Jets-Dolphins Game Preview | Jets Will Test Their Mettle…and Progress…vs. ‘Fins

Every NFL game is important, and the Jets’ third home game of the season at MetLife Stadium against their longtime rivals from Miami on Sunday is at least triply important. But that’s not how the Jets should look at their first AFC East game of the season, lest players start to try to do their jobs and other players’ jobs at the same time and lose their concentration on the task at hand.

Just gain inspiration from the incredible atmosphere created by the fans singing the national anthem together again in a new Jets gameday tradition. (This week’s anthem will be led by John Brancy.) Then start fast, finish strong, and play nice and loose with minimal mistakes — as they did down the stretches of their superlative comeback wins at Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and this time do it at home to down the Dolphins. Here are four areas of interest for Sunday’s game (1 p.m. ET kickoff):

The Big Three
Among the multitude of reasons for the Jets to do well Sunday are the trifecta of important reasons mentioned above. It’s a division game, which makes it important enough, but it’s also the Jets’ first division game of the season and their first chance to end their drought against their three AFC East foes at 0-12 while also showing the Dolphins that, as good as they’ve started this season at 3-1, they’re not invincible. “It’s a division game,” LB C.J. Mosley said, “and we have to be ready for all they have to offer.”

Then there’s the Jets’ 2-2 record, which again is at .500 and again can increase to a winning record with a victory. It would be the Green & White’s first winning mark this late in the season since they started 2017 at 3-2. No better way to demonstrate progress to one and all with a plus-.500 record and a two-game win streak.

Last, as HC Robert Saleh said about his team, 0-2 at MetLife this season, “You want to win your home games, you’re supposed to win your home games. And we’ve got to get our fans in the stadium cheering loud, but we’ve also got to give them a reason…