Saturday, September 22, 2012

Week 3 AFC East game picks: Jets at Dolphins

Lead writer Nick St. Denis and AFC East Daily contributors Dan Begnoche, Sean Donovan and Sam Hollingsworth pick the New York Jets' AFC East bout with the Miami Dolphins in South Beach.

Nick's take:
Jets coach Rex Ryan will release the dogs on Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill with disguises, confusion and aggressiveness. Reggie Bush will certainly get his, but Gang Green should be able to stack the box regularly and still get better-than-average coverage on the outside with All-World cornerback Darrelle Revis returning opposite Antonio Cromartie. The Dolphins are tough defensively, but Mark Sanchez easily beats out Tannehill on the scoreboard.
Prediction: Jets 21, Dolphins 10

Sean's take:
The Dolphins' stout defensive front can force New York out of the run early and put the onus on Sanchez to beat them through the air, which is generally a good strategy to beat the Jets. Bush is exactly the type of dynamic athlete that can cause problems for the Jets' elite defense. But the crux of this equation is Tannehill versus a deceptive and aggressive Rex Ryan gameplan. It'll be invaluable experience for the rookie, but it'll also be a loss.
Prediction: Jets 23, Dolphins 14

Dan's take:
Revis is set to play, and that couldn't mean more to a Gang Green defense that obviously missed him last week. Expect the 'Phins and Bush to do their thing on the ground, but the addition of Revis should help alleviate the 53 percent conversion rate the Jets defense allowed on third down against the Steelers. If Jets tight end Dustin Keller is cleared, this game will be less of a nail-biter.
Prediction: Jets 24, Dolphins 20

Sam's take:
The Jets weren’t prepared for the trip into Pittsburgh last weekend, but the trip to Miami will be much more enjoyable when the Jets beat the Dolphins and retain sole possession of first place … for a couple hours.
Prediction: Jets 30, Dolphins 20