Gang Green Nation
The Jets and Dolphins met in Miami on Monday Night Football back in September with Miami staving off a late Jets rally to hold on for the 27-21 win. Both teams were winless ahead of that meeting but things are a little different this time, as the Jets have won three of five and Miami has won four of five.
Now 5-7, Miami will be looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with another win on the road.
Let’s break down the Dolphins’ roster going position by position:
Quarterbacks
Tua Tagovailoa leads the league with 14 interceptions, although whether he will add to that against a Jets team that is historically bad at forcing turnovers remains to be seen.
While his overall numbers are down on 2023, when he was a pro bowler, and last year, when he led the league in completion percentage, Tagovailoa has been playing well enough for the Dolphins to win games over the past month or so. However, he has zero touchdown passes in four of the past six games and has passed for 205 yards or less in five of them.
Ex-Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is the backup, but he’s thrown only nine passes all season.
Seventh round rookie Quinn Ewers briefly moved ahead of Wilson as the number two but is now back as the third quarterback.
Offensive Line
Miami’s offensive line has shown some improvement since they replaced starting right guard Kion Smith with veteran Cole Strange several weeks ago. Smith is now on the practice squad.
They also received a boost last week when former first round pick Austin Jackson came off injured reserve to make his second start of the season. Veteran Larry Borom had been starting at right tackle but now he reverts to the bench.
The other three starters – second round rookie left guard Jonah Savaiinaea, left tackle Patrick Paul and veteran center Aaron Brewer – have started every game. Brewer has been listed as questionable for Sunday, though, after being limited in practice for the past few days with a variety of ailments.
Savaiinaea has continued to struggle, giving up a team-high five sacks but the other starters have been solid. Brewer is the team’s best run blocker this year, but does lead them with nine penalties.
Last year’s starting right guard Liam Eichenberg and the opening day right guard James Daniels remain on injured reserve so the available backups are the veterans Borom, Daniel Brunskill and Kendall Lamm.
Running Backs
After a slow start, De’Von Achane has found his groove, as he’s already over 1,000 rushing yards with 54 catches and 10 total touchdowns. He’s rushed for 120 yards or more in each of the last three games, all of which Miami won.
The Dolphins now list 2024 draft pick Jaylen Wright ahead of sixth round rookie Ollie Gordon but Gordon has played more over the course of the season. Both carried three times last week.
Fullback Alec Ingold was a pro bowler two...
