The Miami Dolphins welcomed the New York Jets into Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday for their second of two matchups this season, and Mike McDaniel’s team dominated their opponent 30-0.
Despite missing many starters including wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Miami still had some strong performances on offense.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 21 of his 24 attempts for 224 yards and a touchdown for a 119.4 passer rating. And, he did all of that in just a bit more than three quarters, as he was pulled with 11 minutes remaining in the final period.
Tagovailoa spread the ball around, but Jaylen Waddle was clearly his favorite target. Waddle finished his day with eight receptions for 142 yards, one of which was a 60-yard score. He was also pulled with his quarterback.
Miami did rush the ball a lot in the red zone, but the rushing attack wasn’t great. The trio of Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane and Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for 79 yards on 3.04 yards per attempt. Mostert scored twice, setting the franchise single-season record for rushing and total touchdowns.
The offensive line was serviceable despite having just one starter (Terron Armstead) for the majority of the game, as right tackle Austin Jackson left with an oblique injury before halftime.
Vic Fangio’s defense was everywhere.
They held New York’s rushing attack to just 23 yards on 1.9 yards per rush, as they were right at the line or behind it nearly every snap.
Zach Wilson was knocked out with a concussion prior to the break, but when he and Trevor Siemian dropped back to pass, they were sacked six times, fumbling twice. Siemian also threw two interceptions, which were both taken by safety Brandon Jones.
It was a huge game for Bradley Chubb, who led the team with seven tackles. He had three sacks of his own and was responsible for both forced fumbles. He also recovered one of them himself.
Zach Sieler had a full-sack and Duke Riley, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins and Emmanuel Ogbah were all credited with half-sacks.
Even the special teams units were firing on Sunday, as kicker Jason Sanders made all six of his kicks (three field goals and three extra points). Jake Bailey had three of his four punt attempts downed inside the 20-yard line. Even Braxton Berrios had some decent punt returns to give the offense better field position.
Some will say that this performance was because of the opponent, but Wilson was just the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Houston Texans last week.
The Dolphins took care of business, and they’ll need to get healthier and not lose focus on the goal, as they have some tough games coming up.
