Dolphins-Jets 2024 Week 18 Five Biggest Storylines

Breaking down the Miami Dolphins matchup against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) makes a catch for the game winning touchdown during overtime against the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins will look to earn an improbable playoff berth Sunday, and that will begin with taking care of defeating the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

The Dolphins are 8-8 with six victories in their past eight games, including a 20-3 decision against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. The Jets are closing out another disappointing season and will go into the game with a 4-12 record after their 40-14 loss against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.

The Dolphins are looking for a fifth consecutive victory against the Jets; they won 32-26 in overtime at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 14.

Here are the five biggest storylines for this year's Week 18 matchup.

1) CAN HUNTLEY DO IT AGAIN?

The Dolphins will have to keep their playoff hopes alive with Tyler "Snoop" Huntley again starting at quarterback for Tua Tagovailoa, who will miss another game because of a hip injury. Huntley had a very strong performance in the victory at Cleveland and even if he doesn't have the same kind of success, avoiding mistakes will be key.

2) ALL HANDS ON DECK

While the Dolphins won't have Tagovailoa, they'll have all of their other front-line players ready to contribute after a lot of injury questions. Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Terron Armstead and Calais Campbell all will play with some injury or another, and the Dolphins need them to come up big in this game.

3) REELING IN RODGERS

The Dolphins had a scare against the Jets in Week 14 because they had problems containing the Jets passing game. That game marked Rodgers' only 300-yard passing performance of the season. This could be Rodgers' final NFL game and he's one touchdown pass shy of 500 for his career. What this means for this game remains to be seen, but he'll clearly want to go out in style if indeed this is it for him.

4) RUNNING GAME REVIVAL?

The Dolphins offense could make life a lot easier on Huntley if they could run the ball effectively, something that hasn't happened very often since the middle of the season. At the very least, the Dolphins need to do better in short-yardage situations because they seemingly have had one key failure almost every week.

5) SHOWTIME FOR SANDERS AGAIN?

If the Dolphins indeed are able to make the playoffs, it's gotta come with their victory being the result of a late Jason Sanders field goal, right? This was the way it was in 2022 with Sanders' last-minute field goal against the Jets and last season with Sanders' last-second field goal against the Dallas Cowboys. One thing for sure, if it does come down to a last-second field goal in this game, the Dolphins can be confident they have the right kicker to get it done.