New York Jets play spoiler, down Miami Dolphins 20-7

The Miami Dolphins held a 7-0 nothing lead after Ryan Tannehill hit Mike Wallace on a five-yard touchdown to end a long, 89 yard drive in the 2nd quarter.

It has been difficult to put any faith in New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith this season. It hardly seemed likely that he would be able to lead the Jets to a come from behind victory, even if it was only 7-0 and there was a lot of game left. That was exactly what he did, however, and the Jets ended up winning this one 20-7.

From that moment Smith was in control. He played a clean game throwing the ball: 17-27, 190 yards, and no picks. More importantly, he arguably provided the lasting images of this game with his legs. In total he ran for 44 yards on 10 carries. His two banner runs came in the red zone: one in the 2nd quarter to convert a 3rd-and-2 and set up a touchdown from defensive tackle/fullback Sheldon Richardson and then a seven yard TD run on a draw play to make it 14-7 at the end of the first half.

On a day when it was announced that Rex Ryan would in fact return as head coach, the Jets played a typical Rex Ryan kind of game. They smothered Tannehill all game, picking him off three times. The Dolphins tried to get the running game going with Lamar Miller (17 carries for 73 yards), but in the end it wasn’t enough and Miami went out with a wimper, held scoreless for the final three quarters.

The Dolphins’ loss, combined with the loss by the Baltimore Ravens, lays the groundwork for the San Diego Chargers to win and get in against the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon. If the Chargers somehow lose, it would be the Pittsburgh Steelers sneaking into the final spot in the AFC.