The Miami Dolphins head to New York to face the AFC East rival Jets on Monday night.
The Dolphins are fading in the East, but are squarely in the playoff hunt in the AFC. A victory over the struggling Jets would go a long way towards Miami tracking down a handful of teams ahead of them in the Wild Card standings.
Records:
Miami: 6-5, 2nd in AFC East
New York: 2-9, last in AFC East
Last Meeting: Jets won 20-7, Week 17 of 2013
Miami Outlook: The Dolphins have been solid at times this year, but have let two last second leads turn into losses, which has put a dent in their record at 6-5.
The improvement of Ryan Tannehill (2,582 yards and 20 touchdowns) and the emergence of Jarvis Landry (49 catches, 450 yards and five touchdowns) has given Miami's offense a reason for optimism.
Defensively, the Dolphins rank in the top 10 in total yards allowed per game.
New York Outlook: The Jets are going back to Geno Smith after the team suffered an embarrassing performance against Buffalo.
Now at 2-9, the Jets are entering the conversation for the first pick in the draft, but will give Smith another look under center after he struggled to a 7/10 touchdown to interception ratio early in the season.
The Jets have been able to produce in the run game behind Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson, who have helped New York to 136.5 yards rushing per game (fifth best in the league).
What to watch for: With Smith back under center, the Jets may protect him with the run game. That's no easy task though against Miami's front-seven, who have allowed just 104 rushing yards per game.
Whoever can win in the trenches has the upperhand in that matchup. For New York, establishing the run is the only way they can compete in this game.
What they're saying - Dolphins:
Dolphins looking to get over the hump in December (Phin Maniacs.com)
Miami seems improved, but why doesn't record indicate it? (Phin Maniacs.com)
What they're saying - Jets:
5 young Jets who could get playing time as season winds down (NJ.com)
Rex calls starting Geno over Vick a "Jet decision" (NY Daily News)
Prediction:
Dolphins - 27, Jets - 13
Miami needs a victory here, and has the necessary talent to take care of a Jets team that has been flat for most of the season. Expect New York to play better than they did against Buffalo, but it's likely not enough to keep up with the Dolphins.
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