Scooter & Hum: Day 1,041, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Jets Game 17 Review

With parallels to NC State, Miami turned to its third-string rookie quarterback in a must-win game. Skylar Thompson didn't exactly deliver, but the Dolphins prevailed in a matchup of reeling teams, outlasting the Jets, 11-6, to advance to its second playoff berth in 14 seasons. The 'Fins got needed help from the Bills, who knocked off the Patriots on the strength of a pair of kickoff-return touchdowns by former Wolfpacker Nyheim Hines.

Probably the less said about this game the better, but I'll point out that embattled coach Mike McDaniel won his first replay challenge of the entire season. So that's something.

On to the holy-shit-we-made-it recap ...

Offense

The undermanned 'Fins managed a respectable 17 first downs and 302 yards against one of the league's toughest defenses. Miami was limited to 4 of 13 on third downs and never got closer than New York's 19-yard line, going 0 for 2 on red-zone opportunities. However, avoiding turnovers allowed the Dolphins to do just enough to win.
Thompson went 20 of 31 for just 152 yards, but protected the ball and got rid of it when necessary, taking a single sack. He ran three times for three yards, took some massive hits, and recovered an awful snap by center Connor Williams. Playing all 65 snaps, Thompson was whistled for delay of game, but overall played very composed in a high-stress setting.
The running backs played well, with Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson combining for 143 rushing yards. Before leaving with a broken thumb, Mostert ran 11 times for 71 yards and lost 10 yards on a pair of catches, grading out at 80.7 by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in his 24 snaps. In 42 snaps, Wilson toted it 16 times for 72 yards and caught two passes for two yards. Salvon Ahmed played just four snaps, but delivered a key seven-yard run on the final drive, while Alec Ingold was limited to 14 snaps.
At receiver, Tyreek Hill battled through an ankle injury but was limited to two catches for 23 yards on five targets in 43 snaps. Jaylen Waddle caught all five targets for 44 yards in his 49 snaps, while Trent Sherfield was shut out in his 42 snaps. River Cracraft had a five-yard catch in his 15 snaps and rookie Erik Ejukanma added a three-yarder in his 10 snaps. With a third-string signal-caller, the passing game was understandably a slog, making it all the more impressive that Miami won without the customary explosion in this phase of their offense.
While the wideouts were severely limited, the tight ends combined for seven grabs for 85 yards. Mike Gesick snared four of six targets for 46 yards in his 25 snaps, highlighted by an acrobatic 32-yard catch. Durham Smythe pulled in three receptions for 39 yards on five targets in 46 snaps, while Hunter Long did not record a statistic in his 11 snaps. The increased involvement of the tight ends was a welcome sight and indicative of younger quarterbacks being more reliant on the position.
With Terron Armstead out, the Dolphins were hurting at the tackle positions once again. Greg Little started for Armstead at left tackle, while Brandon Shell started at right tackle before existing with an injury after 53 snaps. In his absence, Robert Hunt (80.2 PFF grade) slid from guard to tackle, allowing Robert Jones to play 19 snaps at the guard positions. Left guard Liam Eichenberg (58 snaps) injured his arm along the way to a 42.1 PFF grade and Williams earned a 77.3 PFF grade despite a dangerous play where he snapped it well over Thompson's head. Little had a false start, but overall the patchwork line held up surprisingly well against a rugged defensive front.

