Jets, Dolphins clinging to playoff hopes in AFC hunt
Miami vs. New York Jets
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A lot has happened since London.
The New York Jets were feeling pretty good on the flight back from over the pond after improving to 3-1 with a 27-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium on Oct. 4. Todd Bowles’ bunch would win the following week, too, topping Washington and getting off to a surprising 4-1 start.
Meanwhile, the loss cost Joe Philbin his job, with Dan Campbell taking over as interim coach of the struggling Dolphins.
The Jets (5-5) are 1-4 since, mired in a stretch of inconsistency that has seen them slip from early-season sensations to trying to remain in the playoff hunt.
Must-win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday?
“No, I like to stay away from that term,” quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “Every game, we’re out there trying to win.”
But a victory would go a long way in helping get New York back on track. The Jets are tied with Houston and Buffalo on the outside looking in — and the Texans and Bills each have the tiebreaker after wins over New York the last two weeks.
“I think we’re awake,” Bowles said when asked if the team needed a wakeup call. “That’s the problem. I just think we need to execute better.”
The Dolphins (4-6) haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008, and might need to sweep their final six games to end the drought.
“Everybody in this locker room believes we’re going to win out and make the playoffs,” center Mike Pouncey said.
The Dolphins are 3-3 under Campbell, who has something in common with Bowles — they have both been interim coaches with Miami. Bowles took over for the fired Tony Sparano in 2011.
Miami heads to New York having won its last three visits to the Meadowlands and six of its past seven.
“We are more aggressive than we were the first time they played us, and for the most part we’ve been able to stay in games,” Campbell said. “That game got out of control on us and we ended up being one-dimensional the last time we played them, which is kudos to them.”
Here are some other things to know for this AFC East showdown:
Impact players
After a slow start, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has become the dominating force the Dolphins were looking for when they signed him to a $114 million, six-year contract. In the past two games, Suh has 17 tackles, including five for a loss.
Defensive end Olivier Vernon has also made an impact lately, with 10 quarterback hurries in the past two weeks.
Suh shrugged off praise for the tandem.
“It hasn’t been good enough for us to win consistently,” he said. “That’s all that matters. If individuals won games, we’d have a lot of wins under our belt.”
Familiar face
After being waived by the Jets on Tuesday, linebacker Quinton Coples was claimed by the Dolphins the next day. He’ll be used as a pass-rushing end in Miami’s defense, a role some thought the 2012 first-round draft pick was better suited for.
And, Coples could make an immediate impact for his new team — against his former teammates.
“If we can get him up to speed,” Campbell said, “we plan on using him.”
Revis Island closed
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is dealing with a concussion he suffered at Houston last Sunday and will not play.
Revis was going through the NFL’s concussion protocol while sitting out practice all week. Marcus Williams will likely start in Revis’ place opposite Antonio Cromartie. Bowles said the defensive scheme won’t change with Revis out.
“You tinker with certain things on the side, one way or the other, but the game plan will be the game plan,” Bowles said.
Solid Ivory
Chris Ivory had the best game of his career the last time he faced the Dolphins, running for 166 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t topped 100 yards since and has only two touchdowns in that span. The Jets need Ivory to get back in gear against Miami.
“They run hard and they’ve done a lot of positive things,” Suh said of Ivory and the Jets’ ground game. “So we’ve got to first and foremost combat their run.”
Sluggish Dolphins
Ryan Tannehill and Miami’s offense have scored more than 20 points just twice this season — in Campbell’s first two games as interim coach: 38-10 at Tennessee and 44-26 over Houston at home.
Points have been tough to come by the last four weeks, with Miami scoring a total of 58 in four games: a 36-7 loss at New England, a 33-17 defeat at Buffalo, a 20-19 victory at Philadelphia, and a 24-14 loss to Dallas. Not helping matters: The Dolphins, ranked last in the AFC in third-down conversions at 28 percent, went 1 for 10 against Dallas.