After both teams surprised by winning in week one, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets face off in an AFC East battle.
The New York Jets began the season with a win on Monday Night Football against the Detroit Lions. The Jets were not expected to compete much this season, especially once they decided to start their top draft pick, Sam Darnold. Expectations dropped even farther when Darnold threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt of his career. But from there, New York flew well above their expectations, eventually winning the game 48-17. Darnold had a solid game, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns as well as the one interception on 16-of-21 attempts. A strong running performance and great defensive outing aided the young quarterback. Isaiah Crowell, in his first game after coming from Cleveland, rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Bilal Powell added 60 yards on 12 carries. The defense had Matthew Stafford's number, picking off the veteran quarterback four times and also intercepting Matt Cassel once in relief. They also held the Lions to just 39 yards rushing, though much of the second half was spend trying to catch up.
In the longest game of Week One, the Dolphins beat a playoff team from last year in the Tennessee Titans, 27-20. The game was delayed for hours due to weather. But the Dolphins aren't complaining after earning the win. Ryan Tannehill, after sitting out all of 2017 with an injury, returned to start at quarterback. He threw for 230 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions on 20-of-28 passing. Frank Gore and the up-and-coming Kenyan Drake split the load in the ground game. Gore rushed for 61 yards on just nine carries while Drake picked up 48 yards on 14 carries. Kevin Stills had a great day through the air, catching four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Jakeem Grant also had a great day with five catches for 38 yards, but also bringing a kickoff back 102 yards for a touchdown.
Neither of these teams were really expected to compete for playoff spots this season, but with a 2-0 start, that might change. With each game, Darnold should be expected to take a little step forward. And the way the jets defense played and how they ran the ball, this might be a much better team than expected. Maybe not good enough to make a run at the playoffs, but definitely not the worst in the league. The Dolphins played a game last week that was so odd, but this shouldn't be like that. As long as Darnold doesn't lose the game for the Jets by turning the ball over numerous times, I think they should win this game.
Chris is a sports writer that utilizes a sense of humor when offering opinions. He offers unique insights into various sports, and knows all of the ins and outs of the NFL and NBA. He enjoys analyzing various stats, as well as studying statistics and analytics to take his picks to a whole new level.