Jets WR Santonio Holmes provided one of the bright spots in an otherwise ugly 23-20 OT win at Miami on Sunday. (AP Images)

Sunday marked one of the ugliest games the New York Jets or the Miami Dolphins have played in quite some time. It was as if neither team wanted to win. However, the Jets finally limped to the finish with a 23-20 overtime win at SunLife Stadium in Miami.

All day long the Jets struggled on the run, still unable to get their “ground and pound” going. RB Bilal Powell was the leading rusher with just 10 carries for 45 yards. The Jets starter, RB Shonn Greene, had 19 attempts for only 40 yards. WR Santonio Holmes was a bright spot. He finished with his biggest game as a Jet -- nine catches for 147 yards.


WR Jeremy Kerley provided the only real offensive spark with one 66-yard catch and another eight-yard catch for a touchdown. QB Mark Sanchez had a bad day. He missed his receivers all day long, but they also dropped their fair share of passes. Sanchez ended the day with 21 of 45 for 305 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.

QB Tim Tebow and the wildcat were once again a non-factor for the Jets. Tebow had two rushing attempts for zero yards. He had no passing attempts.

The Jets defense was erratic, allowing the Dolphins to rush for 94 yards in the first half, including 61 by RB Reggie Bush before he left the game with a knee injury. The secondary allowed 185 receiving yards. The unit was unable to sack Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill.

The Jets special teams saved the day with a fake punt by Tebow in the second quarter that achieved a first down and the winning overtime kick by Nick Folk.

The Dolphins rookie QB, Tannehill, looked poised, but he had a non-effective day going 16 of 36 for 196 yards and one interception. The loss of Bush killed the Dolphins running game.

The Dolphins front seven was decent in their run-stopping Greene and Powell. This is the 17th straight game they have not allowed a 100-yard rusher. However, the secondary gave up 306 passing yards.

Dolphins K Dan Carpenter’s two missed field goals (a 47-yarder in regulation and a 48-yarder in overtime) are a problem.

When the game turned: This game twisted and turned. The pick-six by S LaRon Landry gave the Jets the first spark of the day. Then after much back and forth, the missed field goal by Carpenter in overtime finished Miami off, allowing Folk to kick for the win.

Highlight moments: Landry’s interception return for a touchdown off Tannehill looked like it might breathe some life into the Jets, tying the score at 10-10. Kerley’s 66-yard catch was also one of the better moments, especially as the Jets have been waiting for a breakout game from him.

Top-shelf performances: Dolphins FB Jorvorskie Lane may have run for only four yards, but he scored a touchdown (the first of his career). More important, he was the lead blocker all day long for the Dolphins, making a huge contribution toward their 185 rushing yards with an average of 4.3 yards per carry. Holmes came up big for the Jets with his first 100+ yard receiving game since joining the Jets in 2010 (147 total).

Numbers you should know: Both of these teams are criticized for being undisciplined and it showed in the penalties. The Jets racked up nine for 108 yards and the Dolphins accrued 11 for 65 yards. A total of 173 penalty yards makes for an ugly day.

What they had to say:

  • Dolphins K Dan Carpenter on his missed field goal in overtime: "The team is busting their ass, and I just didn’t come through. It’s something you don’t want to go through, but you know there is nothing I can do about it now."

     

  • The Jets' LaRon Landry on his interception for a touchdown: “I read (Ryan) Tanenhill’s eyes. See what threats are coming to you and what’s behind you. You can’t just leave an open ball. I knew I could break in front of him. I knew I was able to get the ball. That was my whole mindset when I read on my threats. The goal was to come out there and get that ball.” 

     

  • Tim Tebow on his fake punt: “They had a lot of guys up there, but we believed we could get it. We hadn’t run one all preseason, or in the regular season, so we felt like we could dig in there and get it.

     

  • Tannehill on realizing a timeout had been called just before they blocked Folk’s field goal in overtime: “You never see that happen. It’s a weird thing; I’ve never even heard of that happening before. It’s just one of those things where you want to say that the odds weren’t in your favor. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Injury update: Reggie Bush left the game in the first half with a knee injury and did not return. Jets CB Darrelle Revis left at the end of the third quarter, also with a knee injury. The two best players of both teams, their losses going forward would be huge.

Going forward: The Jets (now 2-1; 2-0 in the AFC East) will return home in Week 4 after two weeks on the road to face first the 49ers (2-1) and then the Texans (2-0). They will have their hands full with both of these teams who have become early powerhouses. The Dolphins (now 1-2; 0-1 in the AFC East) head out on the road dealing with challenges against the Cardinals (2-0), who have been playing lights-out defense and then the 2-1 Bengals, whose offense is rolling.

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