One final go of it for the New York Jets this afternoon. The team finishes their once-promising season in Miami against a Dolphins team with the playoffs still at stake.
Going into this matchup, the Jets are 7-9 on a five-game losing streak. They have also happened to lose six out of their last seven games. Another loss today only adds to their horrendous play down the stretch of this year.
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New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins Preview:
The Jets will have Joe Flacco starting his fourth game of the season today. For the 15-year veteran and Super Bowl champion, it could possibly be the final start of his accomplished career.
Unfortunately, up front, the Jets enter this one completely banged up. Connor McGovern and Laken Tomlinson are the only two starters the Jets will have along their offensive line.
At the skill positions, it would be nice to see Garrett Wilson prioritized to only build on his chances of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year. The first-year wide receiver enters this one with 74 catches and 1,014 yards, a special start to his young career.
On defense, the Jets enter this matchup ranked as the third-best unit in football (311.6 yards per game). Hopefully, they do enough to remain within at least the top five to finish 2022.
The unit also ranks second in pass defense (192.5 yards per game) and fourth in scoring (19.1 points per game). It would be tremendous if they could finish in the top five of all these three key categories.
Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner should end the year strongly. The two have been nothing short of special for the Jets all year and deserve tons of credit for their play.
The Jets do have some young players deserving of more playing time as a greater role either will be or could be had in 2023. A few of those are Jermaine Johnson, Jamien Sherwood, Tony Adams, Jeremy Ruckert, and Denzel Mims. Ideally, these five, along with some other younger Jets, get more opportunities to prove themselves in a game that does not count for much today.
We will get to find out a lot about Robert Saleh and the Jets today. Will they lie down and quit? Essentially, play the same non-competitive ball like the last two weeks? Or, regardless of whether they win or lose, will they battle and fight until the very end?
Some points to key in on are will the Jets’ ground game be committed to for four full quarters? That also ties into two other problems, staying ahead of schedule from a down-and-distance standpoint and the time of possession struggles they have had all year. Will the Jets’ run defense execute better? Also, can the special teams make fewer mistakes?
In the end, the Jets will likely lose this one as the Dolphins, despite their five-game losing streak as well, still have a playoff chance well within reach. What is important is that the Jets show an improved sense of urgency, put some drives together offensively, and ultimately, as a team, have momentum going into the 2023 off-season.