If you want to know why the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are terrible football teams, look no further than how the first half ended on Sunday in Miami.
There are so many reasons why the New England Patriots win the AFC East every single year. The New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins are two very huge reasons for that, as completely dysfunctional football operations that shoot themselves in the foot and just about every single opportunity. You want proof? Look no further than the first half’s ending in Miami on Sunday.
So winless Miami takes a 21-7 lead at 1:51 left in the first half thanks to a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to wide receiver Preston Williams. The made Jason Sanders PAT gave the Dolphins a rare two-touchdown lead over an NFL football team. But the Jets had a plan up their sleeves, or so we thought…
Sanders’ kickoff was returned 78 yards to the Dolphins’ 18-yard line by Vyncint Smith, so that was neat. What a fantastic job of taking care of business in the return game. So you would think at first-and-10 from the Miami 18-yard line that the Jets were going to come away with some points on that drive. Well, not exactly.
See, Jets starting quarterback Sam Darnold is completely broken and is seeing ghosts on the reg. Four plays into that gimme drive for the Jets, he threw a pitiful interception to cornerback Jamal Wiltz on the goal line. It was such a cool pick that the Dolphins began the next drive on their own one-yard line.
What happened next was a mircocosm of why the Dolphins haven’t won a game yet this season. Fitzpatrick would try to carry the ball on their first play from scrimmage on that drive, only to be brought down by Jets linebacker James Burgess in the end zone for a safety. That made it 21-9 Dolphins.
It took four plays after the ensuing kickoff for the Jets to get in field goal range for kicker Sam Ficken to attempt and make a 52-yard try to make it 21-12 Dolphins with two seconds before halftime. The Dolphins could have extended their 14-point lead, but only held a 9-point advantage heading into the second half.
This is why they’re the Dolphins. This game is the gift that keeps on giving. Here’s to looking forward to a plethora of dumb stuff in the final two quarters. This is a game that’ll set football back 20 years, only to serve as an appetizer for the Christmas week special we’ll get when the Dolphins host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Why does South Beach get to have all the fun?