rushers when Geno Smith dropped back.
The tackles were dominated by the Dolphins' outside rush, and Smith wasn't given any time to scan the field, especially in the final two minutes.
Nonetheless, the line still played much better than expected.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line, playing without Muhammad Wilkerson, was still mainly solid.
The Dolphins were unable to build a consistent running game throughout the game, as they finished with 74 rushing yards and a long run of just 13 yards.
Tannehill also faced pressure from the defensive front, especially in the first half.
He was sacked twice and hit another six times. One of those sacks and four of those hits were credited to the line, as Quinton Coples filled in for Wilkerson admirably and Kenrick Elllis finally broke his four-year-long sack drought.
However, the line wasn't able to get to Tannehill consistently late, especially on the Dolphins' go-ahead drive.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 10
The linebacker corps didn't play poorly, as it contributed nicely in both run-stopping and coverage situations.
Veteran David Harris was the standout, recording a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
Demario Davis unsurprisingly ended the game second on the defense with eight tackles.
Despite New York's awful season, Harris and Davis have formed a terrific inside linebacker duo, as they have made plays all over the field all season long.
Jason Babin and Nick Bellore were also surprise contributors, even though the middle of the defense failed to provide much of a pass rush.
Calvin Pace, however, was responsible for a horrendous drop on what should have been an easy interception at the end of the first half. The Dolphins ended up kicking a field goal on the drive, which was ultimately the difference in the game.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
The secondary put together one of its best performances of the season on Monday night against a Dolphins passing attack that came into the game on a hot streak.
The unit limited Tannehill to just 6.7 yards per pass attempt and didn't allow him to throw for a single touchdown.
The defensive backs did a great job of tackling in the open field and preventing big yardage after the catch, especially to speedster Mike Wallace.
Darrin Walls also came up with a huge interception in Jets territory following a deflection off Lamar Miller. The back end of the defense has now made more big plays in the last three games than it did in the first nine combined.
The secondary did allow Miami to march down the field multiple times, including for the game-winning score, but it held the Dolphins out of the end zone for most of the night.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
8 of 10
The special teams were bad last week and an absolute disaster this week.
Nick Folk missed two field goals from within 50 yards. Ryan Quigley averaged just 27.3 yards per punt, and one of his attempts was blocked. The unit committed multiple penalties.
To put it simply, the special teams probably cost New York this game.
The unit was mistake-prone and careless, and it didn't show up when the other two units did.
People who don't see the importance of special teams should see the footage from this game.
Grade: F
Coaching
9 of 10
Last week, the Jets were unprepared, sloppy and embarrassing despite having two weeks off.
This week, the team played hard-nosed, tough football for the majority of the night.
Rex Ryan and Co. came in with the strategy of ground-and-pound and stuck with it throughout the game.
It worked, at least for three quarters, as the running game sliced through Miami's front seven and the defense played smart and avoided mistakes.
Marty Mornhinweg did a fantastic job of mixing up runs and getting his speedy receivers involved with reverse handoffs, even though he was undoubtedly too conservative at times.
Gang Green played the game about as careful as a team can, and that was due to the coaching staff's strategy. However, it ended up backfiring, as the passing attack couldn't wake up from hibernation in the final minutes.
Grade: B+
Cumulative Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| QB | D |
| RB | A- |
| WR/TE | B+ |
| OL | B |
| DL | B |
| LB | B- |
| Secondary | B+ |
| Special Teams | F |
| Coaching | B+ |
Cumulative Grade: B-
The Jets should have won this game.
They outplayed the Dolphins for three-and-a-half quarters, controlling the pace of the game with the rushing attack and unbreakable defense.
However, mistakes and missed opportunities continued to plague the team and ultimately cost New York a victory.
The offense was stalled inside the Dolphins 30-yard line on too many occasions, and mishaps by the special teams only added to the scoring difficulties.
In the end, Miami made the plays it needed to, and the Jets didn't.
So Gang Green fans must settle for another hard-fought, one-score loss to a good opponent.
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