As the first quarter of the season comes to a close, the 3-1 Miami Dolphins currently sit atop the AFC, yet it comes with heavy cost and controversy. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, and that comes with little or no surprise.
Miami’s last two games, which came with just three full days in between, saw Tagovailoa knocked out from the game. Back in Week 3 against the Bills, Tagovailoa was hit, landed on his back and it was noticeable that his head bounced off the ground.
Noticeably woozy, as we all saw, he lost his balance upon getting up and needed to be helped off the field, as he looked obviously shaken up from the hit. Following a thrilling win, he later told media that it was a back and ankle injury that caused his stumble, as the speculation of a concussion was everyone’s first guess.
Just days later, in a primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tagaovailoa was sacked and tossed backward during the tackle, causing another head hit to the ground, this time, with shocking and scary results that the country and parts of the world witnessed in real-time.
Tagovailoa had a terrifying reaction to the hit and trauma to the head, which caused what experts referred to as fencing, posturing of sorts when the body responds to a neurological injury.
It’s uncertain when he’ll return to the field, but positive signs started with his release from a Cincinnati trauma center that very night, and he was able to travel home with his teammates.
As important as this issue is, the Dolphins would be wise to take time in bringing Tagovailoa back to let him heal and literally get his mind right. From a football sense, Miami spent top-dollar on the backup position for a reason, as veteran Teddy Bridgewater will now be tasked with keeping the Dolphins’ seasons afloat as leaders in the division and the conference.
His first start with Miami will come against the AFC East rival New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, where a #MetLifeTakeover is heading to New Jersey.
Dolphins and their wave of fans head to MetLife
- Miami has had recent success against the Jets, winning the last four meetings. The Dolphins have also had road success against them, winning three of the past four and 10 of the past 14 matchups in East Rutherford.
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Miami leads the all-time series 56-55-1 in the regular season. They’re 4-1 in the last five meetings and 10-2 over the last 12 games. The Dolphins are also winners of the last four straight against the Jets.
Bridgewater no stranger to taking the reigns
- In two career games against the Jets, Bridgewater is 2-0. In those games, he’s totaled 544 yards with a pair of touchdowns, a passer rating of 111.4 and a 73.1% completion percentage.
- He has his highest yards per attempt (10.46) and adjusted yards per attempt (10.37) marks in his career against the Jets.
- Last season, Bridgewater led the Denver Broncos to a shutout win over the Jets, 26-0. He completed 19 of his 25 passes for 235 yards for a 104.6 passer rating. He also rushed four times for 24 yards.
- In 2021, Bridgewater started 14 games for the Broncos, completing 285-of-426 passes (66.9%) for 3,052 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 94.9 passer rating was 12th in the NFL last season.
Cheetah to lurk in the swamps of New Jersey
- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill is the NFL’s leading receiver in yardage. He’s faced the Jets three times in his career. He’s 2-1 against them and averages 103 yards in those matchups. He has four touchdowns in those three games and averages 23.77 yards per reception. Hill was nearly a Jet this offseason, but chose Miami for reasons including but not limited to taxes, as he joked with media.
- In his Kansas City career over six seasons, Hill had at least 10 receptions and 150 yards in a single game five times. In four games with Miami, he’s done this twice already.
Emmanuel Ogbah looks to get on track
- In six career games against the Jets, Ogbah has three sacks. He’s hit the quarterback 10 times in those games, yet he enters Week 5 with just one sack. He entered Week 5 last season with 1.5 sacks and finished the year with nine.
Efficiency is Miami's MO
- The Dolphins have the NFL’s second-most efficient offense through the first quarter of the season. Miami is second in the league in yards per play (6.36) and ninth in points per game (24.5).
Miami's bend-not-break defense has seen juggernauts so far
- The Dolphins have allowed 22.8 points per game so far this season, which puts them right in the middle of the NFL at No. 16, despite playing the league’s No. 3 (Baltimore – 29.8) and No. 5 (Buffalo – 28.5) scoring offenses. They also faced Joe Burrow and the Bengals to add to an impressive list of offenses already faced this season.
Miami's running back duo's small but successful sample size
- Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds each have played one game against the Jets in their careers and have combined for 11 rushing attempts. They’ve totaled 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11.63 yards per carry in those games. They’ve also added a combined seven receptions for 71 receiving yards. Those games also resulted in wins for their teams.
