Dolphins will try to put ugly loss to Titans behind them when they host the Jets

Updated Dec. 15, 2023 4:38 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW YORK JETS (5-8) at MIAMI (9-4)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS

OPENING LINE: Dolphins by 8 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Jets 5-7-1; Dolphins 8-5.

SERIES RECORD: Dolphins lead 58-56-1.

LAST MEETING: Dolphins beat Jets 34-13 in Week 12 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

LAST WEEK: Jets beat Texans 30-6; Dolphins lost to Titans 28-27.

JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (32), RUSH (30), PASS (29), SCORING (29)

JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (28), PASS (2), SCORING (8)

DOLPHINS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (2), PASS (1), SCORING (2)

DOLPHINS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (7), PASS (12), SCORING (22)

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Jets minus-5; Dolphins minus-2.

JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Zach Wilson. The third-year quarterback had perhaps the best game of his career, going 27 of 35 for 301 yards while setting career highs with a 75% completion rate and a 117.9 passer rating. Wilson was selected the AFC’s offensive player of the week for his performance. But now all eyes will be on him as he tries to build on an impressive showing. While his future with the Jets is uncertain beyond this season, Wilson has an opportunity to end the year on a promising note.

DOLPHINS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Tua Tagovailoa. The NFL's leading passer (3,697 yards) had one of his more pedestrian games of the season, with 240 yards passing. His streak of 21 straight games with a passing touchdown also ended. Breakdowns in pass protection caused Tagovailoa to be sacked five times as Miami played the majority of the game without four starters on its offensive line. Tagovailoa hasn't had many bad games this season, and certainly not in consecutive matchups. He's still ranked among the NFL's top five quarterbacks in passer rating (third, 104.8), passing touchdowns (fourth, 24) and yards per attempt (second, 8.5).

KEY MATCHUP: Dolphins receivers vs. Jets secondary. With the status of star receiver Tyreek Hill (ankle) in question, a lot will be asked of the rest of Miami's receivers against the NFL's No. 2 pass defense. Jaylen Waddle led Miami in receiving last week with six catches for 79 yards, and Cedrick Wilson Jr. also made a couple of big plays for 30 yards. Coach Mike McDaniel said the Dolphins are the strongest when defenses have to worry about everyone, not just Hill. The Jets haven't allowed a 100-yard receiver since both Waddle and Hill surpassed 100 yards against them in Week 12.

KEY INJURIES: Jets RT Max Mitchell left last Sunday’s game with a stinger and was questionable to play this week. … OL Carter Warren sat out last week with a hip injury and was listed as doubtful for Sunday. … QB Aaron Rodgers remains on IR as he continues to rehabilitate his torn left Achilles tendon. … The Dolphins placed C Connor Williams on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday with an ACL tear. ... Tyreek Hill missed practice this week because of an ankle injury and is questionable. ... S Jevon Holland has missed the past two games with knee injuries. ... S DeShon Elliott is in the concussion protocol and will not play. ... LT Terron Armstead (knee/ankle) missed last week. ... RG Rob Hunt will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury.

SERIES NOTES: In Week 12, Jevon Holland intercepted Jets quarterback Tim Boyle on a Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the first half and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. ... The only time the teams faced each other in the playoffs was Jan. 23, 1983, when Miami won 14-0 in the AFC championship game before losing to Washington in the Super Bowl. On a muddy field at the Orange Bowl, A.J. Duhe intercepted Richard Todd three times and returned one for a score. Todd finished with five INTs. ... In 1986, the Jets won 51-45 in overtime on Ken O’Brien’s 43-yard TD pass to Wesley Walker. ... In 1994, Dan Marino led the Dolphins to 22 unanswered points capped by his fake spike with 22 seconds left when he threw a 5-yard TD pass to Mark Ingram for a 28-24 victory. ... The Jets had a big comeback of their own in 2000 with the “Monday Night Miracle.” New York erased a 30-7 fourth-quarter deficit as Vinny Testaverde threw four TD passes in the period, including a catch by offensive lineman Jumbo Elliott for the tying score. John Hall’s 40-yard field goal in OT gave the Jets a 40-37 victory.

STATS AND STUFF: The Jets’ win last Sunday over Houston snapped a five-game losing streak, their longest skid since dropping six straight to end last season. ... Wilson returned to the starting role after being the Jets’ No. 3 QB while Tim Boyle started two games and had the third 300-yard passing game of his career. … Wilson went 18 of 21 for 209 yards and two touchdowns in the second half against the Texans, his most yards passing in any half in his three-year NFL career. … The Jets had three touchdowns on offense, ending a skid of two or fewer in eight straight games. … WR Garrett Wilson has 159 catches and 1,956 yards receiving, the most in both categories by a Jets player through his first two seasons. … RB Breece Hall had seven catches last week, giving him at least five in each of the past four games. The only Jets RBs with longer such streaks are Richie Anderson (seven, 2000-01) and Freeman McNeil (five, 1986). … Despite going 6 of 15 on third down and 3 for 3 in the red zone against Houston, New York still ranks last in the NFL in both categories. Their third down conversion efficiency is 25% and red zone conversion rate is 34.5%. … New York has used 10 starting offensive line combinations in 13 games, including a different front five in each of the past nine games. … The defense has not allowed 300 yards passing in 31 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak behind New Orleans (39). … DL Bryce Huff has a career-high seven sacks and leads the NFL D-linemen with a 23.5% pressure rate. … K Greg Zuerlein kicked field goals of 51 and 55 yards last week, giving him four from 50 or more yards this season and 10 in the past two years — the most made by a Jets kicker in consecutive seasons. ... The Dolphins were leading by 14 points with under three minutes left before allowing the Titans to score twice to pull off the upset. The previous team to lose in regulation after leading by that many points with under three minutes remaining was Indianapolis to Houston in 2016. Before that, teams were 0-767. ... Miami's No. 1-ranked red zone offense went 2 of 5 in that area Monday. ... The Dolphins still lead the NFL in yards per rush (5.3), total passing yards per game (279.2), and plays of at least 10 yards (203). ... Tyreek Hill was limited to just 34 snaps Monday because of an ankle injury. His 61 yards gave him 1,542 for the season, which still puts him on pace for the first 2,000-yard receiving season. ... Miami has used 10 different offensive linemen and started nine different combinations in 13 games this season. ... The Dolphins are second in the NFL in rushing, averaging 144.5 yards per game. ... Raheem Mostert has an NFL-leading and career-high 16 rushing touchdowns (18 total) this season. His 16 rushing touchdowns are tied with RB Ricky Williams for the most in a season in Dolphins history. ... The defense has allowed nine offensive touchdowns in six home games this season. ... Miami's defense has a pick-6 in each of the past three games, and four overall.

FANTASY TIP: If the Jets No. 5 defense has a weakness to exploit, it's against the run, where they are allowing 131.8 yards per game. Miami's No. 2 rushing offense is averaging 144.5 yards per game. Mostert, the NFL's second leading rusher at 924 yards, ran for 96 yards last week. Rookie De'Von Achane averaged 6.7 yards on seven carries as the Dolphins rushed for 158 yards as a team.

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