The New York Jets are steadily falling to the wayside in the AFC playoff race following a devastating 34-13 defeat to the Miami Dolphins on Friday. With another loss on the schedule, the Jets have lost four consecutive games and own a 4-7 record.
Even with a quarterback change, it was more of the same from New York’s offense. The entire game was perfectly illustrated with the Jets recording an interception on defense then Tim Boyle immediately throwing a pick-six on a Hail Mary right before halftime.
For yet another embarrassing loss for the Jets, here are our five immediate takeaways from the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Dolphins.
The offense wasn't any better with Tim Boyle
The Jets made the decision to bench Zach Wilson in favor of Boyle, and the offense didn’t look any better with a new quarterback. With Boyle at the helm, the Jets didn’t convert a third down or pass the 50-yard line until the fourth quarter, totaled 135 yards, and registered 10 first downs (two first downs in the first half).
Boyle also threw two interceptions and one of them resulted in a pick-six on the Hail Mary to conclude the first half. The Jets can’t make the decision to go back to Wilson, so could Saleh go to Trevor Siemian soon? It’s a complete mess at the quarterback position and the chances of Aaron Rodgers returning this season are plummeting.
Breece Hall continues to dominate the backfield touches
Robert Saleh iterated that the Jets would get veteran Dalvin Cook more involved in the offense following the release of Michael Carter. In the last two weeks, Breece Hall has touched the ball 29 times for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Comparatively, Cook has touched the ball only five times for 34 yards in the last two weeks. Hall continues to be one of the focal points of New York’s offense, and Cook hasn’t done anything to earn many more touches in an offense that is lacking in just about every department.
No one stepped up at WR with Allen Lazard being a healthy scratch
News broke before Friday’s game that the Jets would make Allen Lazard a healthy scratch. The Jets signed a four-year, $44 million contract with the Jets in the offseason, so it is far from ideal for him to be inactive, especially with the other options at wide receiver.
In Lazard’s absence, none of the other receivers not named Garrett Wilson stepped up. Jason Brownlee was the wideout who took Lazard’s place in the offense, finishing with two catches for 20 yards. Not that any receiver could have success outside of Wilson given the quarterback situation, but the woes at the position are still notable.
The Dolphins converted 11 of their 16 third downs
Not much — if any — blame should be placed on the defense as they are continually having to defend on short fields, and they are on the field often due to the offense lacking any cohesiveness. During Friday’s contest, the Dolphins dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 35 minutes and 41 seconds.
Besides losing the time of possession battle, the Dolphins also converted 11 of their 16 third downs. It is somewhat impressive to force Miami’s high-flying offense to 16 third downs, but stopping them on only five third-downs isn’t ideal.
Frustration is mounting up on defense
We’ve seen the defense understandably express their frustration, whether it be via comments in the media or actions on the field. With the offense not sustaining drives or helping the defense out by scoring points, the frustration levels continue to rise.
There were multiple times during the loss to the Dolphins when defensive players were flagged for unnecessary penalties that can be credited to the frustration that is mounting in the locker room. Michael Clemons was ejected on an extra-point try and C.J. Mosley was visibly frustrated on the sidelined. It could be a matter of time before a divide between the offense and the defense could trickle into the locker room.
