Sam Ficken’s 44-yard field goal as time expired lifted the New York Jets to a 22-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins to avoid an embarrassing sweep over the AFC East’s last-place team.
Ficken’s heroics outshined the historic day by Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders, who hit seven field goals on the day — accounting for all of his team’s points on Sunday.
It was the first time in Dolphins’ history that a kicker made seven field goals in a single game.
The finish didn’t come without its fair share of controversy, however.
After Sanders put the Dolphins up 21-19 with 1:37 to go, the Jets were given new life after a reviewed defensive pass-interference penalty on the Dolphins extended the Jets’ final drive to set up Ficken’s game-winner.
The Jets managed to pull out their fourth win in five games without two of their biggest names in running back Le’Veon Bell (illness) and safety Jamal Adams (ankle).
In fact, Gase went to his running game more with Bilal Powell than he had with Bell for a majority of the season.
The Jets called Powell’s number 19 times for 74 yards. That’s a considerable bump in activity from the backfield seeing as Bell rushed the ball more 19 times or more in a single game just once this season.
It once again was a questionable gameplan from head coach Adam Gase, who decided to go run-heavy against the league’s worst passing defense in the Dolphins.
Against the NFL’s worst rushing defense in the Cincinnati Bengals last week, Gase ran Bell just 10 times in the 22-6 loss.
Sam Darnold still managed to have a commendable day, completing 20-of-36 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
His arsenal of targets did go shorthanded quickly on Sunday, however, after one of his favorite targets, Ryan Griffin, went down early with an ankle injury and never returned.
But it didn’t matter much on the Jets’ second drive as he hit Robby Anderson for a 26-yard score early in the second quarter, though a bad snap resulted in a missed extra point.
Two plays later, though, the Jets got the ball back when Nate Hairston picked off former Jets quarterback Fitzpatrick at the Dolphins’ 44-yard-line, which was just the Jets’ eighth interception of the season.
While they only came away with a field goal with the advantageous field position, Darnold was able to snag one more score before heading into the break.
With 1:55 remaining, he lobbed a dime to Demaryius Thomas from 14 yards out that the receiver was able to hold onto before the ball was ripped from his arms after crossing the goal line.
After it was initially ruled an incomplete pass, a review determined Thomas had possession crossing the plane to put New York up 16-6.
Two-straight field goals from the Dolphins cut the Jets lead to just four early in the third quarter before Darnold was intercepted by Steven Parker — whose long return gave Miami the ball on New York’s 23-yard-line.
He was bailed out by the Jets defense, though, which held firm yet again. After forcing a three-and-out, Sanders missed his fourth field goal attempt of the day from 38 yards out.
But the Jets’ sputtering offense allowed the Dolphins to stay in it as Sanders redeemed himself with a 53-yard field goal to bring the visitors to within one with 10:52 remaining in the game and put them ahead four minutes later with another from 47.
Darnold and the Jets passing game regained their form momentarily, mostly through a rekindled connection with Anderson. The two hooked up for 41 yards on three receptions during a Jets drive that led to a go-ahead field goal by Ficken with 4:05 to go, but it was answered by Sanders’ seventh field goal of the day.
Following a 37-yard completion to Vincent Smith to get the Jets into Dolphins territory with no timeouts left, an incomplete pass and a sack of Darnold had the Jets facing a 3rd-&-17. Darnold tried to go back to Smith, who was contacted before the ball arrived by Nik Needham.
The play was initially called an incomplete pass, but a booth review determined that it was defensive pass interference, giving the Jets new life and a first down instead of a 4th-&-17.
A 12-yard reception to Ty Montgomery got the Jets inside the 30 with 37 seconds left to bring in Ficken for the game-winner.
