Tank That! Dolphins Beat Adam Gase’s Jets for 1st Win

MIAMI GARDENS — You could see this coming.

Really, you could.

You didn’t even Adam Gase’s fancy, darting eyes.

The Dolphins will win tomorrow.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) November 2, 2019

The reasoning was simple. On one side you had a team that was clearly improving under its first-year coach, Brian Flores, even though the Dolphins were trading or idling their better players. On the other side, you had Gase, and a Jets team that had already tired of him. So this was somewhat predictable. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a capable NFL quarterback when he has time, and he had time just enough times Sunday, in a 26-18 victory. Gase is a fraud, and his time with the Jets may soon come to an end, after signing a long-term contract this offseason.

When Adam Gase loses today, will he blame it on this being a “tough road game”?

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) November 3, 2019

Even some players were calling their shot:

Today’s the day.

— Jerome Baker Jr. (@Lastname_Baker) November 3, 2019

It didn’t start well for the Dolphins:

The Dolphins once went 20 games without scoring on their first drive under Adam Gase. The Jets, and Gase, just scored a TD on their first drive vs. Dolphins.

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) November 3, 2019

But then Fitzpatrick and Preston Williams started to connect:

#fitzmagic to 🦄 pic.twitter.com/fdzzcXgDk4

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

Fitzpatrick hits Preston Williams for a first down pic.twitter.com/UJ7nroEIJ3

— Miami Dolphins on Sports Illustrated (@DolphinMaven) November 3, 2019

Touchdown https://t.co/L2e6KsHOVl

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) November 3, 2019

And the defense settled in a little, after letting Jets second-year quarterback Sam Darnold get comfortable early…

christian wilkins with his first career NFL sack pic.twitter.com/8VOalDDuD7

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

Fitzpatrick, who has been plagued by inconsistency since training camp, continued to find targets on the outside…

Ryan Fitzpatrick has been really really good.

Parker touchdown.

14-7 Dolphins in a second.

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) November 3, 2019

Hey, it’s DeVante Parker….

Parker touchdown gives Miami 14-7 lead. @DolphinMaven @5ReasonsSports pic.twitter.com/CX411IF6nt

— Tony Capobianco (@TonyCapobianco) November 3, 2019

A Jets touchdown got taken off the board on a coach’s challenge, but they still made it closer by halftime after a couple of Dolphins’ mistakes…

After spotting them 5 points at the end of the half with a safety and field goal, the #Dolphins lead the #Jets 21-12 at halftime. @5ReasonsSports @DolphinMaven pic.twitter.com/jDbP0WpHdz

— Tony Capobianco (@TonyCapobianco) November 3, 2019

If you were rooting for the Dolphins to win — which wasn’t all of you — then you feared the worst…

first half dolphins = me on a first date
second half dolphins = me in a relationship

— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) November 3, 2019

The Dolphins, however, had a little juice in the running game, at least when Kallen Ballage (2.0 yards per carry this season) isn’t getting the suspicious calls….

mark walton is a bad dude pic.twitter.com/TmM1kqfqOJ

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

The Jets coach tried to use his wizardry…

gase with all his friends pic.twitter.com/wh71nDXT8a

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

Some of the Dolphins’ most criticized players showed up, though. That included a defensive back who has seemingly been torched since preseason…

nick needham with the corner blitz pic.twitter.com/OFBVoKNYrI

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

And then the Jets went full Jets….

game over pic.twitter.com/Y24TSIYyIi

— josh houtz (@houtz) November 3, 2019

So the Dolphins and Jets are now both 1-7.

Flores, who has done increasingly solid work, has his first victory.

Miami won’t join the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns as the only winless teams in modern NFL history.

Williams, Parker and Mike Gesicki (95 receiving yards) continued to show promise, as did linebacker Raekwon McMillan.

Fitzpatrick (24 of 36, 295 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions) showed he may be worth keeping as a veteran backup next season, to whatever rookie the Dolphins draft.

That’s the good.

The bad?

The rookie may not be the one that fans wanted, not unless the Dolphins lose out, which won’t be easy with the Bengals and Jets still on the schedule.

The dream of Tua Tagliavailoa may be over.

Look for more content on the Dolphins here — and on Three Yards Per Carry.