Normally a team that improves by five wins from one season to the next would be celebrated by their entire fan base. Their coach would get an extension, their players would become folk heroes and there would be nary a complaint about what's transpired. The Jets, then, are not a normal team. Unless you've been living in a cave, you already know that the Jets have declined from 8-3 to the brink of missing the playoffs. In the process, Eric Mangini's seat has gotten hot and Brett Favre has earned the kind of rancor that he was unaccustomed to in Green Bay. A loss to Miami on Sunday guarantees they'll miss the playoffs, while a win gives them only an outside chance of making the postseason tournament.
Yet, they aren't the only team in this matchup that could see a rapid turnaround go up in smoke. The Dolphins are nine wins better than they were in 2007, but a loss to the Jets will mean they don't make the playoffs despite winning 10 games. They didn't spend hundreds of millions in the offseason, though, and had no expectations of making it this far, so Tony Sparano's got nothing to worry about.
A win, however, means the AFC East title and sweet revenge for Chad Pennington. Jettisoned to make room for Favre, a storybook season couldn't hope for a better ending than Pennington celebrating the improbable in his old stomping grounds.
Three Key Questions
1) Can the Jets throw off the stench of their last four games and play like the team that beat New England and Tennessee on the road?
2) Will the Dolphin defense rebound after giving up nearly 500 yards to the Chiefs?
3) Is Kris Jenkins, the key to the Jets run defense, playing hurt?
Player in the Spotlight: Favre. While there are myriad reasons for the Jet slump, Favre hasn't played like the leader that he was brought to New York to be this summer. He's talking about shoulder injuries, has made awful decisions of late and needs to put both behind him for the Jets to win on Sunday. If the line can keep Joey Porter off his back, Favre must deliver a mistake-free performance or the image of a jubilant Pennington will sting the franchise for many years.
Miami's Path to Triumph: The Dolphins can't let the improbability of the situation play with their heads. They've got to recover their defensive mojo, slow the Jet running game and force Favre to win the game. On offense, Pennington's smart, controlled passing style is a perfect antidote for a Jet defense that's struggled to stop short passing all season.
New York's Path to Triumph: Odd as it may sound given his place in the spotlight, the Jets have to rely on their running game and not Favre. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have been the two best offensive players on the team all season, yet the team goes away from them far too often. While the offensive line is another key to that strategy, the defensive line has to return to form. That's why Jenkins' health is key, because, good fit or not, Pennington can't win the game all by himself.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-27-2008 @ 9:43PM
undying finz fan said...
finz come with huge momentum, off ugly win in sub zero temp while giving up the entire field defensively! Shut the door on chiefs when they had to and pennington has gotten personal! favre in a rut, jets not cohesive as a team, defalted and up against a wall. Finz look to redeem early season fluke jet win on fluke play, agame that belonged to the finz. Defense will rebound strong from weak showing, especially with return of linebacker channing crowder! biggest game of chads, browns and williams career, not to mention the newly established testicles of tedd ginn, ready for a big, fearless showing!! chad aint leaving meadowlands with an L!!
Reply
12-27-2008 @ 10:28PM
Mallary Benrube said...
Hi Miami Dolphins
My name is Mallary Benrube I am a Dolphin Fan and I
am praying that the Dolphins will beat the Jets to go to
the Playoffs in January.
From
Mallary
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 7:17AM
jvsiii3 said...
It's too bad the Jets have beat the phins 5 straight times.They will make it another season sweep for the 3rd season in a row.
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 8:09AM
mick jagger said...
my fins win big today because the JETS suck
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 8:11AM
wilma fingerdo said...
J.E.T.S. suck suck suck 20-17 miami
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 9:16AM
jvsiii3 said...
Yeah we'll see. The jets suck, Can you come up with something more original? Nice fan base Miami. That's why you can't sell out your home games. That's why it takes years to get Jets season tickets. And I live in South Florida. So I speak from experience. Everyone jumps on the Dolphin bandwagon as long as they are winning. But when they lose you jump ship like a refugee boat stuck on a sandbar off of government cut.
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 10:08AM
Andy said...
As a fan that bleeds green I expect the j e t s to lose. first off there is only 1 reason they are where they are. Bad coaching and bad decision making. Mangini is an idiot and not a leader or field general. I expect during today's game the jets will
1. not pressure the quarterback
2. not run the ball early and often
3. make no adjustments at half time
4. constantly send 8 into coverage giving yet another QB (this time a well known and good one) time to pick them apart.
5 Expect Farve to win game on his own throwing deep despite his tired arm (obvious to anybody watching except Man-stupid).
6. will not play Gohlston they're first round draft pick meaning a season wasted with no knowledge of what this player can do on the field. With the need (desperate need of a pass rush why not line him up as a down line him and have him rush Pennington on every play? Eric again puts his ego before the
success of the team, this guy is not head coach material.
My team has the players but no collective (coaching) brains.
Why is it that each time they run Thomas Jones up the right side they pick up at least 5 yards. How is it they dont run this play until they are stopped? How is it they hand the ball to Leon W. once in a game pull a 50 yard TD and put him back on the shelf? Does Woody J follow football? I wonder what his fave team is? Does brian S realize if they can establish the run early they can tire out the defense and then play action and maybe then Farve will have an open receiver to through to? I expect not. For all the reasons I listed earlier J E T S will lose and Woody (PLEASE) must rid us of this mean spirited ego maniac loser before he wastes another season.
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 2:05PM
D. CANTOR said...
J E T S JETS JETS JETS.
N'UFF SAID.
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 11:05AM
jvsiii3 said...
I agree with you wholeheartedly Andy. Even if we do win I don'[t think we'll make the playoffs. Which we don't even deserve to. I think we would be better off if we didn't. They might make some much needed coaching changes. We have three viable options for a new coach.
1) Bill Cowher
2) Brian Billick
3) Marty Scottenheimer
All three would be viable options & major upgrades from where we are.
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 8:00PM
Russ C said...
Mangini must GO! Bring back Brett at ANY cost, maybe with Holmgren as coach.....The jets will never win with a high school level coach......
Reply
12-28-2008 @ 8:37PM
jvsiii3 said...
Bring Farve back?!?! What are you high? Are you drinking the same Kool Aid Mangini is? Farve lost this game with his stupid picks. It's because of Farve's play and Mangini's coaching we are done for the year. We were 8-3. Now we're 9-6. That blows. There is no excuse for that. We don't want Holmgren either. He proved in Seattle if you give one man THAT much power (responsibility) it can't be done.
Reply