MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It’s getting late early for the Jets and Dolphins.
The two AFC East rivals meet Monday night, both in search of their first victory of the season. The 0-3 teams come to this game in desperate need of a win.
The Jets lost to the Buccaneers on a last-second field goal a week ago, and the Dolphins lost in Buffalo 11 days ago in a game that was closer than expected.
Those losses could be seen as moral victories, but each team knows it needs a real victory.
“I am not shaken by this at all. I have a ton of confidence in the guys that we have,” Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. “I have a ton of confidence in the coaches that we have. But I do know this, man, we are in a race to improve, alright, and we have to do a good job of that.”
The Jets are trying to avoid their first 0-4 start since 2020, when they began the season 0-13 on the way to a 2-14 record. The Dolphins have not started 0-4 since 2019.
The Dolphins got blown out by the Colts in Week 1, then lost close games to the Patriots and Bills. They have allowed 97 points, the most in the NFL through three weeks.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is already on the hot seat. McDaniel said he sees signs of improvement.
“The team has gotten better in a couple weeks and is getting to the point where you can reasonably expect to go to a game on Sunday and have the expectations to win through good football,” McDaniel said. “However, there’s still things that we are falling short of and we’re trying to make that it’s not the same thing over and over.”
One oddity to watch in this game is that neither team has a takeaway this season.
The Jets have missed some chances on fumbles and near-interceptions, but failed to come up with one. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has thrown four interceptions, so the Jets may get a shot at their first turnover of the season.
The Jets have not won a true road game in Miami since Dec. 28, 2014, in Rex Ryan’s final game as Jets coach. They beat the Dolphins as the road team in London a year later, but have gone 0-9 since.