TLDR: Miami is 0-5 and spent its bye week insisting nothing is wrong at quarterback. The Jets are 2-4 and coming off a game in Foxborough they had in reach. One of these AFC East teams gets a reprieve on Sunday, October 25.
An 0-5 Miami team comes off its bye with Malik Willis still the starter despite ranking last among qualifying passers, and visits a 2-4 Jets team that has lost 4 of its last 5. New York's pass rush against Willis's turnovers is the matchup to watch, along with whether Miami's thin cornerback group can hold up against Garrett Wilson and Omar Cooper Jr. The board has the Jets as a clear home favorite with a low total, which fits 2 offenses that have struggled to score.
−Guard Parham out, offensive line patched together
−Short turnaround after a physical loss at New England
Everything here runs through the 2 quarterbacks. Malik Willis came to Miami as a free agent, and 5 starts in he has 2 touchdown passes, 4 interceptions and the lowest passer rating of 29 qualifiers. Jeff Hafley spent the bye shutting down talk of Kyle McCord: "We've played five games and Malik is our quarterback." The Bengals loss summed up his season. Willis ran 8 times for 74 yards and a score, which is the version of him that works, then threw 2 picks and put the ball on the ground twice. Geno Smith is the steadier hand on the other side. He went 20-for-30 for 252 yards in New England, and the interception he threw there was his first of the season.
The Jets are short on bodies too. Breece Hall (quadriceps) has been inactive, which leaves Braelon Allen as the lead back. Adonai Mitchell (finger) is out, so Tim Patrick and Isaiah Williams have been filling in behind Garrett Wilson. Rookie Omar Cooper Jr. played through an ankle problem and beat the Patriots secondary for a 48-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Guard Dylan Parham, end Joseph Ossai, corner Nahshon Wright and tackle Jack Heflin were all inactive Sunday. Miami's problems are in the secondary. Storm Duck (knee) missed the Bengals game, JuJu Brents left it with a stinger, Michael Taaffe was dealing with a chest injury and Reese Taylor is questionable. Books have New York as a comfortable home favorite.
The Dolphins come in rested, and that's about the only thing going for them. They've scored 10 or 13 points in 4 of their 5 games. The exception was 24 against Cincinnati, and they still lost that one by 7. The Jets aren't scoring a lot either, with 12, 17 and 19 points in 3 of their last 4. That's why the total sits in the high 30s. Neither offense has given anyone a reason to push it higher.
New York's defense has been the reason it's in games. David Bailey had 7 tackles and 3 sacks in the 17-12 win over Cleveland, and Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood have been piling up tackles in the middle. Put that front against a quarterback who holds the ball and fumbles it, behind a line that just watched guard Jonah Savaiinaea leave the Bengals game with an ankle injury, and Miami's best hope is Willis using his legs and Ollie Gordon II getting the carries. Gordon ran 18 times for 88 yards and a touchdown against Cincinnati and looked like the most dependable part of the Miami offense.
The Jets have to win games like this. They lost by 3 to Green Bay and by 7 in New England, and the Patriots needed a late drive that ran out the clock to finish them. Miami is the most beatable team on their schedule so far. The forecast for MetLife is about 60 degrees, clear skies and a 5 mph wind, so the weather won't be an excuse for either offense. Kickoff is 1:00 PM ET.
Dolphins vs. Jets: Polymarket Odds & Prediction (Oct. 25) — Winless Dolphins Come Off The Bye To Visit Reeling Jets · Barstool Bush
