Jets' grades in Week 18 win over Dolphins: Offense saved its best for last and reaches milestones
Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers of the Jets walking off the field at MetLife Stadium after defeating the Miami Dolphins 32-20 on Sun. Jan. 5, 2025. Credit: Errol Anderson
OFFENSE: A
If you had a milestone within reach heading into this game, it was taken care of. First was the 50th catch of the season for Tyler Conklin (which came with a sweet $250,000 bonus). Then Aaron Rodgers threw his 500th career TD pass (also to Conklin). A little later, Davante Adams topped 1,000 receiving yards for the season. The final statistical threshold was 100 catches for Garrett Wilson, and he met that with a fourth-quarter grab. Rodgers threw for four TDs.
DEFENSE: B
The longest play of the first half yielded one of the most impressive for the Jets’ defense when De’Von Achane ripped off a 61-yard run that would have been a TD but for hustle from Brandin Echols, who dived to slow him down, and D.J. Reed, who caught him at the 3. The Dolphins had to settle for a field goal on the drive and wouldn’t reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. Ashtyn Davis had two interceptions and Will McDonald had a strip sack in the first half. Quincy Williams started the second half with a forced fumble recovered by Solomon Thomas. Allowing the touchdown with 5:21 remaining to make it 25-20 left things just a bit dicier than they needed to be.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C
Some bad penalties on Samuel Eguavoen, who false-started on a punt, and Greg Joseph, who couldn’t reach the landing zone on a second-quarter kickoff. The Jets also allowed a 67-yard kickoff return late in the second quarter. But Joseph redeemed himself with a 20-yard field goal.
COACHING: B
The Jets toed the line between fun and too cute with that early Adams-to-Rodgers-to-Adams pass attempt and another Allen Lazard pass that tried to get Rodgers a touchdown reception in the third quarter. Both were incomplete. Still far too many penalties (six for 35), including an illegal block by Joe Tippmann that negated a 33-yard run by Breece Hall for a 46-yard swing, but the one against Davis for an illegal forward pass when he lateraled to Reed on an interception return seemed pretty bogus. Jeff Ulbrich lost his only challenge of the game. It may be a while before the interim head coach gets a chance to throw a red flag again.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
