Omar Kelly: Dolphins grades and stock up, stock down for win over Jets

The Miami Dolphins might be one of the NFL’s hottest teams coming off Sunday’s 31-24 fourth-quarter win over the New York Jets, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Although Miami (7-7) is back to .500 on the season, and the Dolphins are officially in the hunt for one of seven AFC spots in the postseason, the margin for error is super slim. The Dolphins can’t afford a loss in the final three games if they plan to keep these postseason dreams alive.

But for now, at least this team, which began the season 1-7, has made the 2021 season relevant, and more importantly, respectable.

Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins performed in the series sweep of the Jets.

Passing game: C

Tua Tagovailoa delivered his third-worst performance of the season (75.5 passer rating), thanks to the two interceptions he threw against the Jets, the last of which was a pick-six that allowed the Jets to tie the game in the fourth quarter. But he did lead Miami to a go-ahead touchdown on a 11-yard pass to DeVante Parker, who caught four passes for 68 yards and a touchdown in his second game back from a hamstring injury. The offensive line only allowed one sack against the Jets. If Tagovailoa can get this type of protection on a regular basis, Miami’s offense should continue to improve.

Running game: A

The Dolphins delivered their best rushing performance of the season, gaining 183 yards on 42 carries. Duke Johnson’s breakout performance might have been against the Jets, which struggle defending the run, but the 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns he scored on 22 carries is a clear indicator that he belongs on Miami’s 53-man roster. And the Dolphins signed him to it on Monday. Johnson’s knack for finding running lanes separates him from the rest of the backs on Miami’s roster. But in fairness to Myles Gaskin, who has spent most of this season as the Dolphins starter, he gained 54 yards on 10 carries. But the bulk of those yards came on a 30-yard run late in the fourth.

Defending the pass: A

The Dolphins have allowed fewer than 200 passing yards in three straight games, and less than 300 passing yards in seven consecutive contests. New York’s Zach Wilson threw for just 170 yards on Sunday. Miami didn’t force the Jets rookie into throwing an interception, but he only completed 13 of 23 passes, and most of them were either check down throws or quick hitches. Through 14 games, Miami’s opposing quarterbacks have produced a 85.4 cumulative passer rating, which is the seventh lowest in the NFL.

Defending the run: C

The Dolphins had become a stingy run defense since Raekwon Davis returned from the knee injury that sidelined him for the first month of the season. However, the Jets had their way against Miami’s defensive front early on Sunday. The Jets finished the game with 102 rushing yards on 24 carries and scored two rushing touchdowns. And 65 of those yards and both touchdowns came in the first half. The Jets became the second team to rush for 100 or more yards against Miami twice this season, joining the Buffalo Bills.

Special teams: B

Tommylee Lewis’ emerged as Miami’s return specialist in a week when Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Holland, the two players who have handled punt returns since Jakeem Grant was traded to Chicago in October, were sidelined by COVID-19. The Dolphins signed Lewis last week to help with the absences and had him handle all the game’s returns. No kickoffs were returned, but Lewis returned one punt for 5 yards. Michael Palardy had one of his better days as Miami’s punter, averaging 45.3 net yards on three punts, and placing one inside the 20.

Coaching: A

The Dolphins’ offense produced 379 yards and scored four touchdowns, which makes Sunday’s win over the Jets tied for the second-highest scoring performance of the season, and the fourth largest yardage output. The 228 yards the defense allowed was the second lowest total of the season, trailing only the 198 yards they held Cam Newton and the Panthers to last month. And the fact Miami produced this type of performance without Waddle and Holland, who are clearly two of the top five players on the roster, indicates that Miami’s better than their 1-7 start.

Stock up

Johnson’s breakout game against the Jets as a COVID-19 fill-in not only earn him more playing time, but a spot on Miami’s 53-man roster. If the Dolphins decision-makers were smart they would have signed Johnson for the 2022 season, because there’s more meat on this bone. Johnson’s 4.8 yards per carry average leads the team’s tailbacks. Feeding him more carries could get Miami out of the basement when it comes to rushing yards per attempt.

Stock down

Tagovailoa is a better quarterback than he showed on Sunday. While it’s important to point out he didn’t have Waddle, his favorite receiver, the Dolphins second-year starter threw half a dozen questionable passes against a bad defense that lacked pass rushing. Two of those passes turned into interceptions that gave the Jets 10 points. Miami can’t afford to gift wrap points to each week’s opponents, and Tagovailoa needs to ensure he plays a cleaner game in the final three contests. The Dolphins need the error-free version of Tagovailoa if they are going to keep the win streak going.