Dolphins lose key player in win vs. Jets
The Miami Dolphins traveled on a short week to play in the NFL's inaugural Black Friday game at MetLife Stadium and came away with a convincing 34-13 victory over the New York Jets.
The win did come at a cost for the Dolphins, who inched closer to their first AFC East division title since 2008. It appears that talented third-year linebacker Jaelan Phillips got a raw deal and ruptured his right Achilles tendon.
Dolphins safety Jevon Holland had some choice words for the artificial turf that also sidelined Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
"Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve heard the field is trash," Holland said, per the Associated Press.
Holland increased the Dolphins' chances of winning by answering Miami's prayers with a 99-yard pick-six off of a Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half.
That improbable return gave the Dolphins a momentum infusion until the unfortunate incident at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Phillips, who has suited up for seven of the Dolphins' 11 games this season and sits second with 5.5 sacks, is a huge presence on the Miami defensive front. He's a burgeoning force in this league and a game-changer.
"Everybody sees what he puts in on a daily basis and everybody knows how bad he wants to take steps in his game and be absolutely great in this league, which he has and we've been very proud of him the whole season," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said, per miamidolphins.com.
Phillips struggled with concussions at UCLA and retired completely from football at one point before resurrecting his college career at the University of Miami. That experience has given Phillips some impressive resolve and it sounds like he's in the right frame of mind going forward.
With Phillips gone, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, who has thrived under a new system this year, will start opposite LB Bradley Chubb, which will thin out the rotation for Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and put pressure on Miami's depth.
Veteran defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah will be the beneficiary of more snaps and has been solid but make no mistake: this is a devastating development for a team with deep playoff aspirations. McDaniel, an eternal optimist whose personality has been the perfect fit for a young, hungry Miami team, knows that this changes the trajectory for this team.
"It doesn’t look great but we’ll find out more [on Saturday]," McDaniel said, per Yahoo Sports Jack Baer. "I’m not fired up about it."
Ogbah will need to ignite a spark for McDaniel. There is a speed drop-off without Phillips and teams can now double Chubb or run toward Ogbah, which could derail the cohesion that the Dolphins' defense had achieved after an inconsistent start under Fangio.
It will be hard for the Dolphins to turn the loss of an instrumental player into a long-term win, but with Phillips knocked out, the opportunity presents itself for someone to announce their presence with authority.
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