It was worth the wait. The Dolphins, who had their season-opener delayed due to Hurricane Irma, finally stepped into the field and had a heck of a start. They visited the Los Angeles Chargers in Carson, CA and went home with a cardiac 19-17 victory.
Every key man of the offense had a great 2017 debut. Jay Cutler went 24-for-33 for 230 yards and one touchdown, Jarvis Landry, who was supposed to have an ailing knee, registered 13 catches for 78 yards, and running back Jay Ajayi bulldozed his way for 122 yards on 4.4 yards per carry, helping erase doubts that his surprising 2016 campaign was a fluke.
With the Jets having one of the worst – if not the worst – defenses in the league, we can expect more of the same from the ‘Phins. Head coach Adam Gase has a very systematic offense, and his squad appears to be more comfortable in executing his plays more than ever.
The defense wasn’t as potent, but it got the job done on certain parts. Although the group had a tough time limiting Philipp Rivers (331 passing yards), the front seven held the Rivers’s backfield to just 44 yards on the ground.
Dating back to last year, the Dolphins have won five of their last six regular season games (5-1 SU and ATS). They also beat the Jets in their last two meetings.
No one should be surprised that the Jets are dipping even further into the ground. This is a team that’s tanking – at least based on the player movements that the front office are making.
After a 21-12 loss to the offensively-limited Buffalo Bills, it was a given that the quick-trigger Oakland Raiders will be thrashing them, 45-20. The Jets defense simply had no clue how to stop the Raiders’ attack, thus allowing six total touchdowns, including three receiving TDs to Michael Crabtree.
The Jets are allowing 33 points and 408 total yards per game, and with the Dolphins being loaded with receivers and also owning a capable workhorse in the backfield – like Oakland – we may see another defensive collapse from the Jets.
The offense doesn’t offer anything that’s encouraging. Josh McCown is averaging an underwhelming 176.5 passing yards per game (2-2 TD-INT ratio), his RBs are only gaining 3.6 yards per carry, and outside of Jermaine Kearse, who has 11 catches for 123 yards and one TD, no one in the receiving corps is worth a look.
Dating back to 2016, the Jets are 2-8 in their last 10 games (3-7 ATS).
