Jets Allow Dolphins to Sneak Into Playoffs, End Season With Sixth Loss in a Row

New York ends the season on a six-game losing streak, finishing this year with a 7-10 record.

Max Goodman | Jan 8, 2023

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The Jets had a chance to salvage the second half of their season on Sunday, putting one more solid performance on film before regrouping for what's poised to be an eventful offseason.

Instead, New York lost for the sixth week in a row, ending what was once a season full of shattered expectations with another performance that was hard to watch.

Jason Sanders drilled a 50-yard field goal with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium, giving the Dolphins a 9-6 lead in Week 18. Miami added two more points on a safety on the final play of the game, on a failed lateral after time expired, clinching an 11-6 win and a berth to the postseason.

The Jets were held without a touchdown on offense for the third game in a row. Rookie receiver Garrett Wilson was a bright spot, racking up 89 receiving yards on nine catches (and 17 targets), but the rest of New York's offense was ineffectual all afternoon.

Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 149 yards, completing 18 of his 33 pass attempts. More importantly, New York's running game continued to struggle mightily, managing just 38 total yards in the loss. It's their worst performance on the ground all year, the fifth game in a row where the Jets have rushed for fewer than 77 yards as a team.

On the other side, third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson completed 20-of-31 passes for 152 yards while Miami rushed for 162 yards.

Field goals and field possession turned out to be the difference. Sanders made all three of his kicks on Sunday. Greg Zuerlein hit two field goals for New York, but missed one (from 55 yards out) in the second quarter.

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Published Jan 8, 2023

MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.