Through the years, there have been many Jets-Dolphins matchups that have caused a must watch.
There were the days of Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and the No-Name Defense. You Can fast forward to the day of Dan Marino, who inflicted his share of damage.
And lineman A. J. Duhe will forever live in Jets’ infamy.
The stages were always set, and a Jets-Dolphins matchup usually lived up to its hype. It was always special playing the Dolphins especially in Miami.
We all remember the 1982 “Mud Bowl” AFC Championship Game in Miami, where there were some questionable groundskeeping duties after rains soaked the Orange Bowl.
At the time, the Jets had the faster team, and a mud-slopped field would slow them down. Duhe, who had two career interceptions before the game, came away with three against Jets’ quarterback Richard Todd.
The Jets were designated to head toward their first Super Bowl since 1969, but Miami literally slowed their path.
A few years later, Marino and Ken O’Brien engaged in a shootout that involved a record combined 884 yards of passing, and the Jets prevailed 51-45.
Finally, we can think back to the 1994 “Fake Spike” or the “Clock Play” that gained the Dolphins a 28-24 victory. Unfortunately, that defeat sent the Jets into a 4-33 spiral over the next two seasons.
This year’s first meeting in Miami Sunday likely won’t live up to those preconceived notions of the past.
It’s the slumping 3-9 Jets against the slim-playoff-hope 5-7 Dolphins. There’s plenty of signs among both teams that a new beginning is in store for 2025.
For the Jets, it has been obvious.
Despite him looking every bit of 41 and older, Aaron Rodgers’ stats are among the best in the league. It’s been his slow start and startling choices that have doomed him and his team this season.
Recently because of his fumbles, Breece Hall is playing a self-defeating role. It’s definitely time to give rookie Braelon Allen some time running the ball, and he will Sunday with Hall out with an injured knee.
Ironically, it’s the same knee that Hall had surgically repaired in 2022. It makes you wonder if we have seen the last of Hall this season,
Defensively, the Jets’ secondary is far from its once acclaimed status, and Sauce Gardner’s future appears to be up in the air. Like Hall, Gardner won’t play in Miami.
Life isn’t much different for the Dolphins, as they appear to be in a state of unrest as well.
Head coach Mike McDaniel is under fire and could be in trouble. His benching of running back Raheem Mostert has been criticized, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill isn’t happy with his playing time.
Quarterback Tua Tagovalia threw for 365 yards in the team’s loss to the Packers last week, but he was sacked five times. Over the past five games, Tagovaila has been sacked 13 times. That’s good news for the Jets, who have recorded 28 this season.
The Dolphins still have a lifeline for the playoffs, but it’s a faint one. They will need a convincing win over the Jets.
On the other hand, the Jets can play a spoiler role and nearly extinguish any postseason flames.
Instead of seeing a usual tight tussle between these two teams, this may be a low-scoring battle of attrition.
Yet, it’s the Dolphins, and it still will be interesting to see if Rodgers and the Jets can shake the doldrums of losing eight of their last nine games, and reenergize themselves for the season’s final chapter.