South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Dolphins vs. Jets today at 1 p.m.
Miami’s been doing well going up against rookie quarterbacks.
Safety T.J. McDonald, a former USC standout, has fond memories of laying a hit or two on former Trojans quarterback Carson Palmer in NFC West matchups in the past.
On Sunday, McDonald and the Miami Dolphins defense will get their chance to do the same against another USC product in New York Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold when both teams meet for their Week 2 matchup at 1 p.m. in MetLife Stadium.
As Dolphins players naturally cheer for their former teams on college football Saturdays, McDonald has watched Darnold shine for the last two seasons as USC’s starter before he was selected third overall in the NFL draft earlier this year.
After an impressive rookie debut, which resulted in a Jets’ 48-17 win over the Lions, the Dolphins hope to spoil Darnold’s home debut.
“It was impressive,” McDonald said of Darnold, who threw a pick-six on his first pass but finished 16 of 21 for 198 yards and two touchdowns.
“Coming into this league, it’s a competitive league, and in a market like New York, to be able to go out and do that, that’s impressive. You definitely have to tip your hat to that.”
The Dolphins, who are 13-7 in games against rookie starting quarterbacks since 2004, are in a unique situation with the possibility of playing two rookies in their own division this season.
The Dolphins could play against Darnold and Bills rookie Josh Allen twice, with secondyear quarterbacks like Mitch Trubisky (Bears, Week 6) and Deshaun Watson (Texans, Week 8) also on the schedule.
If Miami plays well in each of those games, it could be in good position to contend for a playoff spot for the second time in coach Adam Gase’s three-year tenure, and third overall since 2008.
But the Dolphins are not looking ahead one bit.
“A couple of those guys, I haven’t seen play in our league yet. You might catch a game on TV or something, but that doesn’t mean anything,” Gase said earlier this week about the prospects of playing inexperienced quarterbacks this season.
“That’s why this week we’ll focus on the snaps we have of Darnold. Past that, we’ll worry about those other games when we get there.”
Among Miami’s most notable matchups against rookie quarterbacks:
■ Palmer (Bengals) and Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) — in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively, in 2004 — became the first rookie quarterbacks to beat the Dolphins since Drew Bledsoe did with the Patriots in 1994 (1993 regular-season finale).
■ Against the Jets, the Dolphins beat Mark Sanchez in both divisional matchups during his rookie season, despite Sanchez helping New York reach the first of two consecutive AFC championship games in 2009.
Four years later, Geno Smith was serenated with boos in MetLife Stadium after going 4 for 10 for 29 yards with an interception in a Week 13 Dolphins win. But Smith, the former Miramar High standout, effectively ended Miami’s playoff hopes and season, handing the Dolphins a 20-7 loss in Week 17 of the 2013 season.
■ The Dolphins lost twice to the Ravens, with Joe Flacco as starter in 2008, including an AFC wildcard matchup that saw Chad Pennington throw four interceptions.
■ Ryan Tannehill outplayed Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during Week 12 of their rookie seasons in 2012, but Andrew Luck set a rookie record with 433 yards passing in a Colts win over the Dolphins in Week 9.
Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins, Nick Foles and current Dolphins backup quarterback Brock Osweiler were also rookies in 2012.
■ The Dolphins have won their last five games against rookie starting quarterbacks: Derek Carr (Raiders), Blake Bortles (Jaguars) and Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings) in 2014; Marcus Mariota (Titans) in 2015 and Jared Goff (Rams) in 2016.
Tannehill, now in his seventh season, is making his second start since suffering knee injuries in Dec. 2016 and Aug. 2017. He has a 4-5 record against the Jets with a 55.8 completion percentage.
During last week’s seasonopening win against the Titans, Tannehill completed 20-of-28 passes with two touchdowns despite two interceptions in a 27-20 win. Tannehill wants to have a sharper performance Sunday after the Dolphins went 2 of 10 on third down, and 1 of 5 in the red zone aganst the Titans.
As Tannehill continues to shake off the rust, he hopes his growth as a quarterback results in a playoff run for the Dolphins.
If Tannehill could consult his rookie self, the conversation could be endless.
“You learn so much over the course of your career,” Tannehill said. “‘If I knew then what I know now’ — I think that’s how everyone feels.
“You just kind of have to go through the process and take the lumps along the way, but it’s definitely a growing process.”