Team Grades: Jets Crush Miami's Playoff Hopes And Perhaps Dan Campbell's Coaching Stint
By Abraham Gutierrez
With 12 weeks in the books, the Miami Dolphins are still winless against intradivisional opponents. They went into MetLife Stadium and got blown out by the New York Jets for the second time this season, this time by a final score of 20-38. The loss drops Miami to 4-7 on the year, as the Fins playoff hopes are fading, as is Dan Campbell's head coaching career.
"After what happened today, I don't have a leg to stand on," he said. "There's nothing I can say that's going to make that look better."
Offense: D
Offensively, Miami simply couldn't get anything going until halfway through the third quarter when they recorded their first third-down conversion of the game. In the end, the Dolphins went just 4-for-15 on third downs and were outplayed by the Jets' defense in every single facet of the game. When it was all said and done, the Fins' offense tallied 20 first downs, 333 total yards (12 rushing yards, 321 passing yards), held on to the ball for 28:44 and turned it over twice. The offensive line continued its poor play, as Miami's record for consecutive games with at least two sacks extended to 12.
With talks of his future with the organization up in the air, quarterback Ryan Tannehill had another game to forget. The former Texas A&M standout completed 57 percent of his passes, going 33-for-58 for 251 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a lost fumble for a quarterback rating of 84.8.
With no running game to speak of, Miami's leading receivers were wideouts, Jarvis Landry (13 catches, 165 yards, TD) and DeVante Parker (4 catches, 80 yards, TD) along with running back Jay Ajayi (4 catches, 52 yards). The only other touchdown of the game belonged to veteran wide receiver, Greg Jennings (2 catches, 9 yards, TD).
Defense: F
Defensively, Miami simply could not contain the Jets' attack, especially in the second half. As a unit, Miami's defense allowed 24 first downs and 411 yards of total offense; out of which, 137 came through the ground and 274 through the air. They also lost the time of possession battle, 31:16 to 28:44 and turned the ball over twice, while the Jets played a perfect game in that regard.
"We got whipped," Campbell said. "We got whipped the first time and we got whipped the second time. Those are the facts."
Special Teams: C
On special teams, kicker Andrew Franks finished with two points after converting on two of three extra points. With the offense failing to convert on third downs, punter Matt Darr had a very busy day, punting the ball eight times for an average of 45.0 yards per kick, a long of 55 yards and two punts that were placed inside the Jets' 20-yard line.
Coaching: F
All indications are that the Dan Campbell effect has all but worn out in the Dolphins locker room. In fact, what Fins fans are seeing now is a similar version of what Miami presented prior to Joe Philbin's retirement, as guys are flat out quitting in games.
In this instance, Campbell and his staff deserve an "F" letter grade for their inability to get the running game going. Miami was once again awful on offense, and quite frankly, a lot of it had to do with poor play calling.
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.
