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The Good
Albeit against a 4th round rookie starting his first game, the Dolphins defense was dominant. Allowing 3 points, intercepting 2 passes including a pick 6 by Nik Needham and amassing 8 sacks. Emmanuel Ogbah and Jerome Baker were standouts in the sack department, but it seems everyone took turns beating up Ian Book. The Dolphins defense also only allowed 164 total yards and made the Saints go 0-12 on third down.
Jaylen Waddle resumed where he left off, catching 10 balls for 92 yards and 1 TD. He is now second all-time (96 catches) in receptions by a rookie behind the great Anquan Boldin (101 catches).
The Bad
The offensive line returned to form. The run blocking was back to putrid (2.9 YPC, 86 rushing yards) and the pass protection left a lot to be desired. Tua was sacked three times, including a strip sack, and the offensive line had some untimely holding penalties (although the one on Liam was pure trash).
The Ugly
Tua threw a terrible pick that should have been a wide open throw to Waddle for a first down. I'm not sure what the thought was on that throw other than he went YOLO. Aside from that, he had his typical game where he was accurate on short throws and did deliver a nice 40-yard bomb to Mack Hollins right after the terrible pick.
Overall
The Dolphins have won 7 in a row and have miracously gone from "season over" to holding the 7th seed in the playoffs. Granted, they face some tough tests against Tennessee (and our former starting QB, Ryan Tannehill) and our nemesis New England Patriots. If the Dolphins win out, the playoff spot is theirs. If they don't take care of business, things get a lot muddier.
One good thing about this win streak is that that trade of a first round pick to Philadelphia isn't looking as bad as it was earlier in the season. Right now, the Eagles pick 19th while the Dolphins pick 21st. Earlier in the year, that pick to Philly was looking like a top 5 pick.
The Good
Duke Johnson was a revelation (although as someone from Miami, I always liked his game) rushing for 107 yards and 2 TDs. Did anyone start him in their fantasy league?
Jerome Baker had a monster day on defense with 7 tackles and 2 sacks.
Overall, the defense held the Jets to 228 total yards on offense and 3 of 11 on third down. The Jets scored 24 points, but 14 of those came on turnovers.
The Bad
What the hell was that snap on the punt that turned into a lost fumble? Was it a miscommunication? Was Fejedelem unaware of the play? Or was it a bad snap?
The Ugly
If not for some big boy throws, Tua would have been firmly in the bad column today. His interceptions were horrible, especially the pick 6 that was a telegraphed play. He was also off on some other throws like the deep throw to Albert Wilson that should have gone for a touchdown. But he made some big plays in key situations to Devante Parker, Isaiah Ford and Mike Gesicki and with his legs when it counted. He was coming off a bye week and missing his top target. Still... those picks were inexcusable.
Overall
A 6-game winning streak. The playoff conversation is starting to pick up steam after starting the season 1-7. The offensive line seems to finally be getting some push in the run game (Liam stood out to me against the Jets). The offense is putting up points, even in an ugly performance. Next up are the Saints, who have been a model of inconsistency all season long. Can the streak continue?