The Miami Dolphins came from behind to take down the New York Jets on Monday Night Football, 16-13. Miami trailed for much of the game, as they were initially unable to stop the Jets from running the football. But the field goal game wasn’t enough to keep the Jets ahead, and a Lamar Miller touchdown late in the fourth gave Miami the boost they needed.
Dolphins vs. Jets 2014 final score: 3 things we learned from Miami’s 16-13 win
The Miami Dolphins took down the New York Jets Monday, 16-13.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
New York had an opportunity to grab the lead right back with under six minutes to go, but kicker Nick Folk missed his second field goal of the day, leaving the game at a 13-13 tie and giving Miami the chance to put the deciding points on the board. They did that, with Caleb Sturgis kicking a 26-yard field goal at the two-minute warning.
The Jets started to drive down field, when Geno Smith threw his first interception of the game, effectively sealing the win for Miami.
It was pretty clear from the beginning of the game the Jets wanted to run the football, and run it they did in the first half. Six different players had carries for the Jets in that opening half, with 29 total carries for 210 yards and the Greg Salas touchdown. Salas' touchdown came on a reverse handoff, and went for 20 yards. Few expect that kind of thing out of Salas, who is certainly not the fastest player on New York's offense.
Three things we learned:
1) Geno Smith is not in the gameplan
The Jets made yet another switch at the quarterback before this game, benching Michael Vick for Geno Smith, a few games after benching Smith for Vick in the first place. But it was obvious from the get-go that New York was eager to get the ball out of Smith's hands as quickly as possible. The Jets ran 35 offensive plays in the first half, and Smith attempted just six passes. Six different players ran the football, including three wide receivers. Obviously, that move was paying off early, as the Jets took a 10-3 lead into halftime.
2) The Jets’ defenders aren’t good at catching footballs
The Jets had just three interceptions coming into Monday's game. That's the lowest in the NFL, well behind everyone else. To contrast, the Cleveland Browns lead the league with 17 interceptions on the year. But what exactly is the problem? Maybe there's just not many opportunities for them to get picks -- balls out of reach and things of that nature.
Oh. Well, nevermind. The Jets just aren’t very good at snagging interceptions.
3) Then again, maybe they can catch.
Sometimes, miraculous interceptions do happen, and even a team like the Jets can make something happen with them. Such a thing occurred late in the third quarter, when Lamar Miller tried to catch a pass low, let it get out of his hands and -- right in to the Jets’ defender:
That’s a pretty lucky play for the Jets. You can’t really tell at full speed, but Miller actually gets his hands under the ball and starts to lift -- it doesn’t just bounce off his hands or anything -- before he loses control and it gets away from him. It was a lucky break for the Jets, who moved to four interceptions on the season.
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