Bryce Petty’s body was crushed by the weight, sandwiched between the massive frames of Miami defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Cameron Wake.
The fierce blow left the Jets quarterback lying in a crumbled heap on the MetLife Stadium turf as Dolphins players celebrated yet another big play. It would be several minutes before Petty would be helped to his feet and ushered slowly to the sideline by doctors. And by the time starter-turned-backup Ryan Fitzpatrick buckled his chin strap in relief, the game was already long over.
The Jets (4-10) had a chance to play spoiler on Saturday night against the Dolphins, who, unlike Todd Bowles’ team, still have a shot at making the playoffs. But instead of handing their division rivals a gratifying defeat, the Jets were outplayed on their home turf and lost, 34-13.
StatsJets vs. Dolphins boxscore
And when it was all over, questions lingered about the Jets’ quarterback situation once more.
Petty got the Jets to the Miami 13 with a 28-yard completion to Robby Anderson to start the fourth quarter. But after he let go of the ball, the Jets’ makeshift offensive line allowed Wake and Suh to come in unblocked and their pair sandwiched Petty.
Team doctors and trainers came running onto the field as the 25-year-old lay writhing in pain. But after Petty was checked out on the sideline, the team announced that he only had the wind knocked out of him.
Fitzpatrick — who lost his starting job to Petty after the Jets’ last embarrassing primetime defeat (a 41-10 loss on Dec. 5) — finished the game. He completed 5 of 10 passes for 31 yards and an interception in the final seconds.
The Dolphins (9-5) were the dominant team throughout. The Jets? Well, they continued their ongoing descent toward a better draft pick.
There were a few bright spots, though: Bilal Powell’s 162 yards from scrimmage, a 40-yard Petty-to-Anderson TD, a handful of Leonard Williams plays and rookie Juston Burris’ first NFL pick in his first career start.
But none of it could offset their embarrassing collapse on national TV, which included 21 points being allowed by their defense in a four-minute span.
Only the Jets could make Dolphins backup Matt Moore — a quarterback who hadn’t started a game in five years — look like Dan Marino. Moore, who was thrust into action after starter Ryan Tannehill sprained his left ACL and MCL last week, completed 12 of 18 passes for 236 yards and four TDs in his first start since defeating the Jets, 19-17, on Jan. 1, 2012 with Bowles as Miami’s interim head coach.
The “Let’s Go Dolphins!” chants began picking up steam in the second half and before long, loyal Jets fans began trickling out of the half-empty stadium.
There was plenty for the local Miami fans to cheer, of course.
There was Wake’s strip-sack of Petty; the interception Petty threw right into the arms of Wake early in the second quarter; receiver Kenny Stills’ 52-yard TD on Burris; and a blocked Lachlan Edwards punt that was returned 11 yards for a score that put the Dolphins up 20-10 in the third.
Powell, meanwhile, picked up right where he left off in San Francisco, burrowing his way through the defense and hurdling over would-be tacklers that were just a step too slow. The backup running back did his best to carry the Jets offense for four quarters, but his standout effort — which included 11 receptions for 78 yards — wasn’t enough to undo the self-inflicted wounds.
Meanwhile, Jets receiver Brandon Marshall came prepared, as promised, with his own yellow penalty flag tucked into his pants. The extra laundry was supposed to be a security blanket of sorts against cornerback Byron Maxwell, whom Marshall previously called out for holding on every play. But the rematch between the two was short-lived, as Maxwell exited the game early in the first half with an ankle injury. His absence didn’t help Marshall’s game though. He finished with one catch for 16 yards.
..... - Newsday