The Jets dropped their third consecutive contest Sunday, falling to the Dolphins in Miami. It's time for us to analyze how playing time was distributed and check out the snap count.
OFFENSE
The Jets ran 70 plays on offense in Miami, which is the unit's second-highest output of the season, two behind the 72 against Buffalo in Week 1. Sixteen players saw the field on offense for the Green and White, with six members of the group on field for every play (70 total): Sam Darnold, Alex Lewis, Brandon Shell, Brian Winters, Jonotthan Harrison and Chuma Edoga.
Darnold completed 27-of-39 passes for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception. After not scoring an opening drive touchdown in 30 consecutive games, Darnold and the offense have now done so in back-to-back weeks. Against Miami, the unit marched 75 yards in 11 plays, eating up 5:23 of the clock. The drive culminated with a 12-yard scoring strike from Darnold to Jamison Crowder.
Le'Veon Bell enjoyed one of his most productive games of the season while playing all but seven snaps (63/70, 90%). Bell totaled 121 yards from scrimmage, second to the 129 he amassed against Cleveland in week two. Bilal Powell saw action on seven plays (10%) and churned out 16 yards on a pair of carries. Veteran Ty Montgomery was on the field for two plays.
The Jets had only four wide receivers see action. For the fourth straight contest, Robby Anderson led the group in playing time with 67 snaps (96%), pulling in two grabs for 33 yards. Jamison Crowder was next up with 59 plays (84%) and made the most of his opportunity. The first-year Jet collected a team-high 83 yards on eight catches and the team's only touchdown of the afternoon. Demaryius Thomas (54/70, 77%) chipped in with two catches for 19 yards. Vyncint Smith was on field for 17 snaps (24%) and contributed one grab for 20 yards.
Over the last two weeks, Ryan Griffin has proven to be a valuable piece to the passing game. The first-year Jet has collected 10 grabs for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Against Miami, Griffin led all tight ends in playing time (65/70, 93%) and collected six catches for 50 yards. Rookie Trevon Wesco (9 plays, 13%) and Daniel Brown (7 plays, 10%) contributed, as well. Chris Herndon was active for the first time this season, but didn't see any playing time.
DEFENSE
The Jets defense was on field for 69 plays against the Dolphins, which equals the second fewest total of the season for the unit (68 vs. PHI in Week 5). Twenty players saw action for Gregg Williams' group, which is tied for the most in a single game (vs Cleveland in Week 2). Five members of the unit played every snap: Darryl Roberts, Marcus Maye, Nate Hairston, Brandon Copeland and James Burgess. Jamal Adams was close behind, playing all but two snaps (67/69, 97%).
Seven defensive linemen were active on Sunday. Rookie Quinnen Williams paced the unit with 47 snaps (68%) and collected a sack to go with one and a half tackles for loss. Fellow first-year pro Kyle Phillips was in on 41 plays (59%) and had three tackles. Foley Fatukasi (40/69, 58%), Steve McLendon (25 snaps, 36%) and Jordan Willis (6 snaps, 9%) also contributed to the rotation. Veteran Henry Anderson returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a shoulder injury. Anderson recorded three tackles, one for loss, while logging 29 snaps (42%). Nathan Shepherd took part in 21 plays (30%) in his season debut.
Once again, the linebacker unit was short-handed against Miami with rookie Blake Cashman being placed on IR leading up to the game. In just his fourth game of the season, Brandon Copeland picked up the slack with his most playing time (100%) and led the team with nine tackles, two for loss, while recording his first sack of the year. James Burgess, just two games removed from the practice squad, contributed six tackles, one for loss in playing every snap. Jordan Jenkins (37/69, 54%) recorded another quarterback sack, while Tarell Basham (30 snaps, 43%) broke up a pair of passes. Harvey Langi (14 plays, 20%) and Frankie Luvu (1 snap) also saw action.
In the secondary, Hairston, Roberts and Maye never left the field. Hairston registered six tackles, Maye collected five of his own, while Roberts had three tackles and a pair of pass breakups. Adams was on field for all but two plays (67/69, 97%), picking up four tackles, two for loss and a quarterback sack. Brian Poole (51 plays, 74%) contributed five tackles. Arthur Maulet (3 snaps, 4%) also had a tackle in limited action. Trumaine Johnson was sidelined with injuries to both ankles.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The special teams unit missed its usual snaps leader Rontez Miles on Sunday due to injury. In his absence, both Arthur Maulet and Matthias Farley shared the lead with 23 snaps each. Tarell Basham contributed with 20 snaps, while Harvey Langi participated in 19 and Daniel Brown 18. Kicker Sam Ficken connected on three of his four field goal attempts on the afternoon, including a 52-yarder.
