Don’t look now, but the New York Jets are a win away Sunday from making things extremely interesting in the final three weeks of the NFL season.
At 5-8, New York’s playoff hopes are a longshot, but that doesn’t mean they are impossible. Gang Green picked up much-needed ground after their 30-6 shellacking of the Houston Texans last week and can gain further ground with a win on Sunday against the Dolphins. It might be easier said than done, but Miami isn’t exactly world beaters in this matchup – especially after last week’s collapse to the Tennessee Titans.
The Jets cannot afford another loss the rest of the way. They must win out to even have a prayer of reaching the AFC playoffs for the first time in 13 seasons. To do that, they need to beat their division rivals on the road.
Today, we break down the matchup and tell you everything you need to know.
New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins
Where: Hard Rock Stadium
When: Sunday, December 17th, 2023
Kickoff Time: 1:00 pm – ET
How to watch: CBS
Line: Miami -8.5
Three Reasons to Watch
New York’s Playoff Hopes aren’t dead
You read that right before! Despite the 5-8 record, New York is just two games out of the final wild-card spot in the AFC Playoffs and four games out of the lead for the AFC East. If the Jets were to win out, and the Dolphins were to lose out, Gang Green could very well win the division for the first time since 2002!
Incredible.
All jokes aside, New York’s improved play against a playoff team like the Texans should instill confidence that 1. their defense can beat any world-beater offense and 2. that they have the tools necessary to be a legit threat to any contending team. So long as those hopes are not dead, and the offense is playing better than they have, there’s a good shot that not only will the team still be alive by Christmas, but that they could get some major reinforcements back.
Can Zach Wilson repeat last week’s success?
All eyes are going to be on if Zach Wilson can continue his impressive game against Houston. Stability and consistency have alluded the 24-year-old before in this position, but there’s reason to think the Jets former franchise quarterback has turned a corner.
The first reason for this is the fact that his mental makeup has changed. This isn’t the same young, pouty signal-caller that had the locker room fractured in 2022. Behind Wilson, the Jets are a cohesive unit and playing some damn good ball from time to time.
The second is his improved play in the pocket. Despite a shaky offensive line due to injuries, Wilson completed 70% of his passes last week for 300 yards and two touchdowns, His lone turnover came on a scramble but was then followed by an immediate touchdown drive.
If Wilson can continue his success from last week, the Jets won’t be dead in the water in the AFC. He could make some conversations very interesting with a win on the road here.
The Jets are a bad matchup for the Dolphins
Before the Dolphins lost their game to Tennessee on Monday Night, I thought they didn’t match up well with a team like New York. After the game, and some tough injuries suffered, I can confidently say that the Jets should feel very happy about how they match up here.
With Connor Williams now out for the year with a torn ACL, the Dolphins offensive line does not have the horses to protect Tua Tagovailoa for an entire game. Quinnen Williams and company should be licking their chops waiting for this game. The other piece that makes Williams’ injury hurt Miami is the fact that New York’s secondary is coming off an elite performance on Sunday.
If the Dolphins’ offensive line can buy time for their quarterback, there’s no guarantee that Miami will be able to spread the ball downfield. This isn’t a good matchup for the AFC East leaders and it sounds like the Jets know it.
X-Factor – Zach Wilson
When you play as well as you did last week, you instantly become the face of where your team COULD end up in the future. For Wilson’s case, his career performance against Houston showed that the Jets 2023 offense can work with competent quarterback play – it thrives with elite. It was one of the first games that the former second-overall pick completed over 70% of his passes and showed that his natural ability could blend nicely with the West Coast offensive system.
The tricky part now is trying to sustain it. With talks of offseason trades still running rampant in recent weeks, the better the BYU product plays in the coming weeks, the better the return on investment Gang Green could get. There’s also a possibility that New York will keep Wilson next season regardless too.
With a lot at stake, including the Jets playoff hopes, the biggest X-Factor in a contest like this will always be the quarterback.
