Sunday 18 December 2016 10:54, UK
The Miami Dolphins made light of some key injuries to keep their play-off hopes alive with a 34-13 rout of the New York Jets with Matt Moore making a triumphant return to the starting line-up.
In 140 characters...
Who needs Ryan Tannehill? Matt Moore is the man for Miami as they improve to 9-5 and there is more pain, literally for some, for the Jets.
MVP
No doubt here. Matt Moore had not started a game since New Year's Day 2012 but it didn't look like it. He only threw the ball 18 times but didn't need any more than that with four of his 12 completions providing touchdowns.
Game-changer
Despite Moore's heroics, the key man here was Dolphins coach Adam Gase, or probably more likely any of the assistants who were communicating with him. A replay challenge got an incompletion overturned and ended in Dion Sims' first one-yard touchdown catch. Later in the second quarter another challenge cost the Jets a first down and ended a promising drive in a game that was still close at the time.
Stat of the night
1,007 - Almost an afterthought on the night but Jay Ajayi ran for 51 yards on 19 carries and now has 1,007 yards on the season. Quite a haul for the British-born running back who was expected to play a back-seat role to Arian Foster when the free agent signed before the season. Foster has since retired and Ajayi could well be a star of the future for British fans to follow.
The game
The Jets grabbed the lead on their opening drive when Bryce Petty - more of him later - and his go-to receiver Robby Anderson linked up for a 40-yard touchdown.
Miami struggled in the first quarter, but the drive they started right at the end of it would bring their first points of the game with Moore connecting with tight end Dion Sims for a one-yard score, vitally on a play that was originally called short of the line and overturned on replay.
Petty was intercepted by Cameron Wake on the Jets next drive but that mistake proved not to be too costly, but another pair of challenges would soon come back to haunt them.
First the Dolphins threw a red flag on a Bilal Powell first down call, which they managed to get reversed, and Powell would fail to make a yard on the ensuing fourth down play, with Jets coach Todd Bowles unsuccessful with his own challenge of the spot.
Three downs later, on a big third and nine, Moore would connect with Kenny Stills for a 52-yard score to give the Dolphins, now 9-5, a lead they would not relinquish.
But it was the third quarter that saw the game blown apart when, after Moore had thrown his sole interception, the Jets ensuing drive ended with punter Lachlan Edwards having his kick blocked by Walt Aikens who, after eventually finding his bearings, picked up the loose ball and crossed for the touchdown.
Moore and Sims connected for another one-yard score and another highlight came before the end of the quarter when the quarterback hit Jarvis Landry on a shallow slant and the speedy receiver took the ball 66 yards to the endzone.
Petty's night would come to a painful end on the first play of the final quarter when he was the meat in a Wake-Ndamukong Suh sandwich - he left the game and was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Nick Folk added a late field goal for the Jets but the game was well beyond them by then and their night was summed up by the final play of the game when Fitzpatrick was picked off in the endzone by Tony Lippett.
