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MIAMI — The Jets walked out of Sun Life Stadium eight months ago a broken team.
They return today to face the Dolphins again and see how far they have come. They swear the past is behind them and they won’t have any flashbacks, but at 1-1 they enter this game with plenty of questions surrounding them.
“We’re such a different team,” quarterback Mark Sanchez said. “There’s just a different feeling in this building. Even after the loss last week, it was different. We knew we left some plays out on the field. We knew Pittsburgh played really well. We all took it as a lesson, and we’re ready to move on after 24 hours. I think this is a good group. We are ready to go on the road again and play well.”
The Jets are 2-8 on the road dating back to the 2010 AFC Championship loss. Though it’s just Week 3,
this game feels crucial for the Jets. They face the 49ers and Texans, two of the best teams in football, after this week.
If they lose today, a 1-4 start seems quite possible.
“This is a must-win for us,” said Darrelle Revis, who will return from his concussion today.
One troubling sign for the Jets this week was tension after the loss to the Steelers. Players seemed to be on edge (see Bart Scott threatening a reporter on Friday), and offensive coordinator Tony Sparano, who returns to face the team that fired him as head coach a year ago, was tighter
than a new pair of shoes when talking to reporters this week.
The Dolphins (1-1) beat the Raiders last week, the first win for coach Joe Philbin. They are young at some crucial spots, but this game is not an easy one for the Jets. It never is against Miami.
The Jets are 2-4 against the Dolphins under coach Rex Ryan. They have been the better team in each of those years, but strange thing have happened when these teams have met. Here is how The Post sees today’s game breaking down:
MARQUEE MATCHUP
Jets coach Rex Ryan vs. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill
You know the “Mad Scientist” Ryan was cooking something up in his lab this week for Tannehill, a rookie making his third start. Tannehill had a good game against the Raiders last week after throwing three interceptions against the Texans in the opener.
Ryan surely will concoct a gameplan to confuse the rookie, but he was complimentary this week of Tannehill’s poise.
“He doesn’t look like a rookie back there,” Ryan said. “A lot of rookies have that ‘deer in the headlights’ look, and he really doesn’t have that. He’s out there and he seems very confident in what he’s doing right now.”
If the Jets get Tannehill to turn the ball over, it could be a long day for the home team.
BUSH WHACKED
The Dolphins’ offense revolves around running back Reggie Bush. He gained 172 yards rushing last week against Oakland. The Jets have looked terrible against speedy backs such as Bush in the recent past. Darren McFadden ran all over them last year, and C.J. Spiller made them look silly two weeks ago.
Bush has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of his past three home games. Bush, who is the second-leading rusher in the NFL, has averaged 6.8 yards per carry in two career games against the Jets. They must set the edge and contain Bush, something that could be challenging with starting outside linebacker Bryan Thomas out.
ON THE RUN
“Ground and Pound” has been non-existent for the Jets. They are averaging 3.6 rushing yards per attempt and, other than a long run by Tim Tebow last week, have not had any big plays on the ground. It is time for Shonn Greene and Co. to get going. Does that mean more Wildcat? We’ll see.
It is not easy to run against the Dolphins. Their front seven is the strength of the defense. They have allowed 2.2 yards per carry, best in the NFL.
TAKE THE THIRD
The Jets defense struggled to get off the field last week, allowing the Steelers to convert 8 of 15 third-down attempts. They have given up first-down conversions on 58.3 percent of the third downs they’ve faced this season, worst in the NFL.
“We need to play better,” defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. “We’ve talked about it and we’ve played at times so far, to our expectations, and too often, we’ve played below our expectations. That’s something that we address when it needs to be addressed, and we work on it. Whether we talk about it in the meeting room, we work on it at practice, and hopefully we can get it to carry over to the field.”
SPARANO BOWL
Sparano did his best to downplay his return to Miami today, but it is clear this is a big one for him. He spent nearly four years as the head coach of the Dolphins, taking a team that was 1-15 the year before he got there and building a division winner his first year.
Things got ugly at the end, with owner Stephen Ross wooing Jim Harbaugh while Sparano still was on the job. Then Sparano was fired with three games left last season. All of this leads to an interesting storyline today. Those who know Sparano say he has had this one circled on his calendar. He says it’s just another game. We will see if he dials up any tricks today to try to beat his old team.
brian.costello@nypost.com
Costello’s Call
The Jets are better, but strange things happen when these two teams meet. I think this will be a sloppy, turnover-filled game with the Dolphins scoring a defensive touchdown as they surprise the Jets.
DOLPHINS 23, JETS 7