Miami Dolphins defense could catch a break against the Jets
By Shawn Digity
The Miami Dolphins are reeling after losing to the Texans. They need to get their act together if there’s any hope of saving the season. The defensive injuries have mounted, but the Jets still aren’t world-beaters on offense either.
The Miami Dolphins had a week and a half off after the Thursday night loss. At 4-4, it’s imperative that the Dolphins get a win against the Jets in Week 9.
The second matchup against the Jets is a winnable game. It’s also a must-win. The difference between a 4-5 record and 5-4 is one that cannot be overstated. How does the defense look to help seal a potential victory?
Injury Report
Cordrea Tankersley: The second-year cornerback tore his ACL on Thursday and will miss the remainder of the season. He had been in the doghouse, but this hurts an already-bruised defense.
Charles Harris: He did not participate in any of this week’s practices, so he’ll be a scratch again. It’s hard to imagine him playing any type of role this season.
Xavien Howard: Miami’s CB1 has an ankle injury and it limited him on Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. He practiced in full on Friday, but this is something to monitor; Howard is one of the key cogs of the defense.
Reshad Jones: He’s been on the injury report most of the season with his shoulder injury. He was a full participant in this week’s practices and he’ll be playing, thankfully.
T.J. McDonald: He is still nursing his knee injury but was also a full-participant this week; he’ll be playing.
Robert Quinn: He’s fallen off as of late, and maybe part of that is because of his listed ankle injury. He was an FP this week, but I hope he is able to play better than the last two games.
Matchup
As mentioned above, the Jets don’t exactly have a groundbreaking offense. The Jets are, on the macro level, what Sam Darnold is on the micro. They show up in flashes but aren’t good enough yet, and, it starts with Darnold mostly.
He’s the apple of the Jets’ eyes and rightfully so. He’ll be a good quarterback in the league; I have seen enough from him so far as to say that. I hope this week the more experienced defense can get the upper hand on a still-learning Darnold.
Turnovers are a must. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it 1000 times; the Dolphins cannot win if they don’t get any turnovers and that still holds true.
If it’s Kiko Alonso forcing a fumble or Xavien Howard snagging an interception, maintaining a positive turnover ratio will be the saving grace. Darnold being a rookie could help those odds.
Darnold might be a rookie, but he has an underrated receiving corps. Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa lead the way and rookie tight end Chris Herndon has had some good weeks.
I would’ve given the edge to the Dolphins’ corner before this week. I’m feeling gunshy on Bobby McCain right now. I hope he can rebound from a poor showing in the Texans game. I’m not worried about Xavien Howard, as long as he’s on the field.
Behind those two, it’s a crapshoot. A crapshoot with loaded dice too, I might add; I’m very apprehensive about how Torry McTyer can handle more playing time with Cordrea Tankersley out. Rookie Cornell Armstrong is available just in case.
The defensive line quickly became an area of need. The Dolphins signed Sylvester Williams and Ziggy Hood to help patch up some holes. Neither are superstars, but I’m not going to complain too much since they help shore up the void left by Vincent Taylor. With this many changes, I’m not sure what to expect from the interior d-line this week.
The defensive ends have just been outright disappointing lately. Robert Quinn and Cam Wake should be more productive right now. I’m not sure what the issue is there, but I hope they can generate some sacks this week. The Dolphins are ranked 30th in team sacks with 11, according to ESPN. That’s a problem.
Another note worth mentioning is the possibility of Minkah Fitzpatrick getting handed more responsibly. I think that would be for the best. Maybe he can start taking over for T.J. McDonald‘s duties or maybe even playing more cornerback roles. Having him on the field more will only help the defense though.
The linebackers are a rocky group. Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker are a roller coaster right now. That consistency will come with experience.
Kiko Alonso, at least partially, holds the ability to win games for Miami. I talked about this already, but Alonso creating turnovers puts the team in a great position.