A lot of the rivalries within the AFC East have consisted of sustained runs by either side. The 1970's Bills could not beat the Dolphins. More recently, that script has flipped to a degree. The Jets had a run in the 2000's that served as something of a boogeyman for those dominant Dolphins defenses of the early aughts.
Miami is building up a little bit of a streak against the Jets in recent years. A win Sunday would make it four-straight over the team from Jersey and also give the Dolphins the all-time lead in the regular season series, which currently stands at 55-all (with one tie).
Here's what the players are focused on for this big contest Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Tight End Mike Gesicki: "They're always going to be ready to play. Like you said, staffs change and all that kind of stuff but this team, they're always going to be ready to play. I think it's going to be a good matchup and a great challenge for us and something that we are excited about."
Defensive Tackle Christian Wilkins: "I'm obviously excited to play a game every Sunday and do what we do for a living. The Jets present a good challenge for us. They are a division opponent. It's always tough. Like you said, we didn't get to see Zach last time. I'm excited for that challenge and what he brings to the game and seeing something a little different. We'll take it one day at a time and try to take care of business each and every day so we get a good result on Sunday."
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on prepping for the Jets a second time: "It helps but I think what we try to do week in and week out is try to prepare as if we don't know the team. We're going into this game as if we don't know this team. Obviously there's some familiarity but you have to prepare like this is a new team."
Safety Eric Rowe on Jets QB Zach Wilson: "We're excited because he's a good, young quarterback. He has a rocket arm, he's accurate and he can run. Those three things are obviously all threats. We're excited to go against him."
Safety Brandon Jones on Wilson: "Being a rookie, he has a very talented arm, makes really good decisions, does a really good job of throwing with anticipation which is kind of rare – not rare but you don't see it a lot in a younger quarterback. It's something that they usually have to develop over time. He does a really good job of putting the ball where it needs to be and just kind of having an overall control of the offense even when he makes certain checks, if he sees a look and doesn't like it, you see him on film being able to kill certain calls, make different changes to the formations and stuff like that. I think, from what I've seen, he's done a really good job."
Roster Changes
Thursday, the Dolphins placed wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back Gerrid Doaks on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team also signed running back Jordan Scarlett -- who was in camp with Miami -- to the practice squad.
Phillip Lindsay and Jevon Holland also remain on the reserve/COVID-19 as of Friday afternoon.
However, Friday morning brought some welcome news with the announcement that the Dolphins activated running backs Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed off the reserve/COVID-19 list, getting back some reinforcements in the RB room for Sunday's game.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo laid out the details of the updated COVID-10 protocols and testing procedures for return-to-play for asymptomatic players.
