SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 28, 2014
Jets 37, Dolphins 24: Geno Smith enjoyed the best day of his career, passing for 358 yards and three touchdowns, and visiting New York scored the game's final 23 points in what is likely to be the final game for coach Rex Ryan after six seasons with the Jets.
Smith finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 and completed 20-of-25 passes as New York topped 30 points for the first time this season. Eric Decker hauled in 10 passes for 221 yards, just seven yards shy of the franchise mark, and joined Chris Ivory and tight end Jeff Cumberland by reeling in a TD pass for the Jets (4-12).
Ryan Tannehill was 23-for-39 passing for 259 yards and a score but was sacked seven times and lost a fumble, denying the Dolphins (8-8) their first winning season since 2008. Lamar Miller rushed for 178 yards on 19 carries and Brian Hartline caught five passes for 94 yards for Miami, which lost three of its final four games.
Miller went over 1,000 yards on the ground for the season after taking a handoff out of his own end zone and scooting 97 yards for a touchdown on the Dolphins' first play from the scrimmage of the second half. The score, the longest run in Miami history, gave the Dolphins a 24-14 lead early in the third quarter, but New York began its game-changing stretch with a big play of its own as Decker took a slant pass from Smith 74 yards for a score and the Jets tacked on three Nick Folk field goals and Cumberland's 23-yard touchdown reception to complete the scoring.
Both offenses started quickly as New York followed a Miami field goal with a 23-yard scoring run by Chris Owusu in the first quarter. The Dolphins took a 17-14 lead into the break, getting a 1-yard TD run by Daniel Thomas and a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to tight end Charles Clay in the second quarter while the Jets scored on an 8-yard TD pass from Smith to Ivory.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ryan reportedly cleared out his office during the week, an indication that he expects to be fired. ...Jets WR Percy Harvin missed the game with sore ribs. ...Tannehill set a franchise record for completions in a season (392) and went over 4,000 yards passing for the season, becoming the first Dolphin to do so since Hall of Famer Dan Marino accomplished the feat in 1998.