How “SWEEEEEP” It Is!!! Dolphins Beat Jets

A touchdownless first half gave way to the typical Miami Dolphins New York Jets shootouts that fans have come to know. A flurry of offensive scores by the Jets matched a flurry of defensive and special team scores by the Dolphins. In the end, the Dolphins hung on to a narrow 5 point win after the Jets failed to score from the 10 yard line on 4 tries. The win puts Miami one game behind the Jets for 2nd in the division while completing a regular season sweep for the Dolphins.

The game was far from interesting early as the Dolphins used a solid defensive effort that put constant pressure on rookie Mark Sanchez. The Dolphins despite sometimes having poor field position held the Jets to only a FG defensively while offensively out of the teams base package did nothing. In fact, it wasn’t until the final series that the Dolphins converted a 3rd down play. They would enter the half-way mark tied at 3.

The second half however would prove much different. The Jets openened their scoring with a FG on their first posession after the Dolphins failed to do anything with their opening second half drive. The kick-off to the Phins would put the Dolphins up by 7 when Ted Ginn…yes I said Ted Ginn, ran the ball back 100 yards for a TD. The amazing part was not Ginn’s run but the fact that the Phins didn’t have any penalties on they play.

On the ensuing drive by the Jets, Paul Soliai who is making a name for himself along the defensive line, hit rookie Shonn Green behind the line of scrimmage. Green fumbled the ball and DE Jason Taylor scooped up the loose puck for 48 yard touchdown putting the Dolphins ahead 17 – 6. Apparently, the Dolphins don’t like big leads as they immediately allowed the Jets to drive the field to score a TD. The TD was a QB fake that had the Dolphins so confused that one member of the defensive unit was pointing the opposite way thinking the Phins had recovered a fumble. Sanchez was by himself.

The Jets kicked back off to Miami with 3:26 seconds left in the 3rd quarter when Ted Ginn, yes I said Ted Ginn…AGAIN…took the ball one yard deep in the endzone and after managing to use his “please don’t hit me” tactics in the middle of the field managed to escape for a bee-line to the sidelines where he found daylight. 101 yards later and the Dolphins went back on top by two scores. Ginn tied and NFL mark for most KO returns in a game by one player.

In typical Dolphins fashion, the lead was not protected. The Dolphins allowed the Jets to roll down the field in three plays for another TD. This time a 19 yard strike to Braylon Edwards who held on to the ball long enough to get across the line before CB Sean Smith took it away. The Jets would kick off with just over a minute in the 3rd and the Dolphins would keep the ball into the 4th when Chad Henne would find TE Joey Haynos on an out route for the first Dolphins offensive TD of the game. The Dolphins would go up 30 to 19 on the play, but again, it would be short lived as the Jets found paydirt hitting their own TE for a TD on the next series.

The Phins held on to the slim 5 point margin on teh final series for the Jets after being unable to drain the clock. The Jets would get the ball at their own 45 yardline with just over 3 minutes remaining. The Phins and their “squishy” defense would allow the Jets to gain momentum to the 10 yard line before finally putting a clamp on the Jets offense. A 7 yard loss sack by Randy Starks on 3rd down helped the teams cause.

The Dolphins were all but owned in every statistical category but two. Special team return yards and defensive scoring. The differnces in the game. Once again, as has happened on two other occassions this year, the Phins failed to close out a team that they were beating by more than 13 points. Perhaps maybe this time they found the right formula. Allow the other team to dominate the game statistically and then walk away a winner.

The game gave Miami it’s second win against the Jets this season and they are 3-0 in the division with a trip to Foxboro next weekend against a Patriots team coming off a bye week. The win also puts HC Tony Sparano, 3 and 1 against the Dolphins biggest division rival. His only loss coming in his first game as a head coach on opening day last year when Chad Pennington threw the game winner into the endzone for a pick.