Jets commit 13 penalties, fumble three times in 27-21 loss to Dolphins
Even when things seem to be going well for the Jets, one moment can derail everything for them.
Having held the Dolphins to a field goal on their first possession, the Jets looked to be in control as they marched down to the Miami six-yard line with the defense unable to slow down their run-based attack. However, in what could be a pivotal moment in New York's season, Braelon Allen lost a fumble on the next play right as he was diving into the end zone.
Miami immediately countered with a 15-play, 96-yard touchdown drive that ended on Tua Tagovailoa's fourth-down touchdown pass to Darren Waller and suddenly the Jets were facing yet another double-digit deficit.
After their next drive ended with a Justin Fields lost fumble, the Jets got the ball back late in the second quarter and were able to get into range for Nick Folk to make a career-long 58-yard field goal that cut the lead to 10-3 at the half. However, they lost a third fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and Miami punished them with Waller's second touchdown to make it 17-3.
The next drive looked set to end in disaster as well, as Fields looked to be bottled up on fourth down. Somehow, he managed to escape, reverse his field and turn the play into an incredible 43-yard touchdown run.
Any momentum the Jets had recaptured on that play was soon lost, as Miami drove 68 yards for another touchdown on the ensuing drive, which was capped by De'Von Achane's 9-yard run to restore Miami's 14-point advantage.
After Folk's 50-yard field goal made it 24-13 early in the fourth quarter, the Jets were unable to get any closer and Riley Patterson's second field goal of the game restored the 14-point advantage with 3:36 remaining.
Fields' 23-yard touchdown pass to a leaping Garrett Wilson with 1:49 remaining reduced the lead to six after Fields ran in the two-point conversion but Miami recovered the onside kick and were able to run out the clock.
Here are the takeaways...-- The Jets showed their early intent with plenty of six offensive lineman and multiple tight end personnel packages, with the first drive featuring only one pass in 12 snaps. They moved the ball well in the first half, but only possessed the ball three times, which is one of the downsides of a run-heavy approach. This becomes magnified when your defense is struggling to get off the field, and you turn the ball over twice.
-- The run-heavy gameplan saw Breece Hall get 10 first-half touches. In fact, no tight end or wide receiver touched the ball for the Jets until after the midway point of the second quarter when Mason Taylor caught a Fields pass. Wilson had his first catch a few minutes later.
-- New York was flagged for five offensive penalties in the first half, all of which were of the pre-snap variety, as there seemed to be communication issues between Fields and his offensive line. Three of these came in the space of five plays after the Jets had got into Miami territory on a promising second drive.
-- On defense, the discipline had been much better with no penalties until Sauce Gardner was called for pass interference with nine minutes left in the third quarter. However, they were immediately called for two more penalties on the same drive and had several in the second half overall. Tackling was again an issue, especially on the Achane touchdown and the communication in the defensive backfield was poor with multiple easy first downs completed to wide open receivers.
-- With all the injuries at the linebacker position, the Jets had rookie Kiko Mauigoa in a full-time role. He held up reasonably well in the first half but showed some inexperience when he was called for a critical late hit on a Tagovailoa third down scramble.
-- Another key penalty saw Wilson's spectacular touchdown catch on the last play of the third quarter ruled out for offensive pass interference. This call, which looked soft, forced the Jets to settle for a field goal to remain down by 11 instead of within one score.
-- The Jets had no answer for Tyreek Hill, who caught his sixth pass just after halftime. However, he suffered an obviously serious knee injury on that play, knocking him out of the rest of the game. Tagovailoa was unaffected by this, as he was still able to move the ball well without Hill.
-- New York already cut Xavier Gipson for losing a costly fumble in the opener and now they might be considering doing the same with Isaiah Williams after he lost one at the start of the third quarter. Having pulled within a score, the Jets had an opportunity to get back into the game and never got a chance to get their offense on the field because of Williams' mistake. He later made a mental mistake by taking a fair catch at the three-yard line on what probably would have been a touchback.
Game MVP: De'Von AchaneAchane ended up with 96 rushing yards and a third quarter touchdown that effectively clinched the win, as he had 72 of his yards after Hill's injury to help the Dolphins hold on for the win.
HighlightsTough catch and run by Garrett Wilson for the first pic.twitter.com/aWO0aKj75F
- Jets Videos (@snyjets)September 30, 2025
Nick Folk from 58 yards! pic.twitter.com/zpJ2TLsiRQ
- Jets Videos (@snyjets)September 30, 2025
WHAT A RUN BY JUSTIN FIELDS!
- Jets Videos (@snyjets)September 30, 2025
TOUCHDOWN JETS! pic.twitter.com/2ePFNRc7xr
What's nextWhat a catch by Garrett Wilson for the score! pic.twitter.com/VJ8PzezmfE
- Jets Videos (@snyjets)September 30, 2025
The Jets host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 with Sunday's kickoff scheduled for 1:00 p.m.