Defense

In a stunning display, the defense held veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and the Jets to just 11 first downs and 187 total yards, including a season-low 38 rushing yards. Miami hit Flacco a season-high 10 times despite not recording a sack, and the unit earned a safety on the game's final play to cap a clutch performance in the season's defining moment.
Powering the defense from the end spot, Christian Wilkins (six tackles, one stop for loss in 50 snaps) and Zach Sieler (three tackles, two quarterback hits in 45 snaps) played their customary essential roles in the defensive effort.
At the nose, Raekwon Davis contributed four tackles in 29 snaps and John Jenkins added a pair in his 10 snaps.
Bradley Chubb returned at weakside linebacker, but was limited to just 18 snaps, garnering one quarterback hurry and an offsides. Melvin Ingram had a single tackle in his 31 snaps.
Grading out at 89.5 by PFF, Jaelan Phillips continued his strong play on the strong side, with two solo stops, one tackle for loss, a team-season-best four quarterback hits, and seven quarterback pressures in 48 snaps. In 22 snaps, Andrew Van Ginkel had a solo tackle and a quarterback hit. To his credit, Phillips is playing the best football of his career at the absolute ideal time.
In the middle, Jerome Baker had three tackles and two quarterback hits in 50 snaps. Elandon Roberts notched four tackles and a stop for loss in 34 snaps, while Duke Riley racked up an impressive five tackles in just 20 snaps. Sam Eguavoen was in on the final play of the contest.
At corner, Kader Kohou graded out at 81.3 by PFF, recording two solo stops and two pass breakups in his 56 snaps, with a pass interference call thrown in. Xavien Howard played 56 snaps as well, picking up two solo tackles and three pass breakups -- including a pair on the Jets' final drive. Keion Cross had a solo tackle among his 26 snaps. Miami may have made a significant find in Kohou, and it was good to see "X" find his stride in the biggest moment of a rocky campaign.
Eric Rowe registered three tackles and a stop for a loss in his 32 snaps at strong safety. Verone McKinley added a pair of sacks in his 21 snaps, while Clayton Fejedelem was in for the final play.
At free safety, Jevon Holland picked up seven tackles and a pass breakup in his 56 snaps. Elijah Campbell played 10 snaps in reserve.

Special teams

Beleaguered kicker Jason Sanders hit all three field goal attempts, including the game-winner, in a scenario that I predicted prior to the game. Because of course he did.
Thomas Morstead punted four times for a 45.3-yard average, dropping a pair inside the 20-yard line.
Holland returned punts, fair-catching everything in the absence of Cedrick Wilson. Hill was back for a return on the last punt, but did not get an opportunity for a runback.
Fejedelem and Bethel each played 19 special-teams snaps to lead defensive players, while Smythe paced offensive players with 10 snaps in the third phase. Blake Ferguson made a pair of tackles in the kicking game, while Bethel added a solo stop.

