It is easiest to paint Jevon Holland's remarkable 99-yard interception and return for a touchdown of a Hail Mary attempt -- the Hell Mary. It was immediately dubbed by Jets fans who have seen more than enough -- as emblematic of the Jets' catastrophic season, and nobody would think that was a bad summary.
But the slaloming, will-he-or-won't-he return also says plenty about the Miami Dolphins and their 8-3 season, which has them, for at least two days, as the AFC’s top seed. As Holland picked his way up the field, he saw teammates making blocks -- Christian Wilkins among them.
"As soon as I see the ball in the air, everybody boxing out, I was thinking, 'I need that,'" Holland said. " Scoring on defense is huge."
It was especially huge because it essentially negated an interception of Tua Tagovailoa -- one minute before -- that was also returned for a touchdown, and was an apt reminder of what could make this team dangerous in the playoffs: Even on the occasions when their high flying offense stumbles even briefly, their defense is good enough to pick it up until the offense settles down. They had seven sacks and two interceptions, including Holland's gem, and held the Jets to 159 yards of total offense. In the NFL's first-ever Black Friday game, that was more than enough, with the Dolphins beating the Jets, 34-13.
Phillips suffered a noncontact leg injury midway through the fourth quarter and was ruled out with an Achilles injury. The 2021 first-round pick played in eight games this season and finished with a team-high 6.5 sacks.
On the other side of the ball, it was a game to forget for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who turned the ball over three times, including a pick-six courtesy of Jets cornerback Brandin Echols. Miami finished with 395 yards, well below its season average of 435 yards per game, but more concerning is its second consecutive game with three turnovers.
Miami's defense has rounded into form over the past month, but its offense is in need of a turnaround as it enters the final month of the regular season -- especially considering how much it struggled at the end of the 2022 season.
The 8-3 Dolphins travel to Washington to play the Commanders next week, very much in the running for the AFC's top seed with six games remaining in the season.
Left tackle Duane Brown, activated from injured reserve Thursday, was in uniform, but didn't play on offense -- the first time in his 17-year career that he didn't start a game and was used as a backup.
"[We] tried to give him one more week to get his mind right," Saleh said. "Probably could have played today, but it was a little bit late in the week when we all felt comfortable with where we were with him. Had him dressed for an emergency only. We'll see if we can get him back into the fold next week."
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