Black Friday turned out to be another dark day for the New York Jets, falling to 4-7 after a 34-13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, including the Fail Mary that turned into a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown for Miami.
The Jets have lost four straight but hey, at least some of their young players are getting reps.
One of the big stories of the game was New York making wide receiver Allen Lazard a healthy scratch.
Lazard signed a four-year, $44 million contract ($22 million guaranteed) in the offseason. He is fourth on the team in receiving.
Lazard’s benching allowed some other young talent to get a chance to gain some experience against the Dolphins.
We’ll take a look at the offensive and defensive snap counts from Week 12 and how much the Jets are still going with the youth movement.
Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Christian Wilkins and Jerome Baker were all actively engaged in blocking as soon as Jevon Holland intercepted that pass at the Jets’ 1.
Conversely, there were at least a few Jets who seems disinterested.
That’s one thing that separates winning and losing.
Wilkins provides relentless effort.
When he was healthy, Phillips provided relentless effort.
Holland is very talented, but also a hard worker. And he is fearless.
Tua Tagovailoa was really impressive on third down, against a good third-down defense.
For example on a third-and-6 in the second quarter, Tua demonstrates good anticipation and ball placement while moving right on a pass completion to Jaylen Waddle.
This completion keyed a touchdown drive.
Tua also completed a key third-and-3 to Waddle in the third quarter, with his team leading 17-6.
Miami is 12th in the NFL with a conversion rate of 42.3 percent, including 43.6 in their last three games and 68.8 on Friday.
Obviously, the Pick 6 interception just before halftime on a pass just before halftime was brutal.
Tua hesitated before the threw the out and the defensive back was just able to jump the play.
A second interception, also just before halftime, and intended for Tyreek Hill, was also on an out.
Miami runs so many in-breaking patterns that they absolutely have to run the occasional outs, even if it exposes them to some possible turnover scenarios.
Tua has played at an MVP level for most of this season. And now he has a chance to change an important narrative.