Momentum plays

Starting with the ball, Miami picked up a pair of first downs with a balanced attack that included a third-down reception by Hill. Staying aggressive, the 'Fins went for it on 4th & 5 from the New York 44-yard line, but Thompson threw incomplete after being flushed from the pocket and taking a hit on the sidelines.
The Jets picked up an initial first down on a 15-yard pass to Elijah Moore on 3rd & 8, with Howard in coverage, but Rowe and Sieler combined on a tackle for loss and back-to-back pressures by Phillips were supplemented by a good job by Chubb on a 3rd & 13 play that saw him drop into coverage. However, the punt was down at Miami's 2-yard line.
Thompson converted a 3rd & 4 with a dangerous throw to Hill, then Wilson ripped off a 12-yarder and Thompson hit Smythe for a 26-yarder that saw the signal-caller absorb a big hit and the tight end make a great grab. On a play that looked like the Jets were offsides, Williams snapped the ball way over Thompson's head, with the quarterback pouncing on it for a 22-yard loss. The Dolphins were forced to punt on 4th & 23, but the first downs and a solid 41-yard punt helped flip field position dramatically.
The 'Fins forced a three-and-out when Crossen put a big hit on Garrett Wilson to stop him a yard short on a third-down pass early in the second quarter. Miami responded with a three-and-out of their own, with Braxton Berrios making Campbell miss and returning the 55-yard punt for 20 yards.
Two plays later, Flacco found Corey Davis for 17 yards, beating Roberts and Kohou. However, Chubb pressure helped forced a third-down incompletion with Crossen in coverage, and the Jets missed wide left on a 55-yard field goal attempt.
On a subsequent 3rd & 1 play, Wilson followed blocks by Hunt and Smythe to rip off an 11-yarder that nearly went for much longer. On the next third down, Thompson rolled out to find Waddle on the run for an 11-yarder. The drive stalled there, however, and Sanders hit from 37 yards out for the first score of the game, giving Miami a 3-0 lead.
On the following possession, Chubb appeared to get a third-down sack, but he was deemed to be offsides instead of timing the snap count perfectly. Baker missed a tackle on a 3rd & 9 outlet pass to allow a first down, then Wilson made six Dolphins miss on a 36-yard pickup. On a 3rd & 5 at the two-minute warning, Sieler ran over the running back, center, and quarterback in succession, but a one-handed catch by the tight end for six yards got New York another first down. The defense stiffened with the help of a Roberts tackle for a loss of five on a screen, forcing the Jets to settle for a 32-yarder to tie the score at three.
Thompson hit Gesicki for nine and Waddle for 16, but a Quinnen Williams sack led to a loss of 12, leading the 'Fins to elect to run out the rest of the first-half clock.
The Jets got the ball to start the second half, but consecutive pressures by Van Ginkel, Ingram, and Chubb led to a three-and-out, though Holland called for a fair catch at his own 9-yard line.
Mostert went to work on the following possession, converting a 2nd & 1 with a run before barreling over Jets on back-to-back runs of 14 and 11 yards. Facing a 4th & 5, Miami ran a toss sweep to Wilson, who caught New York by surprise and followed blocks by Cracraft and Shell for eight yards. Mostert then ripped off a 22-yarder before losing 11 yards on an end-around that wrecked the Dolphin drive. Hill couldn't come down with a 3rd & 16 deep ball and despite a lot of contact, no call was made. Sanders hit from 37 yards away to push the 'Fins ahead, 6-3.
New York countered Miami's 15-play drive with a 14-play possession of its own that spanned the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter. A 16-yarder to Wilson beat Howard in coverage, then Wilson won against him again to barely convert a 3rd & 5 play. Wilson took a big hit from Riley to get another first down on 3rd & 7, then former NC State standout Bam Knight converted a 3rd & 1 with a hard run. The Jets then got a dozen yards on a 3rd & 17 run to set up a 35-yard field goal to tie.
Facing a 2nd & 13 after a bizarre illegal shift penalty and an ignored late hit, Thompson lofted a 32-yarder to Gesicki as he was being hit, with the tight end coming down with the contested pass. However, the quarterback managed only a two-yard pitch to Gesicki as he was being sacked on a play that saw Shell injured, leading to another Morstead punt.
The Jets avoided disaster when Knight fumbled on a Rowe hit, but the ball somehow landed directly in Knight's arms as he was laying on the ground. A play later, Baker applied pressure, but Flacco found Wilson on the run for 11 yards to convert a 3rd & 9 with the help of an ignored offensive pass interference. Two plays later, Ingram was in Flacco's face, but New York got a friendly flag when Kohou was whistled for a 27-yard pass interference flag on an uncatchable deep ball to Wilson. A blitzing Holland got a hand on a Flacco pass and a Wilson third-down catch was ruled incomplete to force a Jets punt.
Starting on his own 10-yard line, Thompson took another late hit, which was once again ignored by the officials. Wilson took an end-around for 16 yards following Cracraft and Hunt blocks, but a drop by Smythe helped force another Miami punt.
Back on defense, the 'Fins finally got a late grounding flag on a Flacco dumpoff as he was being pressure by Wilkins and Van Ginkel. A pair of strong Kohou tackles on underneath passes led to a Jets punt that got a good bounce with Hill watching as the return man.
Two plays into the next possession, Thompson took another big hit, but released it just in time to find Waddle for nine yards on a 2nd & 8. The 'Fins then got a horsecollar flag on Quinnen Williams on a short Waddle catch, with the wideout leaving injured at the two-minute warning. Ahmed then delivered an important seven-yard run on a 2nd & 9 play before Wilson took a wicked hit to lose a yard on 3rd & 2. Sanders came on for a 50-yarder and drilled it to push the Dolphins ahead, 9-6, with 18 seconds remaining.
Taking over at their own 25-yard line, the Jets tried to hit Wilson on back-to-back plays, but "X" came up big, swatting away both passes. On 3rd & 10, Flacco hit Wilson underneath, who threw it back to Flacco, who lateraled it to Moore. With the receiver circling back to the middle of the field, Fejedelem nailed him as he lateraled again, with the ball going directly to Howard. He was unable to control the ball, which was chased by Crossen before rolling out of bounds for a safety, cementing an 11-6 Dolphins victory.