Jets vs. Dolphins live updates: Score, highlights as Miami in control despite Tyreek Hill being carted off

Robbed of an acrobatic score when the refs flagged him for a debatable offensive pass interference earlier in the game, Garrett Wilson comes back to outmuscle his man right along the sideline of the end zone, somehow squeezing both feet in-bounds while securing the ball over his opponent’s helmet. Justin Fields then gallops in for a 2-point conversion to tighten it all up:

These two sides are 0-3 for a reason. The Dolphins are on track to walk out with their first win of the year, but only after nearly losing the ball on a De’Von Achane fumble the running back was able to recover, and going three-and-out on their previous series. Riley Patterson’s second field goal of the night makes it 27-13, which is a big deficit to overcome if you’re a Jets offense almost exclusively dependent on Justin Fields scrambling to make something happen outside the pocket.

Garrett Wilson makes an acrobatic would-be touchdown grab working the sideline in the end zone, but it’s called back due to offensive pass interference. That, friends, is a very debatable description of what Wilson actually did; we’re talking about a light push-off, if that. Huge break for Miami’s secondary after the defense surrenders back-to-back deep balls from Justin Fields. The Jets don’t come away entirely empty-handed, though, as Nick Folk drills a 50-yard field goal to make this a 24-13 ballgame.

After getting a nice boost from the Jets’ unnecessary roughness penalty against Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins punch it in again, this time flipping it to the shifty De’Von Achane, who does the rest in the red area to hit paydirt and put Miami up by multiple scores:

Everyone in Hard Rock Stadium and at home held their breath as Tua Tagovailoa took off for a scramble, sliding late while taking a launching hit from Jets linebacker Kiko Mauigoa, who is subsequently flagged for unnecessary roughness. The play looked worse live than on replay, but still a scary moment for a quarterback with a documented history of head injuries.

The Dolphins wide receiver, who’s been ruled out for the remainder of the game, is on his way to an area hospital for imaging and further evaluation of his leg. He just left Hard Rock Stadium in a wheelchair with a leg brace.

Finally, some life from the Jets, and it comes in the form Justin Fields knows best: scrambling magic. New York may still be struggling to put together a steady passing attack, but we know Fields can fly, as evidenced by his 43-yard runaround … all the way past the Dolphins secondary into the end zone. Just like that, the quarterback’s sheer athleticism has New York back within one score:

Seconds after the Hard Rock Stadium crowd gives an ovation to Tyreek Hill, who was carted off with what appeared to be a severe leg injury, Tua Tagovailoa extends the Dolphins’ lead by rolling out and lofting the ball to a wide-open Darren Waller. That makes two scores for Waller in his first NFL action since the 2023 season. And it’s a 17-3 advantage for Miami. Credit to Mike McDaniel’s squad for taking advantage of the Jets’ three giveaways.

Miami’s top receiver is out of the contest and likely the rest of the 2025 NFL season after landing awkwardly on his left leg early in the second quarter. ESPN broadcast replays showed Hill’s leg bending out of place as the Pro Bowler went to the ground, and trainers immediately tended to him before he was carted off. Hill had a smile and waved to the home crowd on his way out, but all indications are he suffered a serious injury.

Talk about a ball-security disaster-class: This time it’s Isaiah Williams, who has the ball knocked loose on the opening kickoff of the second half and then can’t corral it once on the ground. That makes three lost fumbles for the Jets on the road. Aaron Glenn harped on the giveaways in his halftime interview with ESPN, but whatever messaging he issued at the break didn’t seem to work.

And here’s a look at the big Folk kick just before halftime, which ensures the Jets will be down just one score when they get the ball back to open the second half of Monday’s divisional showdown:

Miami’s defense has been nothing to write home about this year, but the Jets have so far been an elixir, with Justin Fields and Braelon Allen each coughing up the ball in the first half. Combine the two turnovers with a sharp start from Tua Tagovailoa (11 of 15, 115 yards, 1 TD), and it’s no wonder the Dolphins are on top at the break. The giveaways really are the difference, though, because both sides were fairly even in terms of moving the ball up and down the field; only one of them managed to control the ball. Aaron Glenn has Nick Folk’s aging but strong leg to thank for entering halftime with something on the board; Folk’s 58-yard field goal ended quarter No. 2.

Big news out of New York’s backfield: Allen, who fumbled to end the Jets’ red-zone push at the start of the game, is done for the night after hurting his knee. That leaves Breece Hall and Isaiah Davis as the top ball carriers alongside Justin Fields.

