Jets vs. Dolphins: Analyzing the Key Defensive Performs within the Ultimate Minute of Regulation as Miami Pressured Extra time

The Jets had an opportunity to complete the Dolphins off on their last offensive drive of Week 14. As we mentioned early, New York was in a position to kick a area aim within the last minute to take a lead. Nonetheless, poor recreation administration left the Dolphins with time to place collectively a game-tying drive to power extra time.

After an enormous kickoff return by Malik Washington, the Dolphins began with glorious area place at their very own 46 yard line with 44 seconds however no timeouts to work with.

On the primary play of the sequence, the Dolphins tried to provide an enormous play with Washington, the person who had simply damaged a forty five yard return.

Washington is operating a vertical route in opposition to Brandin Echols.

Based mostly on the preliminary alignment, it looks like Chuck Clark may very well be offering Echols with security assist excessive. Nonetheless, Clark is just not aligned at deep security as Tony Adams is throughout the sphere.

Clark (pink) is on the 45, whereas Adams (yellow) is 2 yards deeper, on the 43. This may tip off that the presnap look is a disguise.

Jonnu Smith is operating an out route from the slot. There actually isn’t anyone nearer who may cowl that than Clark. And it could be troublesome for Clark to recover from to offer sideline assist from his alignment anyway.

Certainly, Clark drives on the Smith’s slot out route, leaving Washington one on one in opposition to Echols. Tua lets it fly. Echols simply performs glorious protection, and the play doesn’t have an opportunity of working.

That brings up second down. Right here the Dolphins work the ball to Tyreek Hill on a 15 yard out.

Hill begins up the sphere stemming his route vertically. DJ Reed has deep accountability.

That is an especially difficult cowl for Reed as a result of he’s going up in opposition to one of many league’s quickest gamers, and he can’t let Hill get behind him on this spot. So his (not incorrect) intuition is to maneuver again.

This leaves Hill loads of house to interrupt exterior.

Reed is simply residing to battle one other day right here. It’s robust in charge him. The Dolphins do a superb job placing Hill in a spot to make a play.

The one defender even near Hill is Isaiah Oliver who has an beneath zone. I assume in principle you can argue that he may get extra depth to constrict the passing lane.

I’m undecided that’s actually true in observe, although, although. His zone drop is an identical to the place Quincy Williams finally ends up on the opposite facet.

His job can also be fairly clear. The Dolphins burned their last two timeouts on the earlier Jets sequence. The Jets are attempting to bait the Dolphins into throwing a checkdown, and it’s Oliver’s job to sort out the receiver in bounds. It will just about finish the sport. Oliver leaves sufficient house for a completion to be simple and attractive however is shut sufficient to make the sort out.

If Oliver drops, no one might be in place to defend the checkdown. The receiver may flip upfield and get a pleasant achieve earlier than going out of bounds.

In actuality I feel this defensive name is structurally sound. It’s constructed to offer Reed an opportunity to make the duvet by himself. It’s simply that playmakers like Hill can beat even sound protection.

It was a primary down for Miami. Now it’s time for a Dolphins deep shot. Tua is in search of Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle is up in opposition to Reed, however there’s some assist. The Jets have one deep security, Tony Adams, however he isn’t actually taking part in the deep center. He’s shaded to Waddle’s facet on the protection’s proper and offense’s left.

Waddle is double teamed.

Tua lets it fly regardless of two Jets defenders being within the neighborhood of Waddle.

It looks like Tua may need missed his presnap learn right here. Adams was shaded to offer assistance on Waddle the complete time. If Tua had seen that and are available off Waddle, he may need caught Tyreek Hill getting behind the protection in the midst of the sphere, the place there was no security assist.

How the Jets obtained right into a scenario the place Oliver was man to man in opposition to Hill from the snap with the sport on the road is past me. One of the vital irritating components of this Jets season is the convenience with which opponents have had getting their high receivers matched up in opposition to Jets safeties.

No less than momentarily the Jets catch a break and once more reside to battle one other day.

I ponder whether any person within the press field caught this and obtained scared as a result of the Jets got here out on the following play in a really conservative protection shell given the scenario.

That is only a smooth zone. The Jets are giving cushion. They need to maintain every little thing in entrance of them and appear prepared to surrender a 5 yard completion.

Waddle simply sits within the zone, and it’s a simple pitch and catch from Tua. You’ll be able to see right here that the Jets aren’t even defending the primary 5 yards.

That is notable as a result of it is a spot on the sphere the place it may need made sense to get aggressive. 5 yards is basically necessary there. The ball was snapped from the Jets’ 40 yard line. If the Dolphins achieve nothing, they’re solely in place for a 57 yard area aim. Granted, Jason Sanders had made a 57 yard area aim on the finish of the primary half, however a kick from that distance isn’t any gimme. A 5 yard achieve undoubtedly makes the kick simpler. Extra to the purpose, a loss knocks Miami out of area aim vary. But, the Jets performed smooth and conceded yardage. You may assume they have been fearful of Miami’s pace and the potential for a game-winning landing if a blitz didn’t get house.

With no timeout, the clock operating, and fewer than 20 seconds left, the Dolphins have to hurry to get to the road of scrimmage. Finally they get the play off, and it’s virtually catastrophe for the Jets.

Echols form of whiffs on an try and jam Hill on the line of scrimmage.

He then form of releases Hill as if he thinks he has assist excessive within the type of Chuck Clark.

Clark isn’t security assist excessive, although. He has Jonnu Smith. Tony Adams is the one security deep on the play and probably not in excellent place to assist on Hill.

Hill finally ends up getting open, and Tagovailoa simply misfires.

If Tua hits Hill in stride, the sport ends there a technique or one other. It’s going to be Tony Adams vs. Tyreek Hill within the open area. If Adams makes the sort out the clock runs out, and the Jets win. If Hill runs away from Adams, he scores the game-winning landing.

After all no one can say with one hundred pc certainty what would have occurred in a hypothetical scenario, however I don’t love the Jets’ probabilities if they’ve Tony Adams one on one in opposition to a Tyreek Hill with a full head of steam to resolve the sport.

Clearly typically in a rush up scenario the offense has hassle speaking the play name successfully to all people due to the urgency to snap the ball rapidly with the clock operating down. However the protection additionally has to hurry to speak the decision. It appears on this case just like the rushed nature may need led Echols to consider he had security assist the place he actually didn’t.

The Jets obtained away with one right here.

However in fact any salvation was non permanent. Sanders linked on a 52 yard area aim on the following snap. The Dolphins received the extra time coin toss and took the ball proper down the sphere for a game-winning landing on the primary sequence of the additional interval.