The Dolphins had their way with the Jets in this one, thanks to four touchdowns from fill-in quarterback Matt Moore, and a stingy defense.
Dolphins vs. Jets live scores, highlights, news, and more
Matt Moore led the Dolphins in New York with the playoffs in sight.
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Fourth quarter: Dolphins 34, Jets 13
Bryce Petty had to leave the game after getting crunched by Cameron Wake and Ndamukong Suh. Petty returned the locker room for examination, with Ryan Fitzpatrick finishing up at quarterback for the Jets.
Third quarter: Dolphins 34, Jets 10
After halftime it has been all Dolphins, with three touchdowns in the quarter. Walt Aikens blocked a punt, scooped it up and ran 11 yards into the end zone to start things, then Matt Moore threw two more touchdowns, giving him four on the night.
Second quarter: Dolphins 13, Jets 10
Dolphins tight end Dion Sims caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, one of two touchdowns for Matt Moore in the quarter. Kenny Stills got the go-ahead 52-yard touchdown to give Miami their first lead. The Jets answered with a field goal in the two-minute drill to cut the deficit in half, as Bryce Petty threw for 192 yards in the first half.
First quarter: Jets 7, Dolphins 0
Bryce Petty led the Jets down the field on New York’s first drive, competing two passes for 62 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson for the game’s first score.
Pregame
The Miami Dolphins are in full “Survive and Advance” mode.
As quarterback Ryan Tannehill deals with a knee injury, the Dolphins (8-5) will turn to backup Matt Moore in the final stretch of a push for the playoffs. Moore has appeared in just seven games since 2012 and none of them were as important as what he’ll face in the next three weeks — starting with Saturday’s matchup in New York against the Jets (4-9).
Miami enters the matchup as the No. 7 seed and on the brink of its first postseason berth since 2008. The Jets should provide the Dolphins’ offense with as smooth of a transition to Moore’s leadership as it could hope for. New York boasts the 11th-worst passing defense in the league, giving up an average of 7.4 yards per pass. That should give Moore a chance to see what kind of chemistry he has with weapons like wideouts Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills.
Should the pass game falter, the Dolphins can still rely on running back Jay Ajayi against a Jets defense that gives up more than 100 yards rushing per game on average. On a short week, that might just be the best course of action.
New York can only take joy in playing the role of spoiler this week and try to cool down coach Todd Bowles’ seat. It just doesn’t seem a likely outcome. The Jets have only defeated one team — the Ravens in Week 7 — this season that currently has an above .500 record.
The Dolphins defeated the Jets 27-23 in Miami back in Week 9. Ajayi rushed for 111 yards and one touchdown. With Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall both dealing with injuries this week, New York is down a few vital playmakers against a Miami defense ranked eighth in the league.
Week 15 presents an opportunity the Dolphins can’t waste if they want their season to continue past New Years Day.
Kickoff is Saturday at 8:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
Pregame reading
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