The Miami Dolphins move to 8-3 on the season after taking down the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, 34-13. The major story coming into this inaugural Black Friday game was the change at quarterback Robert Saleh elected to make going from Zach Wilson to Tim Boyle for this game. While there was a different man under center, the results for this Jets offense were largely the same, and was unable to keep pace with Miami's collection of talent on that side of the ball.
The Dolphins picked up a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter and looked like they were going to hold that going into the break. However, a flurry of pick-sixes -- including a 99-yard return by Jevon Holland at the buzzer -- found these teams going into halftime with Miami up 17-6. While the Dolphins continued to score in the second half, the Jets offense sputtered under Boyle.
As a team, New York managed just 47 yards of total offense in the first half while the Dolphins had 214 yards. That continued throughout the second half as Miami outgained the Jets 395 yards to 159 for the game. The Dolphins did struggle a bit against this Jets defense early, but imposed their will on them in the second half, particularly on a 15-play drive that traveled 92 yards and ended with a rushing touchdown by Raheem Mostert. Not only did that put the Dolphins up by three scores, but it also took 9:03 off the clock.
Meanwhile, the Jets tried to answer with their own double-digit play drive on the ensuing possession and did get inside the red zone for the first time of the evening, but the 17th play saw Boyle's pass tipped and picked off by Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker. Those back-to-back drives encompassed the stark difference between these two AFC East clubs.
Tua Tagovailoa finished 21 of 30 passing for 243 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Both Tyreek Hill (102 yards, touchdown) and Jaylen Waddle (114) exceeded 100 yards receiving in the game. Meanwhile, Mostert logged 94 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. For New York, Boyle was 27 of 38 passing for 179 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out our main takeaways below.
Why the Dolphins won
Things got a bit shaky there at the end of the first with Tua Tagovailoa throwing two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), but the Dolphins largely didn't beat themselves. Against an inferior opponent offensively, Miami was able to impose its will in this game, gain an early lead and then dictate the pace in the second half on with a ball-dominant rushing attack. The Dolphins defense didn't let Tim Boyle get into any sort of rhythm. They forced the Jets to punt on their first five possessions and then Jevon Holland picked off Boyle at the end of the second quarter and returned it 99 yards for a touchdown. That continued at the start of the second half where they forced a three-and-out on New York's opening possession and then picked off Boyle again (this time in the red zone) to truly ice the game. It was a dominant defensive effort and the offense was able to pile up 34 points, which was an impossible mark for this Jets unit to keep up with.
Why the Jets lost
Even with the quarterback change, it was the same old Jets offense. The unit -- led by Tim Boyle -- didn't cross into Miami territory until just under 11 minutes to play in regulation and overall couldn't find much success on the afternoon. One of the key areas of weakness for this offense throughout the season was converting on third down and they began this Black Friday matchup 0 for 8 on the critical down. That inability to sustain drives when this game was still competitive ultimately proved to be their demise. Even when they were able to formulate an extended drive, Boyle's pass was batted and picked off by Miami's Jerome Baker, which left a 17-play drive without any points being put on the board. Protection up front also continued to be an issue in this game as Boyle was sacked seven times.
In the early goings, the New York defense was giving the Dolphins its best punch, but frustrations by the offense not carrying the baton did seem to boil over. Specifically, C.J. Mosley was called a needless facemask penalty in the third quarter that turned what would've been a third-down stop into an automatic first. Miami made the Jets pay for that mistake with a touchdown by Mostert a few plays later.
Turning point
The Dolphins did face some resistance by the Jets defense in this game, but they were able to grind out a key 15-play, 92-yard touchdown drive in the closing minutes of the third quarter and opening minutes of the fourth that seemed to put this game on ice. Instead of quick chunk plays to pile up the scoreboard, Miami elected to churn out a ball-dominant and clock-bleeding drive that was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown run by Mostert that put the Dolphins up by three scores. In all, the Dolphins chewed 9:03 off the clock in the second half and effectively left no room for the Jets to even think about making a comeback.
Play of the game
The closing minutes of the first half featured some wild momentum swings. Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception to Brandin Echols that he returned for a touchdown, and then the Dolphins QB threw another pick to D.J. Reed that gave the Jets an opportunity to throw a Hail Mary and possibly take the lead at the break. Instead, Tim Boyle's heave to the end zone was picked off by Dolphins safety Jevon Holland.
Holland then returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown at the buzzer, which put Miami's lead back up to double digits and proved to be an absolute gut punch for the Jets, who had a brief moment of optimism before things fell apart.
What's next
From here, the Dolphins will travel to FedEx Field to take on the Washington Commanders -- who just fired their defensive coordinator -- in Week 13. As for the Jets, they'll look to snap what is now a four-game losing skid next Sunday when they host the Atlanta Falcons.