When the number — 239 rushing yards by the Dolphins, the most allowed by the Jets this season — was recited to Jets head coach Aaron Glenn, he looked physically ill.
“That’s way too many,” he said. “It’s B.S. You can’t give up 250 yards rushing. It’s that simple. You can’t give it up. So, you have to fix it.”
The previous week, the Jets yielded 142 rushing yards to Falcons running back Bijan Robinson but got away with it and won the game 27-24.
There was no getting away from this, as Miami’s lead back, De’Von Achane, gashed the Jets for 92 yards and a TD on just seven carries before he left the game in the first half with a rib injury.
Achane’s backup, Jaylen Wright, rushed for 107 yards and a TD on 24 carries.
And Ollie Gordon II added 17 yards and a TD on five carries.
The Jets, according to ESPN Stats, had 10 missed tackles in the game, an inordinate number.
“Obviously, the missed tackles did lead to some explosives,” Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood said. “What we displayed today was not anything we’re coached to do or what we want to do as a team. We’ve just got to be better.”
Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson lamented the “first 15” Miami plays on offense, saying, “They scripted a good first 15.”
Asked about the tackling performance, Johnson said, “Not good.”
“We just didn’t play our level of ball,” he went on. “We knew that team thrives on starting fast. We knew the formula in this game, and we just did not get it done.”
The Jets kept their streak with no interceptions going, now at 13 games, though they had some chances against Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Rookie S Malachi Moore dropped one in the second quarter, as did CB Isaiah Oliver.
Tagovailoa entered the game with 14 INTs, tied for the most in the NFL.
He also entered having thrown the fourth-most INTs since he came into the league in 2020 with 58.
And yet, the Jets still could not end their dubious streak.
“On the defensive side, we had a chance to make some plays on the ball, and we dropped the ball,” Glenn said. “The receivers have got to catch it. The DBs have got to catch it. We’ve got to make our plays when they come to us.”
The Jets’ special teams continue to be the only unit they can count on.
Not only did they get a 78-yard punt return for a TD from Isaiah Williams, but they converted a fake punt late in the third quarter.
It was the Jets’ league-leading fourth special teams TD of the season.
Down 24-7 and facing a fourth-and-8 from their own 25, Moore took a short snap and pitched it to RB Isaiah Davis, who ran for 19 yards and the first down.
The fake eventually led to a 31-yard Nick Folk field goal.
The Jets injuries other than QB Tyrod Taylor, who left the game after six plays with a groin injury, were DL Tyler Baron (knee), LB Kiko Mauigoa (shoulder), TE Stone Smartt (possible concussion) and TE Mason Taylor (stinger).
Tagovailoa now is 7-0 as the Dolphins starting quarterback against the Jets in his career.
He was 0-7 in his career in temperatures 46 degrees or lower, according to the Palm Beach Post, and the high Sunday was in the low 40s.
The Dolphins now have won four games in a row and five of their past six after a 1-6 start that got GM Chris Grier fired on Oct. 31.
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