NY Jets: Scouting the Miami Dolphins ahead of Week 12 matchup

The NY Jets are set to host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday marking their second meeting.

The NY Jets are now staring 0-10 in the face. With a familiar opponent embarking on New York in a couple of days, the Jets may as well add a one to the loss column.

With quarterback Sam Darnold set to return from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for the past three games, he looks to provide a sense of youth to an offense that has been engineered as of late by Joe Flacco, and the ageless Frank Gore.

The Jets are heading to MetLife Stadium already preparing for a tough outing, so let’s look at who may miss this potential game of the week.

Right tackle George Fant, who has been battling knee/ankle issues throughout the week, is likely out for this matchup against Miami. And with Chuma Edoga also not expected to play, it will likely be Conor McDermott getting the start.

Linebacker Patrick Onwuasor, who was active for the first time this past Sunday, did not practice on Thursday with a hamstring and will likely be inactive this week.

The NY Jets are looking forward to Sam Darnold’s return in Week 12

A potential positive to look forward to this week, Darnold will likely have his full arsenal of receivers up-and-ready this week to battle against the Miami Dolphins.

A game that Darnold almost certainly needs to show a bit of progress to silence some of the critics for at least a couple of days.

Wide receiver Denzel Mims has showcased his playmaking ability over these last couple of weeks, and Jets fans have taken notice. Mims has been able to successfully make contested catches against some of the league’s best cornerbacks in Casey Hayward and Tre’Davious White.

At this rate, Mims is likely to be an important building block moving forward, and Joe Douglas has certainly taken notice of Mims’ ability to make plays when they’re needed.

Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a thumb injury in practice on Wednesday, and has been limited since. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said it’s too early to determine Tagovailoa’s availability versus New York.

If Tagovailoa couldn’t play, the Jets would yet again face their old friend Ryan Fitzpatrick, who played in a Jets uniform from 2015 to 2016.

The Jets’ defense will be without cornerback Blessuan Austin, who the team placed on injured reserve a week ago. Cornerback Bryce Hall, the Jets’ fifth-round pick from a year ago, stepped into Austin’s shoes this past Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

He played quite well, given the circumstances, matching up against wide receivers with the likes of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams is no easy task. Hall seemed to handle it sufficiently compared to other Jets defenders.

Time will tell if Hall can be a sustainable No. 2 cornerback for the Jets moving forward, but if Sunday was any indication of what’s to come, the Jets may be in good hands.

Score Prediction: Dolphins 28, NY Jets 19