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It’s week 14 of the 2019 NFL season and the New York Jets are playing host to their AFC East division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, at MetLife Stadium.
Last week the Jets took on the winless Cincinnati Bengals and imploded in an embarrassing blowout loss. Will this week’s matchup against the Dolphins produce a Dolphins sweep of the Jets for 2019, or will the battered Jets team, with most of their starters seemingly out for the game, rally and salvage a win against the hapless 3-9 Dolphins?
The Jets and Dolphins are gaining 4.47 and 4.54 yards per play this season, respectively, the worst and second worst marks in the NFL. Offensive juggernauts these teams are not.
The Dolphins rank last in the NFL in rushing yards per game and yards per carry. The Jets defense ranks first in the NFL in yards per carry allowed by a wide margin. The Jets have allowed an average of just 48 rushing yards per game over the last five games, the best such five game stretch by any team in the NFL since the 2015 Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins are also down to their third and fourth string running backs in this game. It certainly looks like the Dolphins will have to beat the Jets through the air if they are to win this game.
Beating the Jets through the air might not be too difficult this week, as the Jets may be missing three of their five starters in the defensive backfield. Old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick is licking his chops looking forward to carving up the Jets’ depleted secondary. Will Gregg Williams be able to come up with the answers to stop him?
On offense, Le’Veon Bell is out with an illness, leaving the Jets running game in the hands of Bilal Powell and Ty Montgomery. If those two can’t make it work, it will be up to Sam Darnold to lift the team through the air. Last week against the Bengals, Darnold passed Drew Bledsoe to become the youngest player in the history of the NFL to surpass 5000 passing yards (he was 22 years, 179 days old last Sunday).
It’s the 4-8 walking wounded Jets and the 3-9 Dolphins coming your way today. Please leave your comments in the section cleverly marked “comments” below. Enjoy the game everybody.