Dolphins should manhandle the Jets struggling offensive line on Friday

All three of the Miami Dolphins’ losses this season have come away from South Florida. There was a 48-20 loss at Buffalo, a 31-17 prime-time setback at Philadelphia, and a 21-14 “road” loss to the Chiefs at Frankfurt, Germany.

On Friday afternoon, Mike McDaniel’s club will be at MetLife Stadium to take on the slumping New York Jets. Different coaches, different quarterbacks, etc. The bottom is that the Dolphins have won 11 of the last four meetings dating back to 2016.

A year ago, both teams won at home. The other common denominator in 2022 is that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did not play in either game. Friday’s contest should definitely have a different feel to it.

The focus here is less on the Miami offense and more on Vic Fangio’s defense. In particular, the Dolphins’ defensive line should have its way with a Jets’ front that is currently ranked dead last in the NFL by Pro Football Focus’ Zoltán Buday.

Some of the lowlights: “Left tackle Mekhi Becton suffered an ankle injury in the loss to the Bills and is expected to be sidelined for 1-2 weeks. The New York Jets offensive line has been completely depleted by injuries this season, and it showed in Week 11. The unit allowed five sacks against Buffalo, which was the second-most by an offensive line this past week.”

With quarterback Zach Wilson benched and Tim Boyle getting the start, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett figures to rely on the ground attack even more. However, Fangio’s unit has come a long way against the run since Week 1.

That afternoon at SoFi Stadium, Austin Ekeler, and the Chargers gashed the Dolphins for 233 yards on the ground. In their nine games since the highest rushing total allowed by Miami defenders was 108 yards in the win over Carolina. The Jets have a talented running back in Breece Hall, but Robert Saleh’s club is averaging a mere 99.8 yards per game on the ground. That’s a disappointing 23rd in the league.

Meanwhile, the Jets have surrendered 40 sacks in 10 games. With ends Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler up front and pass-rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips outside, that number could rise significantly on Black Friday.