Throughout the Jets’ loss to Miami on Sunday, the announcers were making excuses for the Jets’ offensive line, because of all the injuries they have suffered and all the different O-Line combinations they’ve been forced to use.
But you know what, when you look at the players who started on the Jets’ line in Miami Gardens, it’s not like they were starting a bunch of undrafted free agents.
You had Mekhi Becton at left tackle, a former first-round pick, you had Laken Tomlinson at left guard, a former first-round pick, you had Joe Tippmann, the best center in the 2023 draft in the middle, and Billy Turner, with 76 NFL starts at right tackle.
Granted you had journeyman Jake Hanson at right guard, but based on the pedigree of the other four starters, it should not have been as bad as it was.
But part of the Jets’ protection issues were perhaps related to Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio winning the chess game. The Jets didn’t do the best job of countering the Dolphins’ stunts, twists and blitzes.
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