The Miami Dolphins and New York Jets will make history by playing the NFL’s first-ever Black Friday game.
The AFC East matchup will showcase teams going in vastly different directions.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has been the mastermind behind the league’s No. 1 offense in points per game (30.5), total yards per game (434), passing yards per game (291) and red zone touchdown percentage (73.5%). Leading Miami’s scorching-hot offense, the second-year coach is laser-focused on leading the team to the postseason. In a recent Hard Knocks: In Season with the Miami Dolphins episode, McDaniel was “fired up” about the team’s journey being documented.
The Jets, who had cameras on them during training camp with Hard Knocks, had a busy week. Head coach Robert Saleh made a change at the quarterback position. After the benching of Zach Wilson during New York’s Week 11 game against the Buffalo Bills, veteran Tim Boyle will draw the start on Friday. Trevor Siemian will back up Boyle.
- WHERE: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
- WHEN: 3 p.m. ET | Prime Video
Here are three things to watch for when the Dolphins visit the Jets on Black Friday:
- How will Tim Boyle fare in his first start for Gang Green? Heading into Friday’s game, Boyle has three career starts under his belt with the Lions in 2021. Boyle’s 0-3 as a starter, and over 18 career appearances, he’s averaged 175.3 passing yards with three touchdowns and six interceptions. In relief of Zach Wilson on Sunday, Boyle went 7-of-14 passing for 33 yards during three drives against the Bills. The bright spot for Boyle is that he’s surrounded by young playmakers, with Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson. Hall, who is coming off a torn ACL in his rookie season, has started all 10 games for New York, averaging 4.6 rushing yards per attempt. Boyle and the Jets could lean more on Hall to open up the passing game for Wilson, who is on pace for 1,000-plus receiving yards for the second straight season.
- Can Tua Tagovailoa continue his MVP play against the Jets? Tagovailoa enters Week 12 as the only QB with 20-plus passing touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions (21 TDs and eight INTs). Tyreek Hill has turned in a stellar second season with Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel. Hill is the first player in the Super Bowl era with 1,200-plus receiving yards in his team’s first 10 games in a season, per NFL Research. Hill is currently on pace for 2,077 receiving yards, which would surpass Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s single-season record of 1,964 yards in 2012. New York has a history of containing the Cheetah, however. In 2022, Hill recorded fewer than 50 receiving yards in both games against the Jets. Hill didn’t have Tagovailoa throwing the ball in those matchups, though. With Tagovailoa set to be under center, Miami’s dynamic duo will hope to continue its chemistry on the road.
- Top corners share the spotlight at MetLife Stadium. Friday will be the first time Jalen Ramsey and Sauce Gardner share the field. Ramsey, who made his season debut in Week 8, has lifted Vic Fangio’s defense since his return from a knee injury. With Ramsey’s presence in the lineup, Miami’s pass defense has allowed 17 points per game, 191 pass yards per game and an 80.3 passer rating to opposing QBs. Meanwhile, Gardner has been a lockdown corner who quarterbacks have avoided throwing at. In nine games, Gardner has only allowed 24 completions and one touchdown. The Dolphins (7-3) sit comfortably in the AFC East, with Buffalo trailing behind at 6-5. As for the Jets (4-6), they’re on the outside the AFC playoff bubble as the No. 14 seed, below the Raiders and Chargers (teams they lost to). If the Jets manage to secure a win, it would provide Aaron Rodgers a chance to practice on his birthday on Dec. 2. This is a date that he’s been targeting for recently since he suffered a torn Achilles injury in Week 1.
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