MIAMI — The Jets played down the idea of spoiling the Dolphins’ postseason hopes this week. But after Sunday’s game, it was clear they relished knocking Miami out of playoff contention with their 20-7 win.
“Our whole motto was, if we’re not going to go, they’re not going to go,” Calvin Pace said. “This is our Super Bowl. Honestly and truly we had our Super Bowl in Miami and that’s the only way we could look at it and keep it in a positive light. The easiest thing in the world is to go out and just hang it out there like whatever, we’re not going to do anything. I think that just shows the character of the guys in this room is to keep playing and play harder. It’s a great win.”
The Dolphins embarrassed the Jets on Dec. 1, beating them 23-3 at MetLife Stadium. That game was heavy on the Jets’ minds.
“Quite honestly, we owed them,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said.
Miami needed to win Sunday and get help to make the playoffs. The Dolphins would have made it if they had won the game because of the Ravens loss to the Bengals.
If you didn’t know better, you would have thought the Jets were the team with its playoff hopes on the line.
“They didn’t show up,” one Jets player said. “I think they thought they were going to get the same team they saw a few weeks ago.”
The Dolphins ended the Jets’ playoff hopes in 2011 and in 2008 in the final game of the season.
DT Sheldon Richardson scored his second rushing touchdown of the season in the second quarter to tie the game at 7-7. Richardson scored from the 1-yard line to cap off a 10-play drive. Richardson is the first defensive lineman to score two rushing touchdowns in a season since William “Refrigerator” Perry did it in 1985. He is the first Jets defensive player to score two offensive touchdowns in a season.
RB Chris Ivory suffered a cracked rib and a hip pointer in the second quarter. He tried to return to the game, but lasted just one play. Ivory finished his first season as a Jet with 833 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 182 carries. … CB Kyle Wilson injured his knee in the first half. He said he was having trouble cutting, but was not overly concerned. He said he will have an MRI exam Monday. … S Ed Reed intercepted his third pass as a Jet when he picked off Ryan Tannehill with 4:18 left in the game. Reed has 64 interceptions in his career, the most among active players.
With an 8-8 record, the Jets will have the No. 18 in the 2014 draft.