While the Dolphins will head into the game with an 0-5 record, the Jets will come with a 2-4 mark that isn’t exciting, but clearly better than last year when New York started off 0-7 on their way to “earning” the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Dolphins swept the Jets last season, winning a close game at Hard Rock Stadium in the Week 4 Monday night matchup and blowing out the Jets at MetLife Stadium in December.
While it’s clear the Dolphins aren’t as talented as they were last season, the Jets are a bit more of a mystery.
On an episode of the All Dolphins Podcast earlier this week, New York Daily News reporter Antwan Staley helped provide some inside info on the Jets.
THE INSIDE DISH ON THE DOLPHINS OPPONENT
Here were some of the highlights of our conversation with Staley:
On an overall outlook for the season:
"What I would say is the good news is they're not 0-7 like they were last year. The Jets still aren't a good team, but I feel like they've gone from a really bad team to now a mediocre team, one that you know it's gonna be in games there, and it's gonna pressure opposing teams and all that stuff. We saw it against the Patriots there. I felt like they had some grit, had some fight. They just did. They’re just not talented enough to be able to overcome the mistakes that they have. Whether you talk about you know clock management or you know drops or penalties and things of that nature. So I think we're just seeing a team that was really young last year, they're the third-youngest team in football. Now they added some veterans there, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis, among others, and now they're just trying to get from a mediocre team to a playoff team. And it might be another year before that happens too. But you know, they're a team that's probably going to be in every single game this year for the most part. But lack of talent is still evident in a few spots."
On Geno Smith’s performance this season and how legit is his 101.8 passer rating:
"Yeah, he's held the ball too long at times. Obviously, him being 36 years old now, like he doesn't have the same athleticism that he once had. Doesn't have necessarily the quick release like he once had. So I think he gets in trouble where you know he can hold on to the ball a little bit longer, waiting for his receivers to get open, and thenI think teams now — kind of what you found in the Patriots game — speed him up, like get him processing a little bit faster. That way he can possibly make mistakes. We've seen him fumble the ball a few times. He's only had one interception, but he's had a few fumble losses as well. So it's been up and down. It's been better than what it was last year with Justin Fields, which is a very low bar. But you know, I think Geno has given them opportunities to win games. He just hasn't always played well, so I think the quarterback rating is a bit of a mirage too.”
On whether head coach Aaron Glenn is on his way to solidifying his spot as Jets head coach for the future after a shaky first season, or is that still way up in the air:
"Yeah, that's still to be determined. The positive again is the Jets are fighting; they're in these games. They're showing grit. They're not just laying down and letting teams beat them by 30 points, like you saw sometimes last year. So it looks a lot different. However, they're just not closing games the way that they should be, and it seems like it's the same mistakes that are happening all over again. It seems like it's some kind of boneheaded penalty. It seems like it's some kind of mistake as far as play calling as well. … And I think ultimately the biggest thing, the damning stat on Aaron Glenn is this: opponents have outscored the Jets right before halftime within the last two minutes 90-6 throughout his tenure. And then him being 0-7 in the AFC East. Those are the two damning stats on Aaron Glenn. So until those change, then yeah, it's gonna be up in the air whether he comes back for 2027 or not. It starts there. You have to be able to take care of the division. Forget about New England and Buffalo for a minute, but you cannot get swept by the Dolphins and expect to keep your job this year. So this is a critical game for him. I'm sure it's a critical game for Jeff Hafley and the Dolphins organization too. The loser is going to be in really bad shape, especially if it's the Jets, because people were already calling for Aaron Glenn to be fired even before the season started. If you lose to the Dolphins, then it's hard to kind of overcome that."
On the play so far of two-time Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who they traded to the Jets this offseason for a seventh-round pick:
"I mean, he's been solid. He actually recorded their first interception. They broke the drought, so he'scome in and done the things that they expected him to do: be a quarterback for the defense, be a ball hog. Really helped young safety Dane Belton, who I think has been one of the biggest surprises of the Jets too this year. So I think Minkah is doing a really good job, especially since coming back (from a hamstring injury). He's not the same player that he once was when he was younger, but I think the Jets still benefit from his intelligence and just be able to see just diagnose what the offense is trying to do on a down-to-down basis."
On how Mason Taylor, the son of Dolphins Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, is doing in his second season as a Jets tight end after the team drafted fellow tight end Kenyon Sadiq in the first round of the 2026 draft:
“Well, he had a thumb injury, which kind of kept him out for a little bit, and then since coming back, think he's become more of a safety valve for Geno Smith, especially with Breece Hall being out the lineup too. If you're getting opponents pressuring you and blitzing you regularly, then you need somebody that can kind of get you out of those situations. That's something Mason Taylor can do, kind of find those soft spots in the zone, get some 4- or 5-yard catches and just kind of move the chains down the fiel. He has a different kind of athleticism than Kenyon Sadiq. I think Sadiq is more of a genetic freak, running 4.3, where I think Mason Taylor is more that guy that can move the chains, is just going to be a possession guy, and there's nothing wrong with that. "
On this idea that Malik Willis is very similar to former Jets starter Justin Fields:
“Here's the thing. Like, at least Malik is not afraid to throw the ball down the field. Now, hethere's times where he shouldn't, but he's not afraid to take those chances down the field. I feel like Justin Fields was very scared and hesitant to throw the ball past 10 yards. I don't see the comparison whatsoever. Justin was very cautious, like overly cautious of taking the football, protecting the football. Malik, I don't think it's that at all. He should be sometimes, but I don't think he is. So, no, I don't think that's a good comparison at all.”
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