Pressure Point: Dolphins’ defense dominates Jets, builds confidence for stretch run

The Miami Dolphins got exactly what they needed Sunday, a stifling performance by a revved up defense and big day receiving from Jaylen Waddle.

That produced a had-to-have division win over the New York Jets before undertaking a season-ending three-game gauntlet against the Cowboys, Ravens and Bills.

The 30-0 rout didn’t negate the effects of the 14-point collapse in the final three minutes in losing to the Titans on Monday night. It did show a sense of urgency that coach Mike McDaniel promised from his team.

“I can’t overstate how it was a punch to the gut last week,” McDaniel said. “I’m as proud as I’ve been with any performance since I’ve been here.”

With star wide receiver Tyreek Hill inactive due to an ankle injury, the Dolphins needed to lean on the defense. Vic Fangio’s unit responded with a dominant effort.

We have to find a way to win today without Hill and others. That’s the mark of championship teams. You need depth and hopefully those players will step up. #NYJvsMIA #FinsUp #NFL

— Larry Csonka (@Larry_Csonka39) December 17, 2023

Chubb, Sieler, Wilkins lead Dolphins defense

It did appear to be cathartic for the defense, which harassed and unnerved Zach Wilson, the reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The Jets QB was 4-for-11 with just 26 passing yards before leaving before halftime with a head injury.

Led by pressure up front from Bradley Chubb, Zach Sieler and Christian Wilkins, the Dolphins held the Jets to four net yards — minus-10 passing — in the first half while registering five sacks.

It was the fewest yards allowed in the first half of an NFL game since Dec. 13, 2015 when Denver limited the Raiders to minus-12 yards in the first half.

For the game, they held the Jets to 103 yards with an average of 1.9 yards per play.

It was the second-lowest yardage output in a game in Dolphins history — they held Buffalo to 76 yards in 1973.

They finished with six sacks and four takeaways.

Chubb finished with three sacks, two forced fumbles and seven total tackles, including two tackles for loss.

It was solid redemption for the costly penalty Chubb took for throwing his helmet during the meltdown against the Titans.

Bradley Chubb was happy to make up for last week pic.twitter.com/yAh8pCnXoH

— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) December 17, 2023

McDaniel lauds character win

Sieler, a defensive tackle with a sudden nose for the end zone, recovered a fumble and came a yard shy of a touchdown in back-to-back games. Sieler also batted down a pass, had a sack, two quarterback hurries and a tackle for loss in addition to the fumble recovery.

Safety Brandon Jones had a pair of interceptions.

While the Jets’ toothless offense was a shadow of what the Dolphins will face in the next three weeks, the level of play of the defense gives reason for optimism.

After a slow start to the season, Fangio’s crew has overshadowed Miami’s offense in recent weeks, the fourth quarter against the Titans notwithstanding.

That trend of refuse-to-lose defense will need to continue in the weeks ahead.

At 10-4 the Dolphins control their playoff fortunes. But they still carry the stigma of not having beaten a a team over.500 this season with 10-4 Dallas and 10-3 Baltimore coming up before a season-ending date with the Bills at Hard Rock Stadium.

McDaniel was effusive in praise of the character his players exhibited in bouncing back from a devastating defeat while dealing with questions about the health of players at numerous positions.

Terron Armstead returned from multiple injuries and played the whole game at left tackle. Liam Eichenberg did a creditable job filling the void at center after Connor Williams’ season-ending injury and was awarded a game ball.

Waddle, Mostert stand out on offense

Waddle did his part to compensate for the absence of Hill, who tested his injured ankle pregame. Waddle had his best game of the season with eight catches for 142 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown from Tua Tagovailoa on a streak down the sideline.

That had Dolphins owner Steve Ross doing “The Waddle” celebration dance.

“We shouldn’t change who we are because one guy is out,” Tagovailoa said.

Nonetheless, except for that long heave to Waddle, which CBS analyst Tony Romo referred to as a “big-arm” throw, Tagovailoa mostly stuck to small ball with screens, quick outs and assorted short but accurate tosses.

Tua completed his first 11 passes and finished 21-for-24 for 224 yards and a passer rating of 119.4.

Raheem Mostert on breaking the touchdown records for a franchise that once cut him.

“All is forgiven.” pic.twitter.com/kWl7eC8K4X

— Five Reasons Sports 🏀🏈⚾️🏒⚽️ (@5ReasonsSports) December 17, 2023

It was a good day to pad stats, and running back Raheem Mostert continued his assault on the Dolphins’ record book with two touchdown runs. That gave him 17 rushing touchdowns, 19 overall touchdowns. Broke broke team marks of Ricky Williams and Mark Clayton, respectively.

“Everyone knew what we put out Monday was embarrassing. We didn’t want to feel that feeling again,” Tagovailoa said.

This is the last of the feel-good wins on the schedule. Going forward, the opponents are all playoff caliber with Super Bowl aspirations.

The weeks ahead will finally tell the story of the character and mettle of these Dolphins.

Craig Davis has covered South Florida sports and teams, including the Dolphins, for four decades. Follow him on the site formerly known as Twitter @CraigDavisRuns.