Dolphins-Jets Week 18 Five Biggest Storylines

The Miami Dolphins will look to end their losing streak in their season finale and keep their playoff hopes alive when they face the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium

The Miami Dolphins will look to finish the season on a positive note but more importantly keep their playoff hopes alive when they face the New York Jets at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Ahead of the matchup, we offer our weekly ranking and analysis of the five biggest storylines:

1. It's the Skylar Show

With Tua Tagovailoa sidelined with a concussion and Teddy Bridgewater dealing with a finger injury, rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson will have to step up in a must-win game for the Dolphins. This will be Thompson's second start of the season, and like Bridgewater he'll be looking to finish what he started for the first time.

2. A Raheem Repeat?

Everyone remembers Raheem Mostert's brilliant performance in the Saturday night game against Buffalo, but we should point out that was his second 100-yard performance of the season. The first came in the first Jets game in Week 5 when he gained 113 yards. The Dolphins absolutely could use that kind of performance in this game.

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3. Time for Takeaways

It's no great revelation that forcing turnovers always is a key to success, and the proof is that the Dolphins produced 11 takeaways in their eight victories this season and only three in their eight losses. This is not a coincidence. The Dolphins also have been much more proficient at forcing turnovers at home, so maybe playing at Hard Rock Stadium will help in this department.

4. QB or Not QB

We hate to bring this up because we'd never want to jinx anyone, but the reality is that no QB other than Tua Tagovailoa has started and finished a game so far this season, which means the fact the Dolphins will have three quarterbacks active for this game needs to be discussed. In an ideal world, Skylar Thompson plays the whole game and plays well, but what if the Dolphins have to turn to somebody else. Will it be Teddy Bridgewater despite a finger injury that had him listed as questionable? Or will it be veteran Mike Glennon, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday? This issue very well might not come up, but if it does, how it plays out could be very significant.

5. Special Teams in the Spotlight

We could mention the offensive line here because the Dolphins once again will be without Terron Armstead and it definitely could affect what the offense can produce, but we have to stick with the special teams, which really haven't been a factor in any win this season. So this would be the perfect time for one long return (punt or kickoff) or a clutch kick by Jason Sanders.

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