Written by Chad Hahn
The opening drive of the ballgame Adam Gase was aggressive as expected and went for a fourth down and converted taking advantage of the Dolphins depleted secondary. The drive ended in a broken coverage touchdown from Sam Darnold to Jamison Crowder from 12 yards out. 7-0 Jets
On the Jets’ second drive it ended because of the first NFL sack for Defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. Jets kicker Sam Ficken then followed that up with missing an ensuing 49-yard field goal.
The Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick took the next drive on his shoulders driving his team all the way downfield and threw to a wide-open Preston Williams for the game-tying touchdown grab. Game tied at 7-7
Fitzpatrick continued to drive the team down the field against the Jets resulted in a beautiful one-handed touchdown catch from Devante Parker resulting in the first Dolphins lead of the game. 14-7 Dolphins
As the Jets continue to struggle on offense the Dolphins QB Fitzpatrick continued to drive the team downfield as he hit another touchdown to Preston Williams with under two minutes left to play in the first half. Dolphins lead 21-7
As the Jets look for a spark they got it from the kickoff return that took the ball deep into Dolphins territory. The Jets appeared to capitalize from that great field position as Sam Darnold hits TE Ryan Griffin in the back of the end zone before halftime but it’s was reversed under the instant replay booth. After the reversal and a QB pressure from LB Raekwon McMillian forced Sam Darnold to either take a sack or force it. Darnold forced the pass near the end zone as it was intercepted by Dolphins cornerback Jomal Wiltz.
As a result, the Dolphins started the drive inside their own 1 yd line. The Dolphins fumbled the next snap and after the review, it was determined it was a safety. Dolphins lead 21-9. Quickly the Jets got into field goal range for a 52 yard to attempt before the half. Ficken strikes. At half the Dolphins lead 21-12
The Dolphins received the ball to start the second half and the result was a missed field goal from Jason Sanders. The Jets drove downfield after that lead by Leveon Bell and hit another field goal cutting the Dolphins lead to 21-15
The Dolphins drove down the field once again and the drive ended in a Jason Sanders field goal extending the lead 24-15. The Jets followed it up with a 3 and out possession giving the Fins some real hope of getting their first win on the season.
On their next drive, the Jets then snapped the ball over Darnold’s head and it went out of the back of the end zone resulting in a safety and extended the Dolphins lead 26-15 with 6:23 left in the 4th quarter with the Dolphins getting another possession. It is increasingly optimistic the Find upset the visiting Jets.
In the closing minutes, the Jets tried to score a garbage time score to cut the lead down and hit a field goal to close the lead as the Dolphins lead and wound up closing the game out for their first victory of the season and also Brian Flores’s first win as the Miami Dolphins head coach 26-18.
This game was a wake-up call to Jets and former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase as this win by the Dolphins sent the Jets in front of the Dolphins in the current 2020 NFL Draft order. The Dolphins have steadily improved over the past few weeks and that trend continued versus the Jets. Ryan Fitzpatrick sparked this team and had a great performance. A key contributor for the Dolphins offense as well was rookie wide receiver Preston Williams who caught two touchdowns.
This week in the case of the Dolphins first-round picks the Dolphins won taking their record to 1-7 while the Steelers won a thriller at home versus the Colts turning their record to 4-4 and the Texans won in London against the Jaguars pushing their record to 6-3. It wasn’t a great week for the Fins draft status but it should give fans of the team a boost in confidence in the coaching staff and vision for the future.