Jets 20 Dolphins 7: Flying High Into the Offseason

The Jets ended the 2013 season today with a 20-7 victory over the Dolphins in South Florida. New York ends the 2013 season with an 8-8 record. In the final week of the season, the Jets finally won a second consecutive game. In the process, the hated Dolphins were eliminated from the Playoffs. Had they beaten the Jets, they would be preparing for a Wild Card game. Join me below to recap the action.

The Good:

Geno Smith: Geno ended an otherwise disappointing rookie season on a high note. His play over the final quarter picked up, and the finale was an effective performance. He was an efficient 17 of 27 for 190 yards. He spread it out too. For the second straight week, his footwork looked solid. He actually had time to get set and make his throws. The Jets also made use of him as a runner with several designed runs and passing plays that put him on the move. Geno picked up 44 yards on 10 carries and scored a touchdown. He also had a nice Superman impression flying through the air. Running the ball with the quarterback is a tricky thing. You don't want to expose your signal caller to too many hits, but having it as part of the offense makes the conventional run game more effective. Defenders cannot overpursue at the handoff out of fear the quarterback might pull the ball back and run. Geno probably has not done enough to be handed the keys to the starting job in 2014 with no competition, but he at least has been able to gain some confidence with good play heading into the offseason.

Marty Mornhinweg: The Jets ran 70 offensive plays and rushed it 42 times. People might not like conservative offenses, and coaches get criticized when the run game doesn't work. With a rookie quarterback, though, the way to have success is to get the run game going and making it easy. Marty also did a nice job of incorporating Geno into the run game while preventing it from going stale.

David Nelson: New York's leading receiver, Nelson used his big frame to make some nice contested grabs. He finished with 5 catches for 66 yards and ran a really nice route to get open in the end zone. It would have been a touchdown had Geno not misfired.

Offensive Line: No sacks for Miami today. Geno has shown he can have success when he has time. The men up front provided it.

Bilal Powell: His 76 yards on 21 carries look pedestrian, but he had some important runs to put the offense in favorable position to move the chains. He also threw a nice pass out of the Wildcat for a 30 yard gain. He also pushed Geno into the end zone on the rushing touchdown.

Dee Milliner: Not a clean game by any stretch of the imagination for Milliner. He was beaten for Miami's only touchdown and then was beaten badly for what could have been a long touchdown had Ryan Tannehill thrown an accurate ball. Miami tested the young corner frequently. Unlike much of the season, Milliner did hold up reasonably well otherwise. He also added a pair of interceptions. Like Geno Smith, this was a pretty ugly rookie season that ended on a positive note at least.

Antonio Cromartie: He had an unusually solid day in coverage.

The Bad:

Defensive Line Pass Rushing: It was a little disappointing the unit did not register a sack against a spotty pass protection team.

Dawan Landry: I thought he was late in coverage a few times.

2013 is in the books. The Jets finish 8-8. Rex Ryan will be back. A .500 record is never anything to celebrate too much. The Jets did have their chances to make the Playoffs. With that said, it was a better season than many, myself included, thought was coming. There also were a lot of fun memories. If nothing else, the Jets shed the idea they are a circus. People take this franchise seriously once again, which could bode well in free agency. Now this team has the resources necessary to overhaul the roster and come back for 2014 as a team that can make some noise.