NFL Week 15 Game Recap: Miami Dolphins 31, New York Jets 24,

The Miami Dolphins overcame a 10-point first quarter deficit to defeat the New York Jets 31-24 in Week 15. The Dolphins outscored the Jets 21-7 in the second half to make up for their 7-point halftime deficit.

Duke Johnson received most of the snaps at running back and played a big part in the win, rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

With the win, the Dolphins improve to 7-7 and stay alive in the AFC Wild Card race.

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Miami Dolphins

Quarterbacks

Tua Tagovailoa desperately missed Jaylen Waddle in the lineup. Tagovailoa threw an interception before completing a pass but finished with 196 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions on 31 dropbacks. Over 60% of his yards came through air, and 10 of his 16 completions resulted in a first down.

Tagovailoa completed five passes beyond 10 yards and made two big-time throws for the first time since Week 6. He did, however, produce multiple turnover-worthy plays for the fifth time this season.

Running Backs

Duke Johnson had one of the more impressive performances of his seven-year career. Johnson averaged nearly five yards per attempt and found the end zone twice on 22 carries. He gained 84 of his rushing yards after contact. Johnson forced 10 missed tackles in the game and four of his attempts gained over 10 yards.

Myles Gaskin played 24 offensive snaps but still rushed for 54 yards and two first downs on 10 attempts, including a game-high 30-yard run.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

DeVante Parker made some big plays down the stretch, including the go-ahead 11-yard touchdown with under four minutes left in the game. Parker finished with four receptions for 68 yards with three of his receptions resulting in a first down or touchdown. 

Mike Gesicki led the team in targets (7) and receptions (5) but could only muster 43 receiving yards. He did catch at least two contested targets for the second consecutive game.

Offensive Line

The Dolphins offensive line has struggled for most of the season but the unit combined to allow just four pressures. Neither Austin Jackson nor Robert Hunt conceded a pressure on a combined 62 pass-blocking snaps. Rookie Liam Eichenberg allowed just one pressure, but all three offensive lineman graded above 84.0 on pass-blocking snaps, upon first review.

Defensive Line

The Dolphins pass-rush nearly lived in the backfield by generating 14 pressures and three sacks. Andrew Van Ginkel and Emmanuel Ogbah combined to create 11 pressures and two sacks. Both Van Ginkel and Ogbah won on over 22% of their pass-rush snaps. 

Linebackers

The Dolphins blitzed on 60% of pass defense plays, which led to plenty of opportunities for Jerome Baker to make plays as a pass rusher. Baker earned an 84.5 pass-rush grade for sacking Wilson twice on eight pass-rush snaps. Elandon Roberts was similarly effective against the run, creating four defensive stops and one tackle for loss or no gain to earn an 89.1 run defense grade.

Secondary

Xavien Howard and Byron Jones dominated on the outside against the Jets' second-team receivers. Howard allowed just one reception for 6 yards and zero first downs. Jones earned an elite coverage grade after allowing one reception on four targets while also forcing two incompletions on such occasions.

The secondary combined to allow just five receptions for 50 yards in the game.

Miami Dolphins

Quarterback

Zach Wilson showed some flashes of brilliance but seemed overwhelmed for most of the contest. He finished with 170 passing yards on 33 dropbacks. Wilson didn’t complete a pass beyond 10 yards, and over 76% of his yards came after the catch. Despite not recording any big-time plays, he didn’t put the ball in harm's way and finished with zero turnover-worthy plays for the second consecutive game.

Wilson did also score off a quarterback sneak for his third rushing touchdown on the season.

Zach Wilson when blitzed

Running Backs

Michael Carter and Tevin Coleman played nearly identical snaps and split carries throughout the game. Both running backs carried the ball eight times with Coleman making the most of his attempts, leading the team in rushing yards (60) and yards per carry (6.2). Both Coleman and Carter forced at least four broken tackles and averaged over 3.0 yards after contact per attempt.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Down their top two wide receivers, Jamison Crowder became Wilson’s favorite target, as the veteran receiver led the team in targets (8), receptions (5) and receiving yards (40). Crowder forced three broken tackles but none of his receptions went for over 15 yards.

Braxton Berrios caught one pass on nine routes run for 26 yards but also ran the ball in for a score off an end-around.

Offensive Line

Wilson was sacked six times in the game but only two were charged against the offensive line that conceded 10 pressures in the loss. Conor McDermott started at left tackle for the first time this season and allowed both sacks and two pressures on 34 pass-blocking snaps. Three of the five offensive lineman allowed at least three pressures. None of the five starters graded above 70.0 in pass protection.

Defensive Line

On PFF’s first review of the broadcast film, none of the Jets defensive lineman graded above 65.0 in pass-rushing situations. The unit combined for 10 pressures but six were deemed unblocked or in cleanup. All 10 pressures came from four players with Sheldon Rankins creating two pressures and the only sack for the Jets in the game.

Linebackers

C.J. Mosley received a 55.5 defensive grade despite creating nine defensive stops and three tackles for loss or no gain. Mosley also gave up four receptions for 39 yards in coverage, while Del’Shawn Phillips was responsible for allowing a touchdown in the red zone.

Secondary

The Jets secondary was flying to the ball early in the first quarter but cooled off as the game progressed. The unit gave up a handful of explosive plays and combined to allow 10 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. 

Brandin Echols and Bryce Hall were both bright spots, as they both graded above 88.0 in coverage upon first review. Ashtyn Davis wasn’t targeted on 31 coverage snaps but intercepted Tagovailoa in the first quarter.