Miami Dolphins’ safety Jevon Holland earned our ‘Player of the Game’ honors in the 34-13 rout of the division rival New York Jets in Week 12.
Holland had five tackles in the game, which was the second-highest on the Miami defense to linebacker Jerome Baker, who totaled six. The game’s biggest play was undoubtedly Holland’s 99-yard pick-6 on the first half’s final play.
Dolphins ⛄️ Jevon Holland makes magic with incredible Black Friday Hail Mary pick-6: pic.twitter.com/wlQPbye939
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) November 24, 2023
That was Holland’s first interception on the season.
The significance of this play can’t be overstated, considering the Jets were unable to bring the game back to within two scores.
It was a play that swung momentum back into Miami’s favor, as quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had just thrown his second interception of the game, and the offense started to appear stagnant.
It seemed the Jets were starting to take some control over the contest, only to be reminded of the talented Miami secondary.
Holland has been one of the most consistent players for the Dolphins in 2023. The third-year safety entered this game leading Miami’s defense in solo tackles (44) and was second on the team in total tackles (65) behind only David Long Jr. (66).
This lopsided matchup featured two teams headed in completely different directions in the standings.
The Jets announced on Monday they were benching quarterback Zach Wilson in favor of Tim Boyle, hoping it’d be the change the team needed to make a late-season push. Sadly, the Jets looked just about as bad as they have all year.
Holland did cause a bit of a scare for Dolphins fans, as he exited the contest with a knee injury while the team was ahead by multiple scores in the second half.
This injury was key in finally forcing the Miami coaching staff to get the key players off of the field, especially after the non-contact Achilles injury to linebacker Jaelan Phillips.
Holland, after the game, insisted that his knee injury is fine. Hopefully, he won’t miss any time moving forward.
The Snowman’s presence in the secondary has masked some of the injury trouble to cornerbacks Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey early in the season, as Holland is showcasing his talents all over the field. He’ll be a key contributor come playoff time against the talented offenses of the AFC.
