Ho. Ho. Ho.
The New York Jets delivered the Dolphins an early vacation current with their 19-3 loss to Jacksonville on Thursday night time.
The Dolphins playoff possibilities didn’t simply make a modest leap from 72 to 78 p.c (by way of fivethirtyeight.com). They can also clinch a playoff spot by successful their subsequent two video games in opposition to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday and in New England on New Year’s Day. That might render their finale in opposition to the Jets meaningless (relying on playoff matchups) and permit them to think about resting gamers.
Finally, the sport confirmed what a quarterback mess the Jets are. Quarterback Zach Wilson is a catastrophe on the finish of his second 12 months. Mike White is healthier. But two groups that would pose issues for the Dolphins – the Jets and Patriots – have extreme offensive issues.
2. Receivers coach Wes Welker gave the most effective and easiest rationalization for the way the pace and expertise of receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle make this offense work. Welker was requested a few remark he made earlier this 12 months on how the 2 receivers make him re-consider a few of his ideas on offenses and receivers. He was requested if that concept nonetheless held.
“Absolutely, since you see how defenses must play us,’ Welker mentioned. “We’re getting two-man [safeties] rather a lot on first and second down. Nobody does that. You don’t see that across the league. I believe simply the best way defenses have to arrange for us and if you wish to play single security, go forward.
“Those two guys are very, very hard matchups for anybody — the best corners in the league and all of them. We rely on those guys heavily whenever they want to take away any of our run game or play [one safety]. They’ve got to make sure they’re bringing their A-game, and most teams are going to have to play two-high and make sure they keep things in front of them, which opens up our whole offense.”
3. Jacksonville underlines my ideas on the way it works in soccer: You want the great coach and the great quarterback. Mike McDaniel and his work with Tua Tagovailoa reveals that. So does Doug Pederson’s work with Trevor Lawrence. After questionable offensive teaching with Urban Meyer’s employees, Lawrence has taken off this 12 months beneath Pederson. Jacksonville’s enchancment by means of this season says they’re for actual in a means that shall be an actual drawback for the AFC subsequent 12 months. As it’s, this end would possibly imply Pederson will be a part of the quick checklist with McDaniel as coach of the 12 months candidate.
4. The greatest Pro Bowl miss for the Dolphins was defensive deal with Christian Wilkins. He’s having an impactful season that ensures he’ll be signing a giant contract this offseason. He has probably the most tackles of any inside defensive lineman with 48, in response to Pro Football Focus (the subsequent closest, Indianapolis’ Grover Stewart, has 42). He’s fourth on the protection in snap counts, which isn’t frequent for a defensive deal with. He has 38 run stops — 32 is the subsequent closest. Look, it’s laborious to argue Kansas City’s Chris Jones (11 sacks), the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams (12 sacks) and Tennessee’s Jeffrey Simmons shouldn’t be there, as they command double groups. But Wilkins is a pressure this season.
5. McDaniel has modified the dynamics of this workforce, however there’s quibble (there all the time is). I wrote concerning the short-yardage play-calling within the Bills recreation the place the Dolphins handed an excessive amount of moderately than run. They transformed the one third-and-1 they ran and failed on the two they handed. Research by @PoupartNFL went additional: The Dolphins are 1-for-8 this season when passing on third-and-1 conditions. They have transformed 7-for-11 when working. Expect extra runs in short-yardage conditions.
6. Offensive line coach Matt Applebaum was requested about working between the guards initially of the Buffalo recreation, one thing they hadn’t achieved rather a lot this season. “In our system, especially when it’s more the zone runs and where the ball hits, so much of that’s predicated on how they’re aligned and how they react. So it’s not necessarily like this ball is going go right there. That’s just the nature of zone running without getting too deep into that. But there’s certain things about the structure, their defense, that led to the ball going to a certain spot, and us being able to leverage blocks a certain kind of way.”
7. I used to be speaking with Dolphins guard Rob Hunt when Hill sat down beside him. “Why isn’t he in the Pro Bowl?” Hill requested. The level isn’t whether or not it’s Hunt’s time simply but. It’s that he’s enjoying at a stage an elite participant like Hill notices. (For the document, the media has no vote in Pro Bowl alternatives.)
8. Should gamers be listed as making the “Pro Bowl” in the event that they’re on the workforce as a result of a particular participant didn’t go to the sport? I say no. The level is, Pro Bowls are used as a tenet for Hall of Fame voting. If a participant makes 5 Pro Bowls however wasn’t voted as a starter in any of them, doesn’t that dilute the method?
9. Give cornerback Xavien Howard factors for honesty: He mentioned he was shocked about making the Pro Bowl.
10. Happy holidays, everybody. And because the Dolphins play on Christmas Day, let’s bear in mind the riveting, exhausting, preposterously historic Christmas Day recreation that began the workforce’s dynastic run. Here’s the story of the Christmas Day recreation that modified the franchise.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com