An inside look at the Jets-Dolphins Week 14 matchup in Miami Gardens, Fla.:
Marquee matchup
Dolphins WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle vs. Jets CBs D.J. Reed and Brandin Echols
The Jets likely enter this game without their top cornerback as Sauce Gardner is doubtful to play because of a hamstring injury.
Hill and Waddle have not had their typical seasons but are still deep threats every time they step on the field. Hill has just one 100-yard receiving game this season and that came in Week 1.
He has 55 catches for 654 yards and four touchdowns, all way below his usual averages.
Waddle has two 100-yard games this year, including two weeks ago when he had 144 against the Patriots. He has 45 catches for 601 yards and two TDs.
The Jets have belief in Echols, who will get the start in place of Gardner.
Echols has the team’s only two interceptions this season and has two interceptions returned for a touchdown off of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Echols is actually the last Jet to score a touchdown in Miami with his pick-six back in 2021.
“It’s [a] huge [challenge],” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “It’s tough. Now saying that, very fortunate we have Brandin Echols, a guy that’s played a lot of football, played a lot of football against the Dolphins, played a lot of football against Tua and had success in the past against Tua. Would you like Sauce? There’s no doubt, but having Echols is a very good backup in this situation, so excited about his opportunity.”
Costello’s call
It’s hard to see the Jets showing up for this game. They lost in brutal fashion last week, blowing a 14-point lead and have taken shot after shot this season.
Now, they are likely missing two of their best players with Sauce Gardner and Breece Hall injured.
The Dolphins need this one to stay alive. The Jets are already dead.
Dolphins 34, Jets 13
Four downs
Tua time: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has had plenty of success against the Jets. He is 5-0 in his career against the division rivals.
The Jets’ only win over the Dolphins since Tagovailoa was drafted came in 2022 when he was injured.
This season, Tagovailoa missed four games after he suffered a concussion in Week 2. The Dolphins went 1-3 without him in the lineup and that is a big reason why they are fighting for their playoff lives now.
Tagovailoa has been incredibly accurate this year, leading the NFL with a 74.5 completion percentage.
“It is the same Tua that we have just become accustomed to,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “He is this guy with like elite accuracy, he is a problem solver, he is a quick processer, he really reminds me of playing against Drew Brees all these years, a guy that makes fast decisions, he gets to the second or third read immediately.”
Something special: There was not much to like for the Jets about their loss to the Seahawks last week, but they had a special teams day to remember.
They became the first team in NFL history to have kickoff return for a touchdown, two fumble recoveries on kickoffs and a blocked extra point in the same game.
The highlight was the 99-yard kickoff return by Kene Nwangwu, a player who has been on the team’s practice squad all season before getting elevated for last week’s game.
The Jets signed him to the active roster the day after his big game against Seattle and we’ll see what he can do for an encore in Miami.
Big O: The Jets are getting a long look at their first-round pick Olu Fashanu down the stretch.
Starting left tackle Tyron Smith has landed on injured reserve with a neck injury and Fashanu has started the past two games.
The early returns have been good. Fashanu gave up no pressures last week on 42 pass blocking snaps.
“I keep saying it, it sounds like I’m just saying the same thing over and over again, but it’s the truth, just the more ops to play, the better he gets,” Ulbrich said. “He just builds on each performance, and in both phases, both in the run game and pass protection, so, just so excited about the future this guy has.”
Florida follies: The Jets’ recent history in South Florida has been terrible. They have lost eight games in a row in Hard Rock Stadium.
Their last win there came in the 2014 season finale when Rex Ryan was still the head coach.
