First thing's first..
Yesterday was a banner day for the Miami Dolphins, as I suspected it would be when I broke down the schedules for you last week.
Cleveland lost. Pittsburgh lost. Kansas City lost. Baltimore lost. Even the Patriots lost.
Where does this leave the Dolphins? Well, right now they sit in the 11th seed at 6-5.. However, a win tonight, by virtue of about a billion different tiebreakers which I won't get into right now, puts Miami in sole possession of the sixth and final playoff spot with four games to play.
Again, this is predicated on a Dolphins win tonight. Something they absolutely should do with great ease. However, lets not forget that this is rivalry game, against a team that loves to play spoiler, on Monday night football, on the road.
Before looking ahead to next week's monumental showdown with Baltimore, Miami MUST put the Jets away tonight.
How? So glad you asked!
1. Keep dealing the hot hand: The hot hand, of course, being Ryan Tannehill. The kid has been money over the past seven weeks, and nothing should change tonight. The Jets pose the league's 13th ranked pass defense, and are razor thin in the secondary. If I'm Bill Lazor, I come out of the gate like the Buffalo game and let Ryan Tannehill get off to a fast start with high percentage passes on the first drive. After that, let him loose, and let him win this game for you.
2. Don't let GENO SMITH do it AGAIN: Remember last December? Remember week 17? Remember when all the Miami Dolphins had to do was beat GENO SMITH and they were in the playoffs? Well, he's back tonight, and the situation is eerily similar. The Dolphins have a glorious chance tonight to retake that final wildcard spot, and all that stands in their way is GENO SMITH. This is a pissed off, embarrassed defense after last week's debacle. Get after the QB tonight. Do it early, do it often, and do it all night long.
3. Be cautious on special teams: I've seen Rex Ryan with his back against the wall one too many times before, and it's a scary combination. Miami's special teams unit is about as Jekyll and Hyde as Andy Dalton, and I'd be careful with this tonight. Watch the fake punts, watch the trick plays, just look out for all of it. Because if I know one thing, it's this: Rex Ryan will pull out all stops tonight to beat this team.
4. Keep up the fast starts: They did it against San Diego.. They did it last week in Denver.. Tonight, they must continue it. If this team can get off to a fast start tonight, this game will be over by halftime. Why? The Jets just aren't a mentally tough team. Furthermore, they don't have the resources necessary to play from behind. If you build a lead on this team, and keep pouring it on, you'll see the meltdown happen right before your eyes. Get a quick three and out on defense, march down the field on offense, rinse, wash, repeat. It'll be over by halftime if you do.
5. Don't forget Lamar: This is something that I've noticed over the past few weeks.. For some reason, Bill Lazor seems to forget Lamar Miller as the game wears on. Last week Miller dominated the Broncos defense in the first half (heck, he had close to 50 yards on the first drive). But he barely saw any action in the second half. Why? I understand he's been nursing injuries, and I understand he has the "fragile" label attached to him. But why not give him 20 carries tonight if he's running well? Don't be afraid to use him, and don't forget about him in the second half. You don't want to become one dimensional.
PREDICTION
I've got sources on the ground that tell me that this defense has been beyond pissed off all week long. Who are the sources? It doesn't matter, because I don't need a source to tell me that. This unit was dominated last week. Flat out dominated for four straight quarters. They've been waiting for this game for eight days now. They've been waiting for Geno Smith for the past 48 weeks. See where I'm going here?
I expect pure and utter domination tonight from the Miami Dolphins. They're playing too well, and they're too close, with too much on the line, to let lighting strike them twice in the form of the New York Jets.
Rivalry game or not, I expect this team to win tonight. And I expect them to do it easily.
Final: Dolphins 30 Jets 10
Come back later for any pre game news, including the full list of inactives. Again, don't expect Charles Clay or Cortland Finnegan to play tonight.
And, as always, follow the live blog throughout the game.
7 hours.
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