DOLPHINS 7
They couldn't have closed out this season any better.
With the status of coach Rex Ryan technically up in the air, the Jets showed up and played their most complete game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, destroying Miami's playoff hopes in a 20-7 victory, cementing an 8-8 finish.
The rumors have been swirling for weeks about Ryan's job status with the latest rumors that Rex Ryan will come back in 2014. After Sunday's performance Ryan is not going anywhere.
After the game, Jets owner Woody Johnson announced that Ryan would return as head coach for the 2014 season. Neither Johnson nor GM John Idzik would discuss Ryan's contract status, which still has one year left on it. Johnson and Idzik added that they felt good about keeping Ryan from day 1; and the last two weeks had no bearing on their decision.
The Jets played loose and fancy free compared to Miami, who looked like they were playing on glass the entire afternoon.
Geno Smith and Dee Milliner, both of whom played poorly earlier in the season, drawing the ire of many, both had their best efforts of the season. Smith played like a true field general. He made plays both with his arm and legs, and didn't turn the football over once. He completed 17 of 27 passes for 190 yards, and whenever plays were unavailable to him, he tucked it in his arms and ran it.
It was a total domination by a Jets offense that ripped up 154 yards on the ground, and 374 total yards. New York averaged 5.3 yards per play.
The biggest turning point of the day had to come with the game tied at seven in the second quarter. The Jets had the football at their 20 with 2:21 to go in the half, and marched right down the field for the go-ahead touchdown. Smith completed three consecutive passes early in the drive, highlighted by a 31-yard route to David Nelson to move the football to the Dolphins two. After a couple of incompletions, Smith bulled his way through the defensive line for the touchdown, bending and stretching his body over the goal line for the score to make it 14-7.
From there the defense pinned its ears back on Miami. The Jets forced three turnovers in the second half, two of which were made by Milliner. The Dolphins were trying to pick on Milliner all afternoon, but the rookie corner stepped up big time. When Ryan Tannehill tried to thread the football to Mike Wallace, the corner stepped in front of a pass and picked it off, killing a Miami drive.
After the Jets got a field goal to make it 17-7, Ed Reed picked off a Tannehill pass to set up another Nick Folk field goal to make it 20-7.
Fittingly the season ended when Milliner picked off Tannehill to ice the contest with time expiring.
The Jets players celebrated with the ceremonial gatorade dunk of Rex Ryan -- a coach who went through a lot, and was forced to grow up as a coach this year; he gets even with the haters and will be back in 2014.
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