Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets: Full New York Game Preview
It's do-or-die time for the New York Jets. The slack that was there for the team to lose a game or two after starting the season 4-1 is gone. At 5-5, and with the schedule just getting harder down the stretch, New York is in a position where another loss may end the team's playoff hopes for a fifth consecutive season.
Only a month ago the Jets were a game out of first place, but the team now sits just one up on the Miami Dolphins for last place in the AFC East.
With Miami looking to make a run at their first playoff appearance since 2008, a victory against the Jets this Sunday would go an awful long way.
Then again, there's also the added motivation for Miami to get some payback after being embarrassed by the Jets in London a few weeks back.
So, what's going to happen when the third-placed Jets host the last-placed Dolphins for the final time this season? Here's a preview of what's to come Sunday afternoon.
Date: Sunday, Nov. 29
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: CBS
Week 10 Recap: Houston Texans 24, New York Jets 17
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This was the can't-miss, stone-cold lock of the week. A team like the Jets needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive. A team like Houston starting a quarterback that hadn't begun a game in five years.
The Jets' $73-million defense was supposed to feast, create multiple turnovers and hold the T.J. Yates-led Texans to single-digit points. The Jets offense was supposed to do enough to win the game.
But when the final whistle blew, the Jets were on the losing end for the fourth time in five games, and the Texans were walking off the field with a 24-17 victory.
Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled again, throwing two interceptions including one that sealed the Texans win. Running back Chris Ivory struggled again, running for under 40 yards on eight carries. Receiver Brandon Marshall was a non-factor, Eric Decker didn't catch a pass until the second half and rookie second-round pick Devin Smith dropped a would-be touchdown that could have re-written the game's conclusion.
The Jets defense, which talked before the season of being the NFL's best, made Yates look like a competent quarterback. The former fifth-round pick, who was unemployed just three weeks ago, completed 16-of-34 passes for 229 yards with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions. Wideout DeAndre Hopkins made a mockery of "Revis Island," hauling in five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
It was about as embarrassing a defeat as the Jets have had all year and had most on the team's roster talking of needing to regain their confidence in the days after its conclusion.
AFC East standings
- New England Patriots (10-0)
- Buffalo Bills (5-5)
- New York Jets (5-5)
- Miami Dolphins (4-6)
News and Notes
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Is Darrelle Revis on the decline?
Darrelle Revis is still one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. He still has the ability to limit whoever he goes up against, keep them in check and do most of it locked down in one-on-one coverage.
But Revis is not the same player he used to be. He's still great, but he's not superhuman.
Over the course of the last two weeks, there have been several blemishes uncovered on Revis' previously spotless armor.
Against the Buffalo Bills, wideout Sammy Watkins came inches away from beating Revis for an 80-yard touchdown, and later did beat him on a third-and-two on the game's deciding drive. Against the Houston Texans last week, Revis played what could have been the worst game of his career.
DeAndre Hopkins finished the game with five catches for 118 yards and a touchdown. While 20 yards and one of those touchdowns came when covered by Marcus Williams, Revis was again inches away on an over-throw from giving up an 80-yard score.
The corner simply isn't matching up well anymore with the speedier, more elusive wideouts. They're beating him at the line, and the Jets' refusal to shade safety help his way is beginning to cost them.
Revis is still in the concussion protocol and there's no guarantee he'll play Sunday. If he does, though, he should see an awful lot of Jarvis Landry, who is one of the more elusive wideouts in the NFL.
Revis kept Landry in check when the two teams met in London, but with the way things have been going lately, that may not be the case this week.
Will the Jets really stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick if things go south?
Speaking immediately after the Jets lost to the Texans, coach Todd Bowles wasn't exactly affirmative on whether Ryan Fitzpatrick would continue to be the team's starting quarterback. He said he, and the other coaches, would discuss things on Monday.
On his Monday conference call, he sang a far different tune. Fitzpatrick would remain the team's starter, and there was "not much" serious discussion had to do anything different.
