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Jets vs. Dolphins preview and prediction
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The Miami Dolphins head north to take on the New York Jets this Sunday at the Meadowlands (1pm EST). This game between two fierce division rivals has huge implications for both teams. The Dolphins need a victory to keep any of chance of a playoff hope alive. The Jets need to get a “W” in order to stay in the hunt for the AFC East division title, as well as keep pace with other playoff contending teams. Lets take a look at the keys to the game for Gang Green.
Jets Offense vs. Dolphins Defense
The New York Jets are coming off of a back-to-back weeks where they rushed the ball for over 300 yards. In order for Gang Green to have success against the Dolphins they must continue to have that same type of production. Granted 300 yards is asking a bit much, but the Jets need to be able to win the battles at the line of scrimmage and control the time of possession by running the ball. The last thing Gang Green wants to do is to put the onus on rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez to repeatedly make plays to move the chains.
If the Jets are able to effectively move the ball on the ground, they can then expose a weak Miami secondary with plays down the field. In the Jets first game against Miami (a 31-27 loss), Mark Sanchez was able to hit some big plays to both Braylon Edwards and David Clowney. The Jets are expected to get wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery back for this game, which will help Gang Green spread the Dolphin defense out even more.
Key Stats
The New York Jets are ranked 1st in the NFL in rushing vs. Miami’s 4th ranked rush defense.
Running back Thomas Jones is ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing.
Rookie running back Shonn Greene, who replaced an injured Leon Washington, came up with 144 yards and 2 tds last week.
Jets Defense vs. Dolphins Offense
The last time these two teams played, three weeks ago, the Dolphins and their “wildcat” offense manhandled the New York Jets defense. The Jets defense had a hard time shedding blocks and an even more difficult time making plays behind the line of scrimmage. The Dolphins were able to effectively move the ball down the field and young quarterback Chad Henne was able to find his rhythm in the game and make some big plays.
In order for the Jets to win this game they must shut down the “wildcat” offense. It is as simple as that. If the Jets are able to stifle the running game they can then put some pressure on the quarterback, something they did not do three weeks ago. The Dolphins cannot be allowed to control the time of possession while on offense.
Key Stats
The Miami Dolphins are ranked 2nd in the NFL in rushing vs. the Jets 22nd ranked rush defense.
Dolphin running back Ronnie Brown is ranked 7th in the NFL in rushing while backfield partner Ricky Williams is ranked 17th.
Prediction
This is going to be a very physical game between to two teams that clearly do not like each other. The crowd will be fired up and the game will be played with a lot of emotion. In their first game the Jets defense was served humble pie and I expect them to come back with a big time performance on Sunday. This defense is Rex Ryan’s baby and I have a hard time believing he is going to allow them to get pushed around again. In addition the return of Jerricho Cotchery on offense will have a big impact, as he was the safety blanket for Mark Sanchez. Overall I predict a very strong, defining team performance by Gang Green. Jets 24-20
For the rest of my NFL week 8 picks click here.
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