Dolphins Look To Turn It On Across The Pond
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MIAMI (SportsDirect, Inc.) – Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin refuses to break stride even as his team is struggling to regain its footing following two straight losses. Philbin and the Dolphins look to get back on track when they travel to London's Wembley Stadium to "host" the AFC East rival New York Jets on Sunday morning.
"This is not a time to panic," Philbin told reporters earlier this week on the heels of a lopsided 41-14 loss to Buffalo. "We're not getting 53 new players. We're not getting 24 new coaches. We're either going to find solutions to these problems or not, and we're going to stick together or not." Ryan Tannehill tossed three interceptions in the setback to the Bills, matching the three picks that Ryan Fitzpatrick threw in New York's 24-17 loss to Philadelphia last week. Former Dolphin Brandon Marshall reeled in 10 receptions for 109 yards and found the end zone for the third straight week, but his egregious lateral led to a fumble that sent the Jets into a tailspin.
ABOUT THE JETS (2-1): Running back Chris Ivory (quadriceps) hopes to get his uniform dirty on Sunday after being a spectator last week versus the Eagles. New York's ground game suffered as a result with just 33 yards on 10 carries, a far cry from the 91 yards on 20 rushes that Ivory accumulated in a 31-10 victory over Cleveland on Sept. 13. Ivory, however, was held in check in both meetings with Miami last season - totaling just 91 yards on 29 carries.
ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (1-2): While Tannehill has struggled to pay consistent dividends after signing a $96 million contract in the summer, wideouts Jarvis Landry (24 receptions, 230 yards) and Rishard Matthews (16 catches, 262 yards and three TDs) have proven to be reliable targets. Lamar Miller (30 carries, 105 yards) has failed to get out of the blocks this season after rushing for a career-high 1,099 yards in 2014, with a personal-best 178 yards and a touchdown coming in a 37-24 setback to the Jets to conclude the campaign. The Dolphins have rushed for an NFL fifth-worst 218 yards on the ground and will face a Jets' defense that has allowed a league-low 41 points this season.
EXTRA POINTS
1. While playing for Chicago, Marshall had six receptions for just 48 yards in his last meeting with Miami on Oct. 19.
2. Dolphins rookie DT Jordan Phillips has the team's lone sack this season, and he was inactive last week versus Buffalo.
3. Jets WR Eric Decker, who is questionable to miss his second straight game with a sprained knee, reeled in 10 receptions for a career-high 221 yards in his last meeting with Miami.
PREDICTION: Jets 20, Dolphins 16
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