Dolphins vs Jets Preview

By Jonathan Solomon  |   Saturday, September 17, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Miami Dolphins
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Division rivalries will be renewed this weekend and perhaps none will be more explosive as when the Miami Dolphins head to New York to play the Jets on Sunday afternoon (4:30 pm ET on CBS). Week 1 saw polar opposites as far as expectations were concerned for the two AFC East franchises. While the Jets stunk up Arrowhead Stadium during a loss to the Chiefs, the Dolphins stunned everyone but themselves by dismantling the Broncos.

The New York Jets were so bad last week that they can only improve. Quarterback Chad Pennington is slowly starting to wear out his welcome amongst New York fans who are now questioning his ability to hold onto the football. It doesn't help that running back Curtis Martin was a non-factor and rookie kicker Mike Nugent missed a couple of field goals. The Jets defense allowed Kansas City to rush for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns although they do entail the strongest run blocking unit.

The Miami Dolphins run game helped them generously against a weak Denver front line as second overall pick Ronnie Brown ran for 57 yards on 22 carries. Backups Sammy Morris and Travis Minor combined for 47 yards on 7 carries. Miami's offensive line is in no way shape or form comparable to Kansas City, so don't expect them to be have similar success this week.

Miami quarterback Gus Frerotte did a tremendous job passing for 275 yards with two touchdowns and completing 24 of 36 pass attempts. The trio of Marty Booker, Randy McMichael and Chris Chambers gives them a lot to work with. The Jets will try to get pressure on Frerotte and make sure he's on his toes all day.

The only positive coming out of last week for the New York Jets is the fact that they had no serious injuries so everyone's back for this weekend. The Dolphins' Ronnie Brown (shoulder) is listed as probable.

When the Jets and Dolphins meet it's always a tough and competitive ball game. This will be as close to an early season must-win for the Jets as falling behind 0-2 in the division is never favorable. Meanwhile, the Dolphins will try and put the slam down on the Jets early. If Nick Saban is able to push the Dolphins to an early 2-0 record, he will without a doubt be known as one of the smartest men in the NFL.
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