Dolphins Own 5-1 Record Against Inexperienced QBs like Tim Boyle

Tim Boyle, who will start for the Jets in Friday's game against the Dolphins, hasn't won an NFL game in his three previous starts

The Green Bay Packers saw enough from Tim Boyle during the 2018 training camp and exhibition season that the former Eastern Kentucky standout made it onto the 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie.

Boyle spent three seasons with the Packers, serving as Aaron Rodgers’ backup, and working under New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett before spending two seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Now Boyle is back with Hackett, and will serve as the New York Jets’ new starting quarterback after the franchise decided to bench former first-round pick Zach Wilson because of his struggles leading the Jets offense, which is averaging 15 points per game (ranked 30th in the NFL) heading into Friday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

"We just want to give him an opportunity," Jets coach Robert Saleh said during his online press conference. "He’s a different style of quarterback. It's really to give him an opportunity to see if we can do something with the offense."

Dolphins doing quick study of Boyle

What can the Dolphins expect from Boyle in Friday’s game? And how far back does Miami’s defense have to go to study Boyle’s tendencies, habits and preferences?

“He played in preseason [for the Jets], played in Chicago which was the same system,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He was in Green Bay with coach [Nathaniel] Hackett.

“He knows the system and there’s some video out there. That’s the unknown. When you have a new quarterback, the plan of attack and the way the game is called may change. He is very well versed in the offense they’re running because [it's] where he’s been the last few years. He will run their offense, which he’s very capable of doing.”

Boyle has started three of the 18 regular games he’s played in the past five seasons, but they all came in 2021 for the Lions, and he lost all three.

Dolphins impressive against inexperienced QBs

Since 2021, the Dolphins have a 5-1 record in games where the starting quarterback has five or less starts on his resume.

Miami pulled off wins over New England’s Mac Jones his rookie season in 2021, and Ian Book when he started his first game for New Orleans that season.

The Dolphins also beat Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett (2022), Carolina rookie Bryce Young (2023) and Aidan O’Connell last week in Miami’s 20-13 win over the Raiders.

San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, who happens to be the top-rated quarterback in the NFL this season, beat the Dolphins 33-17 last season in his fourth NFL start.

During Boyle’s NFL career, he’s completed 60.8 percent of his passes, throwing for 607 yards with three touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a cumulative passer rating of 50.9, but the sample size is so small, and the situations he’s been put in for most of his game action hasn’t been ideal.

However, that’s usually the life of an NFL backup quarterback, who typically gets thrown into the action at a moment’s notice.

Boyle was 7 for 14 for 33 yards, with one interception, after replacing Wilson in last Sunday’s loss to Buffalo.

From the Jets standpoint, the hope is that a week’s worth of preparation as the starter will allow him to be more effective, and inject life into the Jets passing attack, which ranks 30th in the NFL, averaging 170.5 yards per game.

Dolphins defense on the rise

The Dolphins defense ranks 12th in the NFL in yards allowed per game (319.8) and 14th in passing yards allowed per game (220.6). But since cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s return from the knee injury that forced him to miss the first seven games the Dolphins have been allowing 260 yards and 17 points per game.

Even though it's only been a three-game sample size, those types of averages would rank Miami in the top five of NFL defenses this season, and if that trend continues in the second half of the season that might be where the Dolphins defense ends up.

“I feel like everybody is kind of understanding what Vic (Fangio) wants from us and he’s kind of understanding what we do good,” Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou said when asked about the defense’s upswing. “Everybody is just meshing well together right now. It’s a good thing.”