Miami Dolphins Week 2 defensive preview v. the New York Jets
By Shawn Digity
The 1-0 Miami Dolphins are headed to New York to face the Jets in their first divisional matchup. How does the Dolphins’ defense stack up against Sam Darnold and Gang Green?
The Miami Dolphins finally finished their game against the Titans and came out on top. It was an even performance as the offense, defense and special teams made some big plays in crucial moments to seal the win. The defense will look to continue its upswing as they face the Jets with their promising, rookie quarterback, Sam Darnold, and the Isaiah Crowell-led rushing attack.
Wednesday’s injury report listed William Hayes as the only defensive player to be a little dinged up. He has a finger injury but was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. This should be a non-issue.
The Dolphins defense will have to come ready for a ground-and-pound offense form the Jets. Crowell rushed for 102 yards on 10 carries against the Lions on Monday Night Football and Bilal Powell, who has historically been a thorn in the Fins’ side for the past couple of years in this matchup, ran for another 60 yards on 12 carries. With all the rushing attempts combined, the Jets rushed for 179 yards on 29 carries (stats form CBSSports).
Another big talking point was Sam Darnold’s first NFL start. Darnold certainly showed why he was the 3rd pick in the 2018 Draft, but he also threw an interception on a cross-field pass attempt and that should remind us that rookie QBs usually have growing pains in their first season. He’ll face more of those growing pains against the Dolphins and the number of mistakes could have a direct impact on the game.
I don’t expect gaudy numbers from Darnold on Sunday; Xavien Howard and Bobby McCain should hold their own against the Jets’ passing game. While Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson are an underrated- NFL duo, Howard and McCain should be fine handling them.
Robert Quinn and Cam Wake didn’t record a sack against the Titans last Sunday, but they did inflict a lot of pressure; I guess it isn’t always about the stats. This should be another matchup to get excited about. The Jets have three nicked-up starters in guard Brian Winters, tackle Kelvin Beachum and center Spencer Long. They were all full participants in practice, but this is still a matchup worth watching.
The Dolphins won last week in large part because of the big defensive plays. Reshad Jones looks to be already playing in Pro-Bowl form with his two interceptions. Kiko Alonso was the best of the three starting linebackers and also grabbed an interception (I don’t expect that to always be the case as Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker get a little more experience under their belt). Minkah Fitzpatrick made an awesome 4th-and-goal tackle and will only continue to make dynamic plays throughout the season.