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The Miami Dolphins improved to 8-3 after a dominant victory over the AFC East rival New York Jets (4-7), winning 34-13 in the NFL’s inaugural Black Friday contest. Here are three takeaways from the Dolphins’ one-sided victory.
Jets offense is going backward: New York’s offense put up an embarrassing effort on Friday, limited to 159 total yards for an abysmal 3.0 yards per play. Making matters worse, most of the unit’s output came well after the Dolphins had the game in hand. Heading into halftime, the Jets had 50 yards of offense, with the six points put on the scoreboard came courtesy of a pick-six from the defense.
The Jets have now put up two of the four worst offensive performances in the NFL this season, having earlier posted 155 total yards in a 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 11. They’re the first team since the 2008 Cincinnati Bengals to record multiple games of 159 yards or less in a single season, per Stathead.
New York did manage to score late to avoid a goose egg on offense. However, even after the TD, the Jets have still played more games (11) than offensive touchdowns scored (10).
Dolphins D feasts on leftover day: On Friday, the Jets started their 12th different offensive linemen and the backup to the backup at QB. Unsurprisingly, the Dolphins took full advantage, recording arguably their strongest outing of 2023. The 11 points allowed were a season-best , even if six came from a pick-six thrown by QB Tua Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins harassed QB Tim Boyle all afternoon, tying a season-high for sacks with seven while intercepting him twice, including a pick-six of their own by CB Brandin Echols. They didn’t allow an offensive score until 4:37 left in the fourth quarter, when the Dolphins already held a commanding 27-6 lead.
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle solved Jets secondary: Entering Week 12, the Jets ranked fifth against the pass, allowing only 178 yards per game. Even on a day when Tagovailoa wasn’t at his best, though, Hill and Waddle went off, combining for 216 yards and a score.
Hill (102 yards) and Waddle (114 yards) eclipsed 100 receiving yards in the same game for the second time this season, becoming the first receiving duo to do so in 2023. They accomplished the feat for the first time in Week 8 against the New England Patriots, with Waddle (121 yards, one TD) and Hill (112 yards, one TD) combining for 233 yards and two scores in a 31-17 win.
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