Miami Dolphins Week 15 Game Recap

The Miami Dolphins extended their winning streak to six games on Sunday as they won against the New York Jets. The final score of this game was 31-24, staying close throughout. The main factor as to why the Dolphins won this game had to do with how Miami played in the second half as compared to the Jets. New York’s offense just could not get anything going during the second half. This can be attributed to a good Dolphins defense that struggled at the beginning of the game, but really stepped up in the second half.

The Dolphins rushing attack

Myles Gaskin did not get a lot of practice time this week as he was on the Reserve/Covid list prior to this game. He was activated couple days before the game along with back up running back Salvon Ahmed. Gaskin did not get as many carries in this game, due to the limited practice. He was, however, productive and had 54 yards rushing the ball. He got a lot of that yardage off a 30-yard burst that put the Dolphins in position to score what would end up being their gaming winning touchdown.

Photo Courtesy of Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports

However, Gaskin was not the story of this ball game when it came to running backs. Duke Johnson who had a lot of reps in practice this week had a whale of a game. He had over 100 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The Jets just could not find a way to tackle him or close the gaping holes that he was running through. Weirdly enough, this was the best game on the ground for any Dolphins running back all year. Gaskin has gotten close to 100 yards but has come up just shy. Johnson will need to be used more, as he has proved to be a valuable backup

Tagovailoa struggles a bit

Tua Tagovailoa struggled more in this game than he has in the last few. He threw a bunch of dangerous passes that probably should have been picked. He did however, pay for two of these passes that did get intercepted. One interception was a pick six to tie the ball game in the fourth quarter.  Jets corner back Brandon Echols read Tagovailoa’s eyes the whole time and picked the route off. The Dolphins’ quarterback ended the day with 196 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Tagovailoa did throw a rare touchdown pass to Miami’s big man Christian Wilkins, which blew the roof off Hard Rock Stadium. He threw his second touchdown pass to DeVante Parker, which was a short pass in the redone. Overall Tagovailoa did not have great game compared the games he’s had the past few weeks, but it was enough get him the win.

The Dolphins’ defense

The defense as said earlier struggled during the first few Jets’ possessions. The Jets’ offensive line was manhandling the Dolphins defensive line.  Zach Wilson had time to throw the ball and make accurate completions to his receivers. This did not last the whole game as the Dolphins defense turned up the heat in the second half. The blitz was working for them, and they were finding ways to get to Wilson. The Dolphins had an impressive six sacks on the day. Jerome Baker led the way in sacks, accumulating two. Brandon Jones, Andrew Van Ginkel, Zach Sieler and Emmanuel Ogbah also all got in on the sack party in Miami. 

Photo courtesy of Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports

Even though they got off to a slow start, this was very good defensive day for Miami. They held the Jets to 228 total yards, which was mostly given up in the first half. The Dolphins will need to keep this momentum going as their defense is key for them to make run for the playoffs. 

Overall, this was a great win for the Dolphins, as they keep their playoff hopes alive. They are 7-7 with this win against the Jets. The Dolphins have a Monday night game next week against the New Orleans Saints, with both teams in the Hunt for the playoffs.

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