The New York Jets will play their first primetime game of the season this Monday when they visit their AFC East division rivals, the Miami Dolphins, at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 4.
Miami is off to an 0-3 start, and last time out the 'Fins lost to the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills, 31-21, on Thursday Night Football.
Let's take a deeper look at What To Expect from the Jets' Week 4 opponent, the Miami Dolphins.
Tumultuous Tua
Early in the 2025 season, Miami has gotten inconsistent play from QB Tua Tagovailoa.
The sixth-year signal caller has 5 touchdown passes to go with 4 INT, but Mike McDaniels' offense has had success when he's gotten rid of the ball quickly.
When Tagovailoa has released the ball in under 2.7 seconds after the snap, he's completing 75% of his passes with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.
The struggles for Miami have come when the veteran QB has his first reads taken away. When Tagovailoa] has released the ball over 2.7 seconds after the snap, he's completing 56% of his pass with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
"[Tagovailoa] gets the ball out faster than anybody in the league," Patriots DL Keion White said after their Week 2 matchup. "And so the challenge is to, one, pressure him quickly, and then, two, just getting into the throwing lanes and everything like that to try and bat some passes down."
Despite Miami's 0-3 start, Tagovailoa, who is completing 69.7% of his passes, has played well in stretches, especially against division opponents. Last Thursday marked Tagovailoa's fifth consecutive game with multiple touchdown passes against an AFC East opponent, the longest-active streak in the NFL. Tagovailoa, who went 22-of-34 for 146 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT in a loss vs. the Bills, has found efficient ways to get the ball to his many weapons on offense – Pro Bowl WRs Tyreek Hill & Jaylen Waddle and standout RBs De'Von Achane and rookie Ollie Gordon II.
"You can tell if it's too big for a guy or not," McDaniels said about Gordon, who rushed 9 times for 38 yards in Buffalo and scored his 1st career TD. "And it's definitely not too big for him."
The Jets will have their hands full with the speed of Hill, a five-time All-Pro, Waddle, who is tied for the team lead with 2 TD grabs this season, and Achane, who leads Miami with 288 scrimmage yards.
"One word to describe this team," New England's defensive coordinator DeMarcus Convington said. "is fast."
Revolving Door Defense
The Dolphins defense allowed points on 10 straight opponent possessions to open the season — the worst mark since at least 2000 — but looked improved against the Bills.
The 'Fins defense features a strong cast of veteran players including pass rushers Bradley Chubb, Jaelen Phillips and Matthew Judon, and in the secondary safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and cornerback Rasul Douglas.
Miami's unit, however, has surrendered 32.3 points per game this year, last in the league, and 7.9 yards per pass attempt, second to last in the NFL.
With a talented and experienced roster, the Dolphins' defenders are confident they can regain their balance.
"We've got the players, and we've got the mindset," CB Jack Jones said. "We've been getting better and it isn't anything new. It's part of the game, we've got to learn how to watch the film, get better, move forward and make our plays that come to us."
Against Buffalo, there were flashes of those "plays" Jones referred to. Miami sacked QB Josh Allen twice and kept the game close by limiting Buffalo to just 28 minutes of time of possession
"Miami came in with a good plan," Allen said following their matchup. "They did a great job sustaining drives and limiting our opportunities. You have to take advantage of your opportunities when you get them against a team like this."
In the end, however, Miami surrendered 31 points and will need to be better against the Jets offense, which appeared to find its stride late against the Buccaneers. The Jets scored 21 points in the fourth quarter of their Week 3 game, including 2 TD strikes from QB Tyrod Taylor.
