Friday, October 30, 2009

Dolphins-Jets: The sequel


In a strange scheduling quirk, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets face off for the second time in three weeks, this time in the Meadowlands. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The last time the two teams played, of course, was on Monday night. And in one of the best games in the rivalry in recent years, Ronnie Brown's 2-yard TD run with six seconds left lifted Miami to a 31-27 win.

The next week, the Jets continued their skid with a 16-13 overitme loss at home to Buffalo, their third loss in a row. Quarterback Mark Sanchez single-handedly lost the game with his worst day as a pro, tossing five interceptions.

But last week, New York got back in the win column with a 38-0 demolishing of the hapless Raiders in Oakland.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, had unbeaten New Orleans on the ropes until a 22-point fourth quarter led to an improbable Saints 46-34 come-from-behind victory.

That loss dropped Miami to 2-4 and 2 1/2 games behind the Jets in the AFC East.

The Dolphins defense had no answer for New Orleans, as Drew Brees led the Saints to 43 points over the last two quarters.

Brees riddled the Dolphins secondary for 298 yards and one TD, and Miami also lost veteran cornerback Will Allen for the season with a torn ACL.

That elevates rookie Vontae Davis to the starting lineup, where he will play opposite another rookie, Sean Smith.

Jets receiver Braylon Edwards feasted on the Fins in the first meeting, catching five passes for 64 yards and a TD, but he has not been productive in the last two games.

Also, Jerricho Cotchery should return after missing the first meeting with a pulled hamstring, giving the Jets another receiving threat.

The Dolphins pass rush struggled against New York on that Monday night, tallying just one sack.

The defense started like a house of fire againast New Orleans, sacking Brees five times and intercepting him three times -- but all the damage was done in the first half.

Miami must get pressure on Sanchez to give the two young corners help, and the running game will be a priority for both teams.

The Jets ran the ball effectively against the Dolphins in the first meeting, tallying 138 yards.

New York lost a key player for the season last week as well, when do-everything running back Leon Washington broke his leg.

But the Jets found another option to team with Thomas Jones in rookie Shonn Greene, who lit up the Raiders for 144 yards and two rushing TDs.

Greene and Jones will look to pound it inside, while the Dolphins Wildcat offense will try to continue its dominance.

Miami ran for 151 yards against Rex Ryan's defense in the last meeting, which Ryan later lamented as an embarrassing effort.

Since then, the Jets have sunk to 22nd in the league against the run, and they lost a key run-stuffer in tackle Kris Jenkins, who also is out for the season.

Somehow, I get the feeling Ryan will have his defense better prepared this week than he did Monday night. The Jets have the home crowd on their side, and the revenge factor.

Plus, I don't think Chad Henne will have the same kind of day he had three weeks ago, when he riddled the Jets for 20-of-26 passing for 241 yards.

Ryan took the last Dolphins game personally, and I think he'll unleash the hounds on a team that might still be suffering a hangover from last week's meltdown.

Jets 27, Dolphins 24.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

No comments:

Post a Comment