SERIES HISTORY: 95th regular-season meeting. Dolphins lead series, 49-44-1. The Dolphins have won the six of the last nine in this matchup, and are 3-1 vs. Jets coach Rex Ryan at the Meadowlands. It's a matchup with lots of recent adventure/animosity ranging from Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder and Jets coach Rex Ryan in a war of words, Jets assistant coach Sal Alosi tripping Dolphins cornerback Nolan Carroll on the sideline on a special teams play, and the Monday Night Miracle.
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NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - NOTES, QUOTES
--Sunday marks the fourth and final game of guard Richie Incognito's suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. The Dolphins suspended Incognito on Nov. 3 and according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) he can only be suspended for that reason for four games. Commissioner Roger Goodell could extend the suspension, however, until the NFL investigation is concluded.
There's no indication whether the Dolphins would reinstate Incognito.
"When the investigation is over we'll have answers to everything," coach Joe Philbin said. "Right now, I won't be commenting on that."
--The Dolphins haven't scored a fourth-quarter touchdown in seven games. They're 2-5 in that span. In fact, the Dolphins have only scored four fourth-quarter touchdowns all season.
Part of the problem is they've given up a lot of crucial late-game sacks, such as against Baltimore and Buffalo. But the other part of the problem is the Dolphins aren't a clutch team.
"We haven't made enough plays," coach Joe Philbin said. "I think all six games at home that we've played have basically come down to the wire, if I'm not mistaken. We've won a couple of them, but unfortunately we've lost some of them too. We have to find a way ... it's tough to win every four-point game, every three-point game, every two-point game you are in. It's hard, but we have to do this. It's not an excuse, we have to do better."
--Miami's offensive line could get a boost this week if center Mike Pouncey (illness) returns from his two-game absence, as expected. Neither the Dolphins nor Pouncey have expounded on his absence but it appears to have started as food poisoning and then, through tests, a gall bladder issue was discovered.
Either way, Pouncey plans on playing Sunday against the New York Jets, and that could help a group that has allowed a NFL-worst 44 sacks and clears the way for a running game ranked 26th at 85.4 yards per game.
If Pouncey returns, plan on the Dolphins moving Nate Garner to left guard (he played center while Pouncey was out) and shifting left guard Sam Brenner to a reserve.
BY THE NUMBERS: 25th -- QB Ryan Tannehill's ranking according to his 82.0 passer rating.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We've got to have killer instinct. I don't think we really have it that well." -- WR Mike Wallace on the Dolphins.
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NFL Team Report - Miami Dolphins - STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
--RB Mike Gillislee, the fifth-round pick from Florida, figures to be active this week for only the second time in his career. It's unclear if he'll play any role in the game plan with RB Daniel Thomas (ankle) out for a few weeks.
--RB Marcus Thigpen could get a few carries this week with RB Daniel Thomas (ankle) sidelined. Thigpen, mostly a kick returner, has been used sparingly from scrimmage. He has two carries for eight yards and three receptions for 59 yards this season.
--DT A.J. Francis was signed from New England's practice squad and put on the 53-man roster. There's a chance Francis, who was with the Dolphins during training camp, could lend support to a DT rotation that's been giving up lots of rushing yards.
--WR Brian Hartline leads the team in receptions (53) and receiving yards (677). He's having a strong season and has been consistent all year.
--LG Sam Brenner, the undrafted rookie from Utah, might have earned himself a roster spot for next season by starting two games in an emergency situation and playing well. Brenner also plays center.
--TE Charles Clay (46 receptions, 501 yards) continues to lead the team in TDs with five. He has four receiving TDs and one rushing TD.
--LB Dannell Ellerbe is second on the team with 76 tackles. But he's coming off two lackluster performances, recording a total of 10 tackles in his last two games. To show how subpar he's been, consider Ellerbe has had four games of 10 or more tackles this season.
--DE Dion Jordan, the No. 3 pick of the draft, has 13 tackles and two sacks this season. He only plays in passing situations.
--RG John Jerry has been solid all season, which has to be pleasing to the Dolphins considering he was eyed with suspicion during training camp. Jerry is the only offensive lineman not to change positions the last five games.
INJURY IMPACT
--CB Dimitri Patterson (groin) remains questionable.
--C Mike Pouncey (illness) is expected to play after missing the last two games.
--RB Daniel Thomas (ankle) is expected to miss a few weeks.
GAME PLAN: Miami has to be able to run the ball and stop the run. That's not where it ends, but that's where it begins. The Dolphins are 26th in rushing (85.4 yards per game), and 26th against the run (123.8 yards per game). Neither is a formula for success.
Beyond that, the Dolphins have to be able to score late in the game. They have no fourth-quarter touchdowns in the last seven games. They only have seven fourth-quarter TDs all season.
As for personnel, QB Ryan Tannehill has to be a playmaker, not simply a game manager, which is what he's been the last few weeks. And the defense has to make game-changing plays.
The Jets will try to hand the game over to their defense because their offense, under the direction of rookie QB Geno Smith, has been bad. They're 27th in yards per game (315.3). Of course, Miami is 28th at 310.0).
If the Dolphins can take care of the basics -- run the ball, stop the run, get good quarterback play -- they could emerge with a huge road win considering the playoff implications.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Dolphins RB Lamar Miller vs. Jets run defense -- Miller has to elude would-be tacklers and break tackles. There's no other answer. He's not going to have many clean holes to run through so he has to do it himself sometimes. The Jets are No. 1 against the run (76.2 yards per game) so they should be OK. If the Jets keep Miami's offense one dimensional, they should fare well.
--Jets DE Muhammad Wilkerson vs. Dolphins RT Tyson Clabo -- Clabo has allowed 10 sacks and Wilkerson has recorded 10 sacks. This doesn't bode well for the Dolphins. And if things go badly here the entire offense could collapse for the Dolphins. Look for the Dolphins to offer Clabo lots of help. But there will be a time or two Clabo had to handle Wilkerson alone.
