Even with a gameplan that perfectly shortened the game and took the ball out of their quarterback’s hands as much as possible the New York Jets still came up short against the Miami Dolphins as they racked up their tenth defeat of the season.
A powerful performance on the ground was only good enough to reel in 13 points as the Dolphins rebounded from their slow start to move back into the tie for the final playoff spot in the AFC. This had trap game written all over it for Miami but they just snuck out of the Big Apple still part of the chasing pack and not quite out of the running for the AFC East after New England’s defeat in Green Bay.
Miami Dolphins – Performances of Note
Lamar Miller, RB, +1.1 rushing
Breakdown: Not the focus of the Dolphins’ offense as his counterparts of the Jets were but Miller came up with decisive plays down the stretch with all of his rushing yards coming in the second half (one carry for no gain in the first half). Miller found most of his joy working off the right side gaining 43 of his 56 yards, including his touchdown run, on six carries to that side of the offensive line.
Signature Stat: Only five backs have earned a higher rushing grade than Miller’s +3.4 in the last four weeks.
Jarvis Landry, WR, +0.2
Breakdown: Landry’s game has been built around yards after the catch this season but the Jets were able to limit that and with it his effectiveness last week. Though still leaving his mark exploiting a coverage bust for a 25 yard gain Landry gained just two yards after the catch per reception. That is his lowest mark this season and only the third time he has averaged less than 5.0 YAC per reception all season.
Signature Stat: Also failed to force a missed tackle for the first time since Week 6; having forced 10 in his last six games.
Cameron Wake, DE, +0.9
Breakdown: The Jets’ play calling limited Wake’s opportunities to get after Geno Smith but he was still able to walk away from the game with five pressures (1 Sk, 1 Ht, 3 Hu) on only 15 pass rushes. His sack and hit came on third downs either side of Ryan Tannehill’s interception in the third quarter, each time with two blockers assigned to him. On the hit at Q3 4.35 he bisected Bilal Powell and John Conner’s attempt to cut him off while on the sack at Q3 2.48 he simply powered through Jeff Cumberland rendering Powell helpless to be of any use.
Signature Stat: Those five pressures on 15 pass rushes saw Wake top our Pass Rushing Productivity rankings for defensive ends for the week (26.7), just ahead of Ezekiel Ansah (1 Sk, 1 Ht, 10 Hu on 36 rushes; 25.7).
New York Jets – Performances of Note
Nick Mangold, C, +6.4
Breakdown: After a down year in 2013 by his very high standards it is good to see Mangold back to his very best this season and he continued that last night with a dominant run blocking display against the Dolphins’ defensive tackles. His +5.9 run blocking grade last night was his best since Week 7 of the 2009 season when he paved the way for a pair of 100 yard rushers (Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene) at Oakland.
Signature Stat: Jets runners averaged 5.5 yards per carry through the A-gaps last night (72 yards on 13 carries) with Mangold’s dominance over Earl Mitchell and Randy Starks a crucial factor.
Jeff Cumberland, TE, -5.0
Breakdown: A tough night for Cumberland all round; his only target was the game clinching interception where Jelani Jenkins blanketed him and Cameron Wake ran through him for a third down sack. One of the few Jets to struggle with his run blocking (-2.5) it was Cumberland who was beaten by Wake’s injury replacement in the fourth quarter to give up a tackle for loss on the series that resulted in Nick Folk’s miss from 45 yards.
Signature Stat: Cumberland only has one positively graded game all season (Week 7 in New England) and only three tight ends have a lower overall grade than his -17.8.
Percy Harvin, WR, +0.3
Breakdown: Aside from that one game in Kansas City the Jets are struggling to maximize Harvin’s impact on their offense. Since his arrival Harvin’s touches are split almost 50:50 as a runner and a receiver. Screen passes were a staple route for Harvin at his best with the Vikings but he has only been thrown five with the Jets, three of those coming against the Chiefs.
Signature Stat: Widely expected to usurp Jeremy Kerley as the Jets’ slot receiver Kerley has run 96 routes from the slot compared to Harvin’s 22. Even Eric Decker (25) has run more routes from the slot than Harvin since Week 8.
PFF Game Ball
Though not in a winning cause Nick Mangold and the rest of the Jets’ offensive line were the stars of the show in a punishing display of run blocking.
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