AFC East rivals Dolphins and Jets square off in NFL’s first Black Friday game
Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 20-13. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New York Jets quarterback Tim Boyle (7) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd, rear, as Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau, left, grabs his face mask during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. No penalty was called on the play. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 20-13. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) celebrates after intercepting a pass in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Dolphins defeated the Raiders 20-13. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New York Jets quarterback Tim Boyle (7) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd, rear, as Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau, left, grabs his face mask during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. No penalty was called on the play. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
New York Jets quarterback Tim Boyle (7) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd, rear, as Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau, left, grabs his face mask during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. No penalty was called on the play. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
MIAMI (7-3) at NEW YORK JETS (4-6)
Friday, 3 p.m. EST, Amazon Prime
OPENING LINE: Dolphins by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Dolphins 6-4; Jets 4-5-1.
SERIES RECORD: Dolphins lead 58-56-1.
LAST MEETING: Dolphins beat Jets 11-6 on Jan. 8, 2023, at Miami.
LAST WEEK: Dolphins beat Raiders 20-13; Jets lost to Bills 32-6.
DOLPHINS OFFENSE: OVERALL (1), RUSH (2), PASS (1), SCORING (7)
DOLPHINS DEFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (10), PASS (14), SCORING (23T)
JETS OFFENSE: OVERALL (30), RUSH (23), PASS (30), SCORING (30)
JETS DEFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (30), PASS (5), SCORING (11T)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Dolphins minus-4; Jets minus-2
DOLPHINS PLAYER TO WATCH: CB Jalen Ramsey. The star cornerback has three interceptions in three games this season, including two last week against Raiders rookie Aidan O’Connell. According to Pro Football Focus, Ramsey has only been targeted 16 times and allowed four receptions for 41 yards in his past three outings.
JETS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Tim Boyle. The 29-year-old backup quarterback makes his fourth NFL start and first with the Jets as he replaces the benched Zach Wilson. Boyle spent his first three seasons in Green Bay behind Aaron Rodgers and then made his only three previous starts during the 2021 season after signing with Detroit. In 18 career NFL games, mostly in mop-up duty, Boyle is 73 of 120 for 607 yards and three touchdowns with nine interceptions.
KEY MATCHUP: Dolphins WRs Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle vs. Jets CBs Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed. It’s a showdown of perhaps the NFL’s top wide receiver duo vs. perhaps the top cornerback duo. Hill leads the NFL with 1,222 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, while Waddle has 44 catches for 577 yards and three scores.
KEY INJURIES: Dolphins rookie RB De’Von Achane was questionable after he aggravated the same knee last Sunday that caused him to miss the previous four games. Achane was limited at practice all week. … Hill was removed from Miami’s injury report despite being limited all week because of a hand injury that caused him to briefly leave Sunday’s game against the Raiders. ... RB Salvon Ahmed was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a foot injury. ... LT Terron Armstead (knee), LG Lester Cotton (hip), RG Robert Hunt (hamstring) and RT Austin Jackson (oblique) were all listed as questionable. ... Jets LT Mekhi Becton was questionable with a sprained ankle. He sat out practice Thursday after being limited Wednesday. ... CB Michael Carter II was listed as doubtful and will likely miss a second straight game with a hamstring injury.
SERIES NOTES: The Dolphins have won five of the past six meetings and nine of the past 11. ... The only time the teams faced each other in the playoffs was Jan. 23, 1983, when Miami won 14-0 in the AFC championship game before losing to Washington in the Super Bowl. On a muddy field at the Orange Bowl, A.J. Duhe intercepted Richard Todd three times and returned one for a score. Todd finished with five INTs. ... In 1986, the Jets won 51-45 in overtime on Ken O’Brien’s 43-yard TD pass to Wesley Walker. ... In 1994, Dan Marino led the Dolphins to 22 unanswered points capped by his fake spike with 22 seconds left when he threw a 5-yard TD pass to Mark Ingram for a 28-24 victory. ... The Jets had a big comeback of their own in 2000 with the “Monday Night Miracle.” New York erased a 30-7 fourth-quarter deficit as Vinny Testaverde threw four TD passes in the period, including a catch by offensive lineman Jumbo Elliott for the tying score. John Hall’s 40-yard field goal in OT gave the Jets a 40-37 victory.
STATS AND STUFF: The teams play in the NFL’s first game on Black Friday. ... A victory would give Miami 8-3 starts in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2000-01. ... Miami will play a regular-season game on a Friday for the fifth time, and are 1-3. The first two games in franchise history were losses at home in 1966 against the Raiders and Jets. The Dolphins beat the Jets in 1983, the previous time New York played on a Friday. In 2005, the Dolphins and Chiefs moved up a regular-season matchup from Sunday to Friday because of Hurricane Wilma. Kansas City won. ... Hill is 83 yards away from breaking Julio Jones’ record (1,305) for the most yards receiving in the first 11 games of a season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Hill also needs one TD catch to become the first Dolphins player since Mike Wallace in 2014 to have double-digit receiving touchdowns in a season. ... QB Tua Tagovailoa needs 66 yards passing to top the 3,000-yard mark for the second straight season. Tagovailoa has 478 yards, four TDs and a 96.0 passer rating in three games against the Jets. ... Miami’s defense limited the Raiders to their fewest yards rushing (36) in a game since Oct. 1, 2017, when the Broncos held them to 24. ... The Dolphins have allowed fewer than 110 yards rushing in each of their past nine games. ... LB Bradley Chubb leads the team in sacks (six) and forced fumbles (four). ... The Jets are looking to snap their second three-game skid of the season — and both were sandwiched around a three-game winning streak. ... Boyle will become the 16th quarterback to start for the Jets since Brett Favre’s failed cameo season in 2008. ... Boyle is 0-3 as a starter, dropping all of his previous starts with the Lions during the 2021 season. He was 61 of 94 for 526 yards and three TDs with six INTs in those games. ... The Jets have used 13 offensive line combinations in 10 games this season, the fourth most in the NFL, including seven different starting lineups. With Becton uncertain to play, it could be eight different lineups and the sixth straight week New York has had a different front five. The Jets have also used 13 players on the O-line, the third most in the league. ... The Jets went 0 for 11 on third down at Buffalo, dropping them to a league-worst 23% in those situations. ... New York scored during its only trip into the red zone, but still ranks at the bottom of the NFL with a 26.1% conversion rate. ... LB Quincy Williams has at least one tackle for loss in each of the past eight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. ... While the Jets have struggled against the run, they haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer in 28 straight games. It’s the NFL’s second-longest streak behind New Orleans (36). ... K Greg Zuerlein is 22 of 23 on field-goal attempts, a 95.7% that leads NFL kickers with at least 20 attempts.
FANTASY TIP: Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert leads the NFL with a career-high 11 touchdown runs and ranks second with 691 yards rushing. With Achane uncertain to play and Ahmed on IR, Mostert could see lots of carries against the Jets’ porous run defense.
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