The Dolphins head into Week 7 still searching for their first win, and the assignment waiting for them on Sunday is a New York Jets team that has already found two. Miami would love nothing more than to hand the Jets another loss, but this is not the same New York group Dolphins fans have spent the last three decades laughing at.
The Jets are better. The question is how much better, and Sunday should tell us plenty.
If Miami is going to finally get in the win column, it has to hold up in a handful of individual battles that could swing the game. Three matchups, in particular, stand out.
Austin Jackson vs. David Bailey
The Dolphins’ path to a functional passing game starts with keeping Bailey out of the backfield. That is easier said than done.
Bailey has been a force through six weeks, piling up 18 solo tackles, 31 combined tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles. He is already looking like one of the league’s top edge rushers and the near-consensus favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, even over Jacob Rodriguez.
That puts plenty of pressure on Jackson, who has been wildly inconsistent and, at times, a liability. If Bailey spends the afternoon living in Miami’s backfield, the Dolphins will have a hard time getting anything going through the air.
New York ranks fourth in passing defense, and Bailey is a big reason why. Expect Jets head coach Aaron Glenn to keep feeding him opportunities.
Garrett Wilson vs. JuJu Brents and help over the top
If the Dolphins try to leave Jason Marshall Jr. alone on Wilson, they might as well pack up early.
Wilson has 35 catches for 418 yards and three touchdowns this season, even with only two 100-yard games. The production may not look overwhelming on paper, but if Geno Smith has time, Wilson has a way of slipping free and making plays.
That’s why Miami likely needs safety help here unless Brents can handle the job by himself. The Dolphins’ veteran corner has already done solid work against some quality receivers, but Wilson is the kind of target that punishes even a small lapse.
What Miami absolutely cannot afford is a busted coverage that turns one snap into a drive-killing chunk play. The secondary has been good and should keep improving, but it needs help from the front seven this week.
Jacob Rodriguez vs. Mason Taylor
There’s a little irony baked into this one. Taylor is the son of Dolphins Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, while Rodriguez has already drawn comparisons from plenty of fans to Zach Thomas. The family ties and familiar names make this an unusual matchup, especially with Thomas’ nephew on the other side.
Rodriguez is chasing Thomas’ Dolphins rookie record of 154 combined tackles, and through five games he already has 57. But Sunday asks for more than just tackling volume. Miami needs him to stop tight ends from getting a clean release and to keep them from working freely into their routes.
That has been one of the Dolphins’ recurring problems: tight ends getting off the line without being chucked by linebackers. Rodriguez has done it a few times, but he can’t afford to miss that assignment now. Taylor is a good tight end, just not the kind of elite player Miami has already faced at the position this year.
In Other News...
Dolphins Face An Awkward Kicking Test In Week 7
Miamis kicking carousel has already spun once this season, and it is about to turn again in a place nobody in South Florida wanted it to. Jason Sanders is now lining up for the New York Jets, setting up a Week 7 meeting with the team that moved on from him last offseason after weighing salary demands, injury concerns and inconsistency. Miami has been trying to find stability at the position ever since, even bringing back a previous competitor after recently cutting the replacement it had tried.
Sanders has been steady enough in New York, making 12 of 13 field-goal attempts, though the lone miss came on a 50-plus-yard try and he has also missed an extra point. For the Dolphins, the awkward part is not just seeing a familiar leg on the other sideline, but revisiting a decision that was supposed to solve one problem and instead turned the spotlight back on the most fragile job on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Get An Offensive Boost At The Perfect Time Against Jets
Miamis offense is getting a timely reinforcement for its Week 7 meeting with the Jets, with Caleb Douglas set to return after working fully in practice Friday. The wide receiver had missed the previous three games with an ankle injury, and his availability gives the Dolphins another option as they try to keep the offense moving against a division opponent.
The broader injury picture is trending in the right direction for Miami, too, with Kyle Louis, Jaylen Wright and Will Kacmarek all expected to be available or close to it. On the other side, the Jets have their own uncertainty to sort through, as Breece Hall is listed as questionable with a quad injury, leaving the backfield situation unsettled heading into the matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Get A Rookie Back But One Big Jets Question Remains
Miami got a little healthier heading into its matchup with the Jets, activating rookie safety Kyle Louis off injured reserve and making him available for the upcoming game. The Dolphins also added some short-term depth by elevating edge defender Max Llewellyn and kicker Zane Gonzalez from the practice squad, moves that help patch together a roster thinned by injuries and recent releases.
Louis had been out since the season opener against the Raiders with a knee injury, so his return gives Miami another option in the secondary at a time when every available body matters. The bigger question now is how the Dolphins choose to deploy their reinforcements against New York, especially with the roster still in flux and a few spots needing to be covered on game day. [Read more 🡒]