Dolphins - Jets: 5 players to watch on NFL Friday Night Football | Boyle, Hill, Ramsey, Gardner, Mostert
In a first-of-its-kind move, the NFL is staging a ‘Black Friday’ game. It’s the Jets hosting the Dolphins but the question is who are the players to watch?
On the trail of their first 8-3 start since the 2000-01 NFL season, the Dolphins are on the road in Week 12 to take on a team that is a division rival and sitting on a record of 4-6, the New York Jets. Playing in the league’s first-ever Black Friday game, we’re in for a treat, but who will come out on top?
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Who are 5 players to keep an eye on?
CB - Jalen Ramsey (Miami Dolphins)
Off the bat, we’ve got to talk about the star cornerback. With three interceptions in three games this season Jalen Ramsey has been a serious threat to opposing quarterbacks. Indeed, the Raiders rookie Aidan O’Connell found that out just last week when he conceded two to Ramsey in a game that the Raiders lost 20-13. According to the stats, Ramsey has only been targeted 16 times and allowed four receptions for 41 yards in his past three outings. Truthfully, the Jets and their quarterback are going to have to watch themselves on Friday night.
QB - Tim Boyle (New York Jets)
Speaking of the Jets quarterback, Tim Boyle, the 29-year-old backup QB will be making his fourth NFL start and very first with the Jets after the benching of Zach Wilson, who in turn replaced the injured Aaron Rodgers. This is all to say that the Jets have been having a complicated time when it comes to signal callers, as evidenced by the fact that they currently sit just above the Patriots who have been awful in the AFC East. Incidentally, Boyle spent his first three seasons in Green Bay behind the said same Rodgers, and would only make his first three starts after moving to the Detroit Lions. To date, Boyle is 73 of 120 for 607 yards and three touchdowns with nine interceptions across 18 games.
WR - Tyreek Hill (Miami Dolphins)
There’s no way we could ignore Tyreek Hill, who it has to be said is one of the most lethal pass catchers in the league as a whole not just Miami’s roster. A Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill is in the middle of his second season with the Dolphins since his massive trade in the summer of 2022. With a staggering 1,222 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games, it would be fair to say that he’s well and truly in the MVP conversation this season. This is all to say that we can expect him to be a focal point of the Dolphins’ offense on Friday night.
CB - Sauce Gardner (New York Jets)
If the Jets are going to stop the above-mentioned Tyreek Hill, the responsibility will almost certainly fall to cornerback Sauce Gardner. The 23-year-old Cincinnati product is not only the Jets’ best defensive option at the moment, but arguably the best defensive back in the league as a whole. Indeed, while the Jets as a team have struggled in most departments this season, their passing defense has not as can clearly be seen by the fact that they sit in the top five for passing yards allowed per game (178.7). That of course, is largely due to the presence of Gardner. Expect fireworks when he and Hill go at it this Black Friday.
RB - Raheem Mostert (Miami Dolphins)
We’ve talked about the passing game and of course, the passing defense, but what we have touched on is the ground game. Where Mike McDaniel’s men are concerned, we can expect the running to be done by Raheem Mostert who has already logged 691 yards and 11 scores on the season so far. Given that he will be without the injured De’Von Achange, we can expect to see Mostert carrying most if not all of the workload when it comes to the ground game, but that’s not a bad thing as he’s already shown he can handle the pressure.