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The Miami Dolphins entered into Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season looking to re-establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender this season and they did not disappoint, flexing their defensive prowess on the New York Jets on their way to a 20-3 victory over the Jets to complete a season sweep over the AFC East cellar-dwellers and their former coach, Adam Gase. The Dolphins were forced to embrace backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick this week after a thumb injury to rookie Tua Tagovailoa made him unavailable for the rematch against the Jets. Fitzpatrick was streaky throughout the contest but ultimately finished with 247 yards passing and two scores to help elevate the Dolphins from a sloppy defensive struggle and into a comfortable win over their AFC East rivals.
With this win, Miami moves to 7-4 on the season and establishes themselves firmly in the AFC Wild Card race — this win paired with a Las Vegas Raiders loss to the Atlanta Falcons and an Indianapolis Colts loss to the Tennessee Titans helps elevate Miami back into the playoff field with five games left to play this season.
Today was all about Miami’s defense. Cornerback Xavien Howard logged his NFL-leading 7th interception this season and Miami’s pass rush gradually turned up the heat on Jets quarterback Sam Darnold and generated several sacks throughout the second half of the contest to force the Jets behind the chains. There were plenty of bright spots for the Dolphins on the defensive side of the football, who culminated their season series against the Jets with 120 minutes played and just 3 points allowed between the two games.
Offensively, the chemistry between Fitzpatrick and WR DeVante Parker was a bright spot, allowing several key plays with the Dolphins offense that created chunk plays in the passing game and helped Miami generate their best offensive performance in several weeks from a yardage standpoint. Parker, who became the fourth Miami Dolphin in team history to surpass 4,000 receiving yards today, logged a season-high in receiving yards and was the featured option for the Dolphins on the day.
The offensive effort was bogged down by fumbles from RBs Patrick Laird and Matt Breida, both of which set the Jets up on short fields.
But the Dolphins’ defense was persistent and refused to break, forcing the Jets into mistakes and allowing just three points on the day. The Dolphins will now shift their eyes forward to the Cincinnati Bengals, who are 2-8-1 on the season, in Week 13. And, if the Dolphins can take care of business there, the Dolphins will be facing a .500 season at worst with four games left to play.
At times this Dolphins offense was feast or famine. But for this week, the Dolphins can enjoy the fruits of their labor before assessing if Tagovailoa will be ready to roll next week. There are a whole lot worse places this team could find themselves than 7-4. And yet here we are.