This is absolutely not the start New York was hoping for with the ball in its hands: Justin Fields and Co. are finding plenty of green grass on the run against the Dolphins’ defense, but then Fields tries to extend a play from the pocket and ends up losing the rock on a hit from Tyrel Dodson, and Jaelan Phillips promptly scoops it up for Miami’s second takeaway in as many quarters. That simply will not get the job done. You can drive the ball all you want, but if you can’t control it, well, you’ve got no chance. This, of course, was a major issue for Fields for much of his time with the Chicago Bears to start his NFL career.

Check out the razor-sharp accuracy by Tagovailoa to float the ball between two Jets defenders on the score:

Early 2Q: Dolphins 10, Jets 0

Look at the athleticism on this one: Tua Tagovailoa threads the needle to Darren Waller, who was out of the NFL a year ago but manages to get both feet in-bounds on a beauty of a touchdown reception over Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner. All of a sudden it’s 10-0 Miami.

Uh-oh. New York leans heavily on the ground game out of the gate, which isn’t a surprise, but then Braelon Allen loses the ball on a red-zone carry, hit by ex-Raiders and Patriots cornerback Jack Jones. You can’t give the ball away in these situations and expect to stay competitive for long.

Watch out Patrick Mahomes: It looks like the NFL has a new trick master. Check out this behind-the-back flip from Tua Tagovailoa to Malik Washington for a nice gain on a reverse sweep. The Dolphins offense has been firing on all cylinders thus far.

From our betting forecast and game preview:

It’s not a surprise the Dolphins are favored, if ever so slightly, in this battle of ailing AFC East teams. Not because they’re at home, but because they’re probably even more desperate to claim their first win of 2024. This is a group that not long ago boasted one of the league’s most high-octane offenses en route to playoff appearances, after all. Then again, maybe that was a long time ago, at least in NFL years. Because the Tagovailoa-McDaniel combo seems to grow more averse to clutch decision-making each week.

The Jets aren’t exactly a beacon of stability, either, struggling to dominate defensively despite Aaron Glenn’s oversight and all but digging their own hole with emergency quarterback Tyrod Taylor a week ago. Fields’ return may or may not represent an actual boost for their passing attack, considering he’s functioned much better as a rushing playmaker than steady passer. But we should remember Fields turned in a truly promising dual-threat showing when faced with a so-so defense in the Pittsburgh Steelers back in Week 1.

We tend to think he’ll find plenty of green grass operating against the Dolphins’ defense this time around. And even if Tagovailoa feeds Achane, Hill and Jaylen Waddle to keep pace on the scoreboard, pressure has tended to squeeze rather than elevate this Miami group before. Give us the J-E-T-S in a nail-biter.

Pick: Jets 24, Dolphins 22 | Jets +2.5, Over 44.5

Tua Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel are under pressure to come up big when it matters most for Miami’s offense, but lost in the understandable criticism of the two biggest decision-makers is the young Achane, who’s made the most of his touches as one of the Dolphins’ most electric multipurpose weapons. His size dictates he may never warrant a full workload as a ball carrier, but he’s averaging almost 8 yards per catch as a steadily involved receiver, tying Tyreek Hill for the team lead in total targets (23). He’s as capable as anyone of exploding for six.

A reminder: Miami is debut these “Dark Water” alternate uniforms as part of the NFL’s new “Rivalries” jersey program, specially designed for select AFC East showdowns.

Dolphins wearing new dark water ‘Rivalries’ uniform on ‘Monday Night Football’ vs. Jets

John Breech

This season hasn’t been a total failure for Miami’s quarterback, who hit more than 80% of his pass attempts against the Patriots in Week 3. It’s just been an abjectly disappointing season in terms of crunch-time reliability, with Tagovailoa already up to five turnovers on the year, with a slew of them coming late in the game. Fortunately for Dolphins fans, the Jets defense hasn’t exactly been a juggernaut, either, giving up an average of 31 points per game during their 0-3 start.  

Miami will be without one of its top cover men, as Duck is battling an ankle injury.

Tyler Johnson had been one of the team’s emergent deep threats opposite Garrett Wilson but had an ugly drop in Week 3. Jermaine Johnson, meanwhile, is dealing with an ankle issue that also cost him Week 3.

The Jets running back is still searching for his first 20-yard carry of the season, averaging a career-low 4.1 yards per carry out of New York’s backfield. But this could be just the matchup he needs to break loose: Not only is Fields back under center, giving the Jets a legitimate threat to scramble for a big gain, but the Dolphins are giving up an average of 145 rushing yards per game, which ranks 29th in the entire NFL. If he finds open space in this one, it could go a long way in powering an upset.

Absent for one game due to a concussion, Fields brings much more dynamism as a rusher than fill-in Tyrod Taylor, but he remains something of an erratic evaluation when it comes to throwing the ball. He might be a little less inclined to take off on the ground given his recent injury, but then again, maybe he’ll lean even more into his legs to ease back into action, considering the run game is his strong suit. Either way, his athleticism figures to give New York some offensive lift.