While the decision to start Fitzpatrick is the smart one, further discussing the situation brought up a few additional questions. For example, while Fitzpatrick will start, is his leash a bit shorter? If the quarterback continues to struggle, miss throws and turn the ball over, could third-year pro Geno Smith be brought on in relief?
"No," Bowles said. "[Fitzpatrick] is the starter."
Ever since the Jets' 4-1 start to the season, things have taken a turn for the worse for Fitzpatrick. The 11-year veteran has started to stare down his target, force balls into holes that simply aren't there and the "bad play" column on film reviews is getting far more check marks than the "good play" one.
While Fitzpatrick isn't the only reason for the Jets' present slump, he's certainly a part of it. Look no further than the team's last two losses in which the quarterback tossed the game-deciding interception in each.
It appears as if Bowles is fully willing to ride Fitzpatrick throughout the course of this season, and won't turn to Smith for anything other than injuries. But if the losses keep piling up, will that change?
A New York defeat to Miami would certainly be the deciding factor on whether Fitzpatrick really is New York's starter for the rest of the year.
Are lineup changes coming for the Jets?
For the last three weeks, Bowles has been adamant that he would make no changes to the team's lineup. His starters were his starters, and until something really bad happened, that would remain the case.
It appears as if that loss to the Texans may have been the turning point in Bowles re-thinking his depth chart.
Speaking on Monday, he was asked if he's considering any switches. He didn't say no.
"Yes," Bowles said. "There are always thoughts and we’ll go through the game plan tonight and tomorrow and we’ll see what fits and we’ll just try to make that decision as we go out on Wednesday if we do."
The question now is where exactly those lineup changes will come from. Could veteran outside linebacker Calvin Pace head to the bench so that rookie Lorenzo Mauldin can get more reps? Will the struggling Antonio Cromartie be replaced by cornerback Marcus Williams? Will leader Demario Davis, who has struggled mightily over the last few weeks, be replaced by Erin Henderson?
There are certainly an awful lot of options where Bowles can shake things up, but it's unlikely any will be known at this moment. The coach has never been one to divulge more information than he has to. In fact, the fact he even admitted to making lineup changes is new.
It may take until Sunday at 1 p.m. to see where those changes have been made. But one thing's for certain, they're coming.
Key Matchups
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Dolphins DE Quinton Coples vs. Jets OTs Breno Giacomini, D'Brickashaw Ferguson
Monday afternoon, the Jets made quite the surprising move in releasing 2011 first-round pick Quinton Coples. After seeing his role on the defense diminish over the coming weeks, the team elected to part ways with the outside linebacker.
It wasn't long before Coples found himself a new home. The North Carolina product was plucked off the waiver wire by the Miami Dolphins. In just a matter of days, he'll get his first chance to prove the Jets made a mistake.
Ever since Coples was selected by the Jets, he was viewed as a bit of a square peg trying to be shoved into a round hole. At 6'6" and 290 pounds, Coples was too big and slow to be an outside linebacker in the Jets' 3-4 scheme. He was competent enough to play defensive end, but after the Jets drafted Sheldon Richardson to pair with Muhammad Wilkerson, there was no place for Coples to play.
With the Dolphins, Coples will play defensive end on the team's 4-3 front, a position his physical tools seem to perfectly fit. Also on the defensive side of the ball, Coples can essentially be plugged right in and begin to play. Sure, there's a playbook to learn, but it's nothing like the offensive side of the ball. He's also in shape, having played some part of each of the Jets' 10 games this season.
While Jets defensive end Leger Douzable said there was never any question from inside the team's locker room that Coples' heart was never into football, and coach Todd Bowles said that didn't have to do with his release, that talk is circulating out there. There's no better way to completely put them to rest than to come out and put together an impressive outing on Sunday.
The Dolphins have been searching for a defensive end to pair next to Ndamukong Suh ever since Cameron Wake was lost for the season due to injury. Coples, theoretically, should slide right in. The players that will be tasked with keeping him off quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be Giacomini and Ferguson.
