The Dolphins have won five of their last 8 games, so they are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.  The Jets have lost two games in a row by a combined score of 74-33!  The Jets can still get into the playoffs with a win and some help.  This would be a cherry on top of a disappointing season if the Dolphins could knock the rival Jets out of the playoffs this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are going to come out feeding the ball to Reggie Bush against a Jets’ D that is giving up 113.0 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry so far this year.  If the Dolphins can get a good running game going, QB Matt Moore will have a much better chance against the stout secondary of the Jets.  WR Brandon Marshall will probably be locked up with CB Darrelle Revis.  This will likely cause Moore to attack the other side of the field and over the middle.  Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano will likely get a lot more passes thrown their ways than usual this Sunday.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are likely going to come out trying to impose their will by running the ball with Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson against the Fins.  The Dolphins are only giving up 93.4 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry so far this year.  The Jets are likely to wind up throwing the ball more than they run it when it’s all said and done this Sunday.  Mark Sanchez will have to be aggressive with throws down the field to WRs Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes and TE Dustin Keller against a Fins’ D that is allowing 249.8 yards passing per game so far this year.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, JETS 20

27-year old WR Brandon Marshall and 26-year old OT Jake Long have been selected to play in the Pro Bowl.  Marshall has played in all 15 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has caught 77 passes for 1,177 yards (15.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  With the situation the Dolphins have had at QB this year, it makes the numbers he’s putting up that more impressive.  Jake Long played in 14 games (all starts) for the Dolphins this year.  He was elected as a starter but he’s going to miss the game due to a torn biceps muscle.

The Dolphins won’t have 26-year old OT Jake Long when they played against the Jets this weekend.  Long has torn his right biceps.  Long played in 14 games (all starts) for the Fins this year.  He has now played in 62 games (all starts) in his first four years in the NFL.  The Dolphins are going to miss Long as he is their best offensive lineman and he blocks on QB Matt Moore’s blind side.

Things were looking good for the Dolphins at halftime as they were winning 17-0, but the Patriots roared back in the second half to beat them.  Matt Moore was solid in this game as he completed 17 of 33 passes for 294 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT.  Reggie Bush led the way on the ground for the Dolphins in this game with 113 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 26 yards.  WR Brandon Marshall led the way in the passing game for the Fins with 7 grabs for 156 yards (22.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Brian Hartline (4 rec, 72 yards), WR Davone Bess (3 rec, 39 yards, TD) and FB Charles Clay (1 rec, 1 yard, TD grab) also pitched in for the Dolphins in the passing game.  The Dolphins finished up with 115 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.3 ypc) and they also completed 17 of 33 passes (51.5%) for 266 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:04.

The defense was good in the first half and pretty bad in the second half last Saturday.  LB Karlos Dansby (13 tackles and 1 QB hit) and safety Yeremiah Bell (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss,1 sack and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Fins’