The last time the Miami Dolphins played the Jets it was a Tua watch
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have played the Jets twice every year since the merger but are down by two games.
This weekend the Miami Dolphins will try to pull within one game of the NY Jets all-time as they are losing the series 55-53 with one tie.
Last year the Miami Dolphins were all-in on a rebuild. They had a new head coach, half their team seemed to be undrafted rookies, and they were still, late in the season, looking for an identity.
Miami had previously beaten the Jets in November 26-18 at Hard Rock Stadium but this one was in New York. It is never an easy place to play but Miami had won the previous contest in NY and were on a four-game winning streak.
Miami’s fan base wasn’t all that concerned about getting a win aside from the fact that this was the Jets and no one every roots for the Jets. Miami was in a different contest last year. The right to draft Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, or Justin Herbert. So did it really matter if they won or lost?
Of course, it did and that feeling of loss fell over the Dolphins fan base quickly when the Dolphins lost 22 to 21 last December. Making it worse? The Dolphins took a lead late in the 4th quarter but it was it was the Jets who on the final play kicked the winning field goal.
Could this have made a difference in the standings heading into the draft? Most likely. As ugly as this game was to lose, the alternative, in hindsight could have been devastating for the Dolphins and their reguild.
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Consider that had the Jets missed that field goal or didn’t drive the field with the final moments ticking off, the Dolphins would have likely finished the season with one more win to give them six on the season. The Browns and Jaguars both finished with six wins but the Jets who had seven wins would also have been tied with Miami.
The real change though comes with the five win teams. The Chargers, Panthers, and Cardinals all had five wins and both the Panthers and Chargers needed QBs. The Chargers took Justin Herbert but they could have taken Tua Tagovailoa instead. We also may have seen the Panthers go with Herbert.
All in all it doesn’t really matter but things could have looked a lot different had the Dolphins won that game 21-19 rather than lose 22-21.