The Jets dropped their third one-score game of the season Monday night at Miami, and HC Aaron Glenn pointed to penalties and turnovers as the difference in the 27-21 loss.
"There's no way to win any game with 13 penalties and 3 turnovers," Glenn said. "It just can't happen. But what we have to do is get back to work. That's the only way that we can fix them. Really take a look at these penalties and take a look at these turnovers. And we have to understand, before you can win games, you have to learn how not to lose games. And we have to do a better job in that case, and we will."
The Jets had a promising 81-yard drive on their first possession, and 76 of those yards came on the ground. The offense successfully found a rhythm early, but the momentum was halted when the ball was punched out of RB Braelon Allen' hands on the 4-yard line. Despite controlling the game for nearly 8 minutes of the first quarter, the Jets had no points to show for it.
After the Dolphins capitalized on the turnover with a touchdown, QB Justin Fields was strip-sacked on fourth down during the Jets' second possession.
"I know our first drive was a good drive," Fields said. "It was the turnover that killed it. Overall, we played alright as a team. But those penalties and turnovers are unacceptable."
Despite two fumbles in the first half, the Jets only trailed 10-3 at halftime. With an opportunity to even the score after receiving the opening kickoff after halftime, RB Isaiah Williams lost control of the ball on the kick return and put the ball back in Miami's hands. The Dolphins capitalized on the turnover, scoring a touchdown that extended the lead to 17-3.
"We can't have those mistakes," Williams said. "That was a big part of the game, and I let the team down. Something that going into practice, I'm going to work on and fix. Can't have those mistakes."
The Jets were also penalized 13 times for 101 yards Monday. Two of the penalties resulted in first downs for the Dolphins, and there were several offensive penalties that limited scoring opportunities for the Green & White.
"It's disappointing," WR Garrett Wilson said. "It's stuff we preach throughout the week, AG preaches it. As players we've got to be better on going out and executing. … On top of that, I feel like it's when they're happening."
Wilson snagged a touchdown reception late in the third quarter, but the score was nullified by an offensive pass interference call. On the next play, an unnecessary roughness call on John Simpson forced the Jets into a second-and-28. The two consecutive calls stalled the momentum of a drive that began with 18 and 27-yard completions to Wilson and TE Mason Taylor, respectively. With the opportunity to make it a one possession game at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Jets ultimately had to settle for a field goal.
"Attention to detail," Wilson said of how to correct the mistakes. "Doing something differently during the week, doing something differently on game day. As players, I'm talking about. Because It's been preached, it's been talked about, it's been emphasized. It's our job to go out there and execute what we're being asked to do and not make critical errors at critical times. So, we definitely need to reevaluate as players what we're doing and why we're not able to do that."