Both Jets' offensive tackles struggled mightily against Houston Texans star J.J. Watt a week ago, and while Coples certainly isn't in the same realm as Watt, it'll be interesting to watch the former Jet go up against his former team just days after his release.
Dolphins DT Ndamukong Suh vs. Jets OG Brian Winters
When the Jets and Dolphins first met a few weeks ago in London, one of the most talked-about story lines entering the game was All-Pro Ndamukong Suh's matchup with guard Brian Winters, who was making his first start of the season.
In his previous NFL outings? Well, they hadn't been kind to the former third-round pick. Just last year, before suffering a season-ending injury, Winters allowed 16 hurries in six starts, per Pro Football Focus. Suh was expected to feast. Instead, Winters played better than any expected.
Suh managed just one quarterback hit and three tackles in a Jets victory. By the second half of the game, the Dolphins were moving him around and away from Winters in an attempt to get him going. The game was arguably the best of the 24-year-old's young career.
Since the two's matchup, Winters was sent back to the bench when Willie Colon returned, but the veteran was put on the season-ending injured reserve a few weeks back. Winters was back in the starting lineup.
After allowing those 16 hurries in six games last year, Winters has allowed just seven in seven games this season. He's been solid, promising and much better than anticipated. But this Sunday will again be one of his toughest tests. It will also offer a chance to show his last battle with Suh wasn't a fluke.
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Matchup X-Factor
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One of the most talked-about reasons for the Jets' steep decline from their promising start has been the struggles of the running game. The man at the forefront of those struggles? Running back Chris Ivory.
Since starting the year on fire and being labeled the "best back in the NFL," Ivory has fallen on difficult sledding.
In Ivory's first four games this season, he ran for 90 yards or more three times. In his last five games, he's run for more than 41 yards just once. Teams have been stacking the box, the line's blocking hasn't been nearly as good, and as a result, Ivory and the Jets offense as a whole have started to sputter.
But if Ivory, who has run for 679 yards and six touchdowns this year, wants to jump-start his 2015 season, the Dolphins may be the perfect opponent.
Back on Oct. 4, Ivory set a career high in rushing yards with 166 yards on 29 carries in New York's first meeting with Miami. The next day, the Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin. Ivory averaged 5.7 yards a carry, scored a touchdown and 110 of those 166 yards came after contact.
But to put those numbers in perspective, Ivory has run for just 178 yards... this month.
With Fitzpatrick in a funk, the Jets may look to their running game to get their offense going. Over the last several weeks, the team has put an emphasis on stretching the field, but hasn't found much success.
It's clear the Jets offense will live and die with the rushing attack. That's what makes getting Ivory going so imperative.
In the Jets' five victories this season, Ivory has averaged 97.2 yards on the ground. In the four losses Ivory has been a part of (he was injured for the team's loss to Philadelphia), he's averaged 48.
The Jets need to get Ivory going. Can they do it versus the team he had a career-day against?
Prediction: Dolphins 27, Jets 17
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The New York Jets are in a funk. The defense is playing about as bad as a defense that talented can play, their quarterback has turned into a turnover machine, their running game is suddenly non-existent and their No. 1 wideout is being triple-teamed on every play.
New York can't get out of its own way. And Sunday won't be the game the Jets get back on track.
While this won't be a blowout, the Dolphins are well aware of how much the Jets embarrassed them on an international stage a few weeks ago. Head coach Dan Campbell has the team playing better ball as of late, the defense is rejuvenated and quarterback Ryan Tannehill has enough weapons to make enough plays to win.
If Jets center Nick Mangold can't go, it's unlikely running back Chris Ivory can get going. If Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis can't go, it's unlikely the Jets can slow Jarvis Landry.
Again, this won't be a blowout, but that's because the Dolphins aren't that great a team. But with the Jets readily admitting they need to find their confidence, and Miami looking for revenge, this has all the makings of a disappointing outing at MetLife that will have the boo-birds flocking about by the second quarter.
After all, if T.J. Yates can drop 24 points on the Jets defense, Tannehill should be able to get at least a field goal more.
Dolphins 27, Jets 17
Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email (Connor_j_hughes@yahoo.com)
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