New York Jets-Miami Dolphins Game Review
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children speak
but when will Adam Gase let Sam Darnold run the sneak?
Whether it’s the Jets or Sam Darnold not recognizing a blitz on 3rd down in the red zone, or Ashyton Davis slipping in coverage on a TD pass, or Breshad Perriman slipping trying to catch a perfectly thrown ball by Sam Darnold, the Jets seemed destined for that first pick of the draft. Sam Darnold’s interceptions and the Jets offensive line did not help in the second half.
The biggest question this week was will Sam Darnold play in this game and will he do further damage to his shoulder? Darnold started and early on he looked pretty good as he drove the Jets down the field. His third down 37-yard pass to Brashad Perriman was the highlight of the drive. On a third and three Darnold was sacked on what has become a regular theme for the Jets offense this season. They cannot pick up or recognize blitzes. Red zone offense has been a huge issue. Sergio Castillo put the Jets ahead with a 38-yard field goal. The Dolphins tied the game up when Jason Sanders hit on a 54-yard field goal. Marcus Maye seemed to be all over the field in the first quarter. Ryan Fitzpatrick was too comfortable in the pocket even though the Dolphins only scored three points. Darnold threw a great pass to Mims over the middle who made a nice catch. Darnold did scramble for a first down in the quarter and looked confident running.
In the second quarter the Dolphins went down the field on an 83-yard drive that took over five minutes. The Jets got screwed out of a catch that Devante Parker clearly did not have. Adam Gase threw the red flag but the referee upheld the call which was incredible. Ryan Fitzpatrick began slicing up the Jets defense. The Dolphins scored as Fitzpatrick threw a TD pass to New Jersey native Mike Gesicki when Ashton Davis seems to slip on coverage.
At the end of the second quarter the Jets starting deep in their territory began to move the ball. Darnold hit Mims who made a great catch on a 30-yard reception. Darnold scrambled for a first down on a third down play. Typically the Jets moved the ball down and could not get it in the end zone. Sergio Castillo missed a 29-yard field goal attempt to end the first half with the Jets down 13-3.
The Jets started the second half with their first three and out. They got the ball and began to drive with Breshad Perriman making a wonderful 26-yard reception. That was nullified by Sam Darnold who threw one of his classic across the body interceptions. Sam looks to me like a drive killer who cannot step up when they need him. He missed Mims going across the field. The quarter ended without any scoring but give the Jet defense credit. They played great. It may have been their best quarter of the season. They were getting to Fitzpatrick. Quinnen Williams was all over the place and Fatukasi played well.
The Jets could not take advantage of the turnovers the defense was making. Sam Darnold and the offense had their chances. A fourth and one hand off to Frank Gore lost yardage. Bad shoulder or no bad shoulder I don’t understand why Sam Darnold cannot run the quarterback sneak. After that play it was just garbage time. Darnold threw another horrific interception. Ryan Fitzpatrick looked great in the fourth quarter. Besides the third quarter when the Jets defense played well, Fitzmagic did it all even running the quarterback option for a first down.
The Jets offense was beyond awful in the second half. For Adam Gase to be called an offensive genius is a joke. He went into his defeatist mode after the two-minute warning. The Jets will get the first pick of the draft unless the Patriots ruin it for them. With the final score 20-3 it is amazing to me the Johnson brothers keep Adam Gase as head coach.
Marty Schupak has been a New York Jets football fan since 1964. His blog and Podcast is at: www.JetsRewind.com