CBS4's Steve Goldstein Previews Dolphins-Jets Coming Off Bye Week
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Miami Dolphins can do the once unthinkable with a home win against the Jets on Sunday and reach .500 on the season. After an opening win in New England, the Dolphins lost 7 in a row but stuck together and have now won five straight.
Coming off the bye week, they are rested and should be fired up to sweep the season series from the dismal Jets who keep getting blown out. Of course, the latest COVID outbreak changes a lot of things as the Dolphins have a number of players that may miss the game including Jevon Holland, Myles Gaskin, Phillip Lindsay, and Salvon Ahmed who were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list along with Jaelyn Waddle on Thursday.
STAY WITH THE FLO
In his third season as head coach, Brian Flores teams are 10 games over .500 in the second half of the season. That's no easy feat to keep teams on the track, stay together as unit, and make adjustments in season. The players clearly are all in on battling for Brian Flores.
TUA ON A TEAR
It has been a great run for the quarterback as his accuracy and efficiency have been at a high-level and he's producing wins. Tua has great opportunity against the Jets to post more big numbers and another win this Sunday. It's money time with four games left and he keeps improving. Can Tua get even better as the games get bigger?
DEFENSIVE STARS
No one is surprised Xavian Howard is making big plays and leading a defensive resurrection. But rookies Jaelan Phillips and Jevon Holland have been stars. Both are setting team rookie records at their positions and have spearheaded the aggressive style the unit has played with during the winning streak. The Dolphins hit big in the draft with both players.
PLAYOFFS?
It once seemed completely impossible when the Dolphins were 1-7 to even think about a playoff spot. But now, with four games to go, if they win all of them, it is likely they'll get in with a 10-7 record. The margin for error is razor thin in part due to the fact that Dolphins lose tiebreakers to numerous teams like Indianapolis and Buffalo. One thing at a time though, avoiding a slip up against the Jets is the first order of business.
The Dolphins and Jets kickoff at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday on CBS4, your official Dolphins television station.