The Dolphins’ defense finally got its first takeaway of the season. And it came just in the nick of time.
After the Jets’ offense used the first possession of tonight’s game to run the ball down the Dolphins’ throat, the drive ended with no points when Miami’s Jack Jones punched the ball out of Braelon Allen’s arms and Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered the fumble at the 4-yard line.
The drive had been a running clinic up to that point: Justin Fields had three carries for 29 yards, Allen had four carries for 26 yards, Breece Hall had three carries for 15 yards and Isaiah Davis had one carry for six yards. The Jets appeared poised to score after a lengthy, ball-control drive that included only one pass.
And then came Allen’s fumble and the Dolphins’ recovery, and Miami, which kicked a field goal on the game’s first possession, holds a 3-0 lead.
Jets wide receiver Tyler Johnson is a healthy scratch for Monday Night Football.
Johnson played the first three games, starting Week 1, and saw 126 snaps on offense. He has four catches for 63 yards.
Josh Reynolds (hamstring) is healthy again, so he will take Johnson’s spot.
The Jets’ other inactives are edge rusher Jermaine Johnson (ankle), defensive back Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (ankle), running back Kene Nwangwu (hamstring), offensive tackle Esa Pole, tight end Jelani Woods and defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III.
The Dolphins officially will have tight end Darren Waller.
He is active and will make his Dolphins debut.
The Dolphins’ inactives are quarterback Quinn Ewers, cornerback Ethan Bonner (hamstring), cornerback Storm Duck (ankle), wide receiver Tahj Washington and defensive tackle Zeek Biggers. Ewers will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
Bonner popped up on the injury report on Saturday but was a full participant. He had a questionable injury designation.
The Jets elevated linebacker Mykal Walker and safety Dean Clark from the practice squad to the active roster for Monday’s game against the Dolphins, the team announced.
Walker was signed to the Jets’ practice squad on Sept. 1. He appeared in 74 games from 2020-24 with Atlanta (2020-22), Pittsburgh (2023) and Washington (2024).
Walker, 28, has totaled 241 tackles, seven tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries.
He spent training camp with the Cardinals.
The Jets have elevated Clark for a second consecutive week. He played 17 special teams snaps against the Buccaneers in Week 3 and had two tackles.
Clark signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in May.
The rule against hip-drop tackles continues to be enforced by the league’s disciplinary department, but not by the officials on the field.
The NFL announced today that Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was fined $17,389 for a hip-drop tackle in Week Three, and Raiders linebacker Devin White was fined $6,500 for a hip-drop tackle in Week Three. Neither player was flagged on the play.
Williams’ fine was for a tackle of Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving, while White’s was for a tackle of Commanders receiver Chris Moore.
Although the NFL banned hip-drop tackles in an effort to reduce injuries, the NFL Players Association opposed the move in large part because players believed the rule was not well defined enough for the players to know exactly what constitutes a hip-drop tackle. Given that they’re routinely spotted by the disciplinary department but not the officials on the field, it’s easy to see why the players think the rule is ill-defined.
Williams’ fine was presumably bigger because the league’s disciplinary office considered his hip-drop tackle more blatant. Williams was also fined an additional $11,593 for a facemask in the same game.
The Dolphins wrapped up their practice week without wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hill did not practice on Saturday for personal reasons. The wideout’s future with the Dolphins has been a talking point in the early weeks of the season, but multiple reports say that he is still expected to play against the Jets in Monday night’s meeting of 0-3 AFC East teams.
Hill scored his first touchdown in last week’s loss to the Bills. He had 15 catches for 198 yards over the first three weeks of the season.
The Dolphins also expect to have tight end Darren Waller in the lineup for the first time this season on Monday night.
