Jets takeaways from 24-17 loss to Dolphins, including Joe Flacco's 2021 starting debut

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Hurry back, Zach Wilson.

The return of the rookie franchise quarterback is about the only thing that can restore any meaning or energy to this Jets season, after their dull, 24-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. The good news is that Wilson is expected to return next Sunday in Houston. The bad news is the Jets are 2-8 with nothing left to play for down the stretch.

But at least fans may have the growth of their young quarterback to watch. And hopefully he’s learned a few lessons over the last month.

In the four weeks he’s been out with a sprained PCL, all three of his replacements have done a pretty good job of moving the offense. The latest was veteran Joe Flacco on Sunday, who was a decent 24-of-39 for 291 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Though the Jets didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, Flacco did what they wanted him to do: He got the ball out quickly against the Dolphins’ blitz-heavy defense and settled the entire offense down.

But Flacco is a 36-year-old veteran with likely no future with the Jets. At this point, the Jets couldn’t bounce back to poor Mike White after he was benched following his one bad game against the Buffalo Bills last week. And what’s the point of another start by Flacco? Who benefits from that, exactly?

Now, after Flacco, White and even Josh Johnson showed this Jets’ offense can work (mostly) -- the only thing that matters the rest of the way is if Wilson can follow the blueprint.

On the road next week against one of the worst defensive teams in the NFL seems like the perfect spot for him to try, assuming his knee is back to 100 percent (or close). The Jets have been cautious with him as he’s worked his way back, holding him to limited practices and keeping him inactive during the games. But with seven games left in this otherwise meaningless season, the time to see what he’s learned is definitely now.

Here are some more takeaways from the Jets’ yawn-inducing loss …

- Elijah Moore, in his rookie season, has quickly become the Jets’ No. 1 receiver. He proved that in this game, catching eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown -- the most yards in a game by a Jets rookie receiver since Laveranues Coles way back in 2000. Moore’s best was his biggest play of the season: A 62-yard touchdown catch. He caught the ball near midfield, slipped out of his coverage and then turned on the jets to out-race a couple of Dolphins the rest of the way. Especially with Corey Davis not proving to be very reliable, Moore has shown he clearly is the receiver with the most play-making ability on this team.

- The Jets defense was better than it has been over the last month, but let’s face it – the bar was pretty low. The Jets’ tackling on the first drive of the game was absolutely atrocious and the Dolphins marched down the field on them with ease. It looked like it was going to be a continuation of their post-bye blues. But after that they settled down for the most part, with one glaring exception (see the next note). In the end, though, they couldn’t get the fourth quarter stops they needed (see the note after the next note). And the Dolphins, with the 29^th-ranked offense in the NFL, still put up almost 400 yards.

- Cornerback Isaiah Dunn and safety Elijah Riley made a bad mistake on what turned into a 65-yard touchdown pass from Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa to Mack Hollins. For some reason, they both jumped to cover Albert Wilson and allowed Hollins run right by them off the line even though there was no other safety behind them. The result was an easy throw as safety Ashtyn Davis was very late trying to get over to help out. Davis tried to bump Hollins out of bounds at about the 10, but couldn’t do it. Some bad secondary play all around.

- One other bad defensive note: The Jets had the Dolphins stopped at the Jets 5 early in the fourth quarter. So what happens? John Franklin-Myers hits Tagovailoa very late and draws the roughing the passer penalty. Three plays later what would’ve been a field goal turns into a Dolphins touchdown. One drive later, the Jets get a third-down sack that pushes the Dolphins out of field goal range, but rookie cornerback Jason Pinnock gets called for defensive holding to keep the drive alive. That lads to the game-sealing field goal. That’s some seriously sloppy fourth-quarter play.

- Rookie RB Michael Carter has been playing real well for the Jets, but his efficient game had been missing the big play. In the first half, he finally got one, ripping off a 39-yard run on the first play after an interception by Davis. He got stopped at the 1, but at least he set up a Jets touchdown. Carter finished with nine carries for 63 yards. It probably would’ve been much more, but he left with an ankle injury early in the second half.

- Big change on the Jets’ offensive line, with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif taking over at right guard for Greg Van Roten. The Jets traded for LDT at the deadline for tight end Daniel Brown (who was cut this week by the Jets) and it was assumed then that, at some point, the switch would be made. LDT is 30, unsigned after this year and a long-time starter for the Chiefs. He’s basically now auditioning for a role for next season. Van Roten is signed through 2022, but he’s been a bit of a disappointment since signing his three-year, $10.5 million deal.

- That big change, by the way, didn’t produce big results. The line struggled to keep the pressure off Flacco, who bailed them out with his quick throws. The line also nearly took a huge hit at right tackle in the first half when they lost Morgan Moses to an ankle injury. That came on a play where Dolphins safety Brandon Jones came in untouched around LT George Fant and just destroyed Flacco from his blind side. That not only forced a fumble that was recovered, mid-air, by the Dolphins, but Flacco was thrown into Moses’ lower leg. Moses was able to stand but he very slowly limped off the field and straight to the locker room. Somehow, though, he returned for the second half.

- It was not a good day for Jets kicker Matt Ammendola. Late in the first half he doinked a 55-yard field goal off the left upright, and then he missed a 40-yarder wide left in the third quarter. Considering he was only 10-of-13 on field goals heading into this game, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Jets work out some kickers this week.

- Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich may not want to “blow up” his scheme, but he did blow his lineup up a bit, making several changes in the starting lineup. He benched Jarrod Wilson, who started at safety last week, and replaced him with Riley, whom the Jets plucked off the Eagles practice squad last week. Quincy Williams started at linebacker over Jarrad Davis, which is just terrible considering Davis was a priority offseason signing for the Jets. And he also started Dunn, the undrafted rookie, over Javelin Guidry (and in place of the injured Brandin Echols) at corner. So basically, the Jets’ young defense got even younger.

- The fact that Davis was benched – and barely seemed to play – isn’t good. The Jets moved quickly to sign him in the offseason and felt they got a steal in a one-year, $5.5 million deal. He got hurt over the summer, though, and struggled since his return.