Saleh Decision to Start Flacco Comes Up Snake-eyes in Loss to Fish

 DOLPHINS 24 - JETS 17

Last week Robert Saleh decided that Joe Flacco gave the Jets a better "chance to win" than Mike White, based on White's struggles in a 45-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

On Sunday, it was painfully obvious it didn't matter who started for Gang Green. Flacco was just 'ok. But he was not spectacular. Aside from the busted coverage on Elijah Moore when the nickle corner fell to the ground, allowing Flacco to hit Moore in stride for a 62-yard touchdown, there wasn't much to write home about for the former Ravens quarterback. 

While Flacco didn't throw a pick, he was hit over a dozen times, and was even strip-sacked at the Dolphins five-yard line when it had appeared New York was about go in for the go-ahead touchdown. 

In short, there was nothing that Flacco did Sunday that Mike White couldn't have done. 

Meanwhile it was another rough day for the Jets defense. Miami marched down the field on their opening drive, and plugged it into the end zone on a Jaylen Waddle touchdown to make it 7-0. Tua Tagovailoa picked apart Gang Green's secondary on the drive completing six-of-seven passes for 81 yards.  

While New York stiffened for the remainder of the first half, they reverted back to the porous ways on the opening drive of the third quarter when Miami glided down field for a touchdown on just four plays, thanks to Tagovailoa's  65-yard strike to Mack Hollins for a touchdown. 

After the Jets tied it on the Elijah Moore 62-yard touchdown reception, Miami answered on a time consuming, 14-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a five-yard run by Myles Gaskin to make it 21-14.

Miami dominated time of possession, holding the football for nearly 34 minutes, and rolled up 388 yards of offense on the Jets. 

Flacco, for his part, completed 24 of 39 for 291 yards and two touchdowns, but he wasn't the difference maker that Saleh tried to paint during the week. 

At 2-8, the Jets now possess the worst record in the AFC. They head to Houston to face a Texans team coming off a huge road win a Tennessee. Will Zach Wilson be back under center? It seems likely. The real reason the Jets started Flacco had more to do with ending the Mike White vs. Zach Wilson debate. Had White played, and played well, Saleh would have had to deal with the quarterback controversy. Now he can just hand the job back to Wilson if he is ready.