Rich Cimini
Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.
Marcel Louis-Jacques
Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.
Date: Nov 24, 2023, 06:10 PM ET
MIAMI DOLPHINS VS. NEW YORK JETS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Miami Dolphins kept their grip on the top spot of the AFC East standings with a 34-13 victory over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Friday. The Dolphins are a game and a half ahead in the standings and hoping to win their first division title since 2008.
The NFL’s first Black Friday game looked like a mismatch on paper and lived up to the hype — or lack thereof. The Miami Dolphins outclassed the New York Jets in essentially every facet of Friday’s 34-13 victory, outgaining their division rival by more than 200 yards. The Dolphins harassed quarterback Tim Boyle throughout the day, sacking him seven times and intercepting him twice. A late-game injury to Jaelan Phillips sent the sobbing linebacker back to the locker room on a cart.
Phillips suffered a noncontact leg injury midway through the fourth quarter and was ruled out with an Achilles injury. The 2021 first-round pick played in eight games this season and finished with a team-high 6.5 sacks.
On the other side of the ball, it was a game to forget for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who turned the ball over three times, including a pick-six courtesy of Jets cornerback Brandin Echols. Miami finished with 395 yards, well below its season average of 435 yards per game, but more concerning is its second consecutive game with three turnovers.
Miami’s defense has rounded into form over the past month, but its offense is in need of a turnaround as it enters the final month of the regular season — especially considering how much it struggled at the end of the 2022 season. The 8-3 Dolphins travel to Washington to play the Commanders next week, very much in the running for the AFC’s top seed with six games remaining in the season.
Pivotal play: With two seconds remaining in the first half, the Jets intercepted Tagovailoa and attempted a Hail Mary to capitalize on their newfound momentum. Instead, Dolphins safety Jevon Holland intercepted Boyle’s pass at the 1-yard line and returned it for a 99-yard touchdown. It took the air out of the Jets’ sideline and the game never felt close afterward.
QB breakdown:
Tagovailoa was decisive and accurate for the most part, save his interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the first half. He was also credited with a fumble late in the fourth quarter. His 10 interceptions in 11 games this season have now tied a career high, and this is his second multiple-interception game of the season. Tagovailoa frequently tested the Jets’ vaunted secondary, and as a result, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle each eclipsed 100 receiving yards. His final stat line — 21-for-30 for 243 yards, one TD and two INTs — is not particularly impressive, but he didn’t need to do much for Miami to beat a free-falling Jets team.