The NFL season’s 12th week witnessed the introduction of the Black Friday game, where the Miami Dolphins engaged in a tussle against AFC East contenders, the New York Jets; the game concluded with the Dolphins scoring a resounding 34-13 victory. With this triumph, the Dolphins fortified their standing at the division’s pinnacle with a season score of 8-3, whereas the Jets (4-7), wallow near the bottom, grappling with a consecutive four-game loss.
In an unforeseen move, the Jets engaged ex-third-string quarterback, Tim Boyle, as a desperate measure to salvage its plummeting season, whilst Aaron Rodgers gears up to reclaim his spot post overcoming an Achilles injury.
Nevertheless, Boyle’s ordeal against the fierce Dolphins’ defense ended with a glaring struggle as they recorded seven sacks on the day. Concurrently, Dolphins’ quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, kept strengthening his case for MVP and etched into the franchise’s history books by becoming the only quarterback, apart from Dan Marino, to rack up 3,000 passing yards in a season’s initial 11 games.
In a clash of figures, Miami Dolphins asserted dominance over New York Jets, ending the game with a score of 34-13. In an interesting face-off, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner denied Dolphins’ wide receiver Tyreek Hill on a pivotal fourth-down attempt in the end zone.
In the subsequent drive, Dolphins, however, settled for a field goal securing an early lead of 3-0. It was during the same drive when Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa created a unique record, matching the legend Dan Marino, by topping 3,000 passing yards in the initial 11 games of the season.
Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins’ wide receiver made a significant contribution, catching a vital pass from Tagovailoa on third down. The 20-yard gain proved crucial in setting up the Dolphins in the red zone.
The momentum continued as Hill capped off the impressive 60-yard drive with a touchdown. He took a short pass from Tagovailoa, evaded Jets safety Jordan Whitehead’s tackle attempt, and swiftly entered the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown extending Dolphins’ early lead to 10-0 midway through the second quarter. Hill’s accomplishment of scoring in nine out of the first 11 games and his 10th season TD reception marked him as the first Dolphin player to do so since Mike Wallace in 2014.
The narrative of the game took a turn when with less than a minute remaining before the halftime, Jets’ cornerback Brandin Echols intercepted a throw from Tagovailoa resulting in a pick-6, shifting the score to a closer 10-6, after a failed extra-point attempt.
Following the drama, on the Dolphins’ next stint in possession, Tagovailoa was subject to another interception, this time by Jets’ cornerback DJ Reed.
Consequent to Reed’s interception, the clock was down to a mere two seconds before halftime. Gambling with chance over caution, the Jets chose to go for a Hail Mary, which unfortunately for them had a disastrous outcome.
Boyle’s end zone Hail Mary pass was intercepted by the Dolphins’ safety, Jevon Holland, who dodged a flurry of Jets defenders and returned the ball 99 yards for the second pick-6 of the fixture.
The tide of the game stood in the Dolphins favor with a 17-6 lead as they headed into the locker room at halftime.
As the second half began, Dolphins’ first series saw Tagovailoa successfully connect with Waddle on a long pass for a third-down conversion. Dolphins rounded off the drive by extending their lead 20-6 with an additional field goal.
Dolphins’ running back Raheem Mostert then scored his 14th season touchdown on a 13-yard rush, pushing the Dolphins further ahead to 27-6.
In the fourth quarter, the Jets’ promising drive ended in disappointment with Boyle throwing yet another interception. The deflected pass, intended for running back Breece Hall, fell into the waiting hands of Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker.
However, fortune soon favored the Jets when Tagovailoa lost control of the ball during Dolphins’ next possession. Capitalizing on this turnover, Boyle successfully connected with Garrett Wilson in the end zone’s corner scoring six points for the Jets.
Sealing the fate of the game, Dolphins’ Mostert charged into the end zone without any obstruction on a 34-yard rush, recording his second touchdown of the day. This solidified the Dolphins’ commanding lead at 34-13, which remained unchanged till the culmination of the game.