Slow Defensive Start Contributes to First-Quarter Deficit
In the first quarter of Sunday’s loss, the Jets fell into an early deficit.
“They scripted a good first 15 [minutes],” edge Jermaine Johnson said.
The Dolphins, who won the coin toss and elected to receive, made a statement right away. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa led a 69-yard, 4-play drive that took 2:14 and included 2 explosive runs for 21 and 39 yards, respectively. Tagovailoa found WR Jaylen Waddle in the end zone for a 3-yard TD to take the early lead.
“We knew they were going to come out fast,” LB Quincy Williams said. “The biggest thing was us coming out fast too. We didn’t do that the first series. There was a lot of movement, a lot of smoke and mirrors to get us off our spot. And we didn’t show up early.”
The Dolphins found the end zone on the next two possessions to push the score to 21-0. The Jets defense tightened up through the middle of the game, allowing only a field goal until the fourth quarter. The slow start, however, proved costly. Miami recorded 199 total net yards and picked up 11 first downs in the first stanza, maintaining possession for 11:05 compared to the Jets’ 3:55.
“As a defense, we did finish better,” LB Jamien Sherwood said. “Obviously, it didn’t show on the scoreboard, but we felt it. It’s just minute details that we have to fix to prevent them from going up 21 points on us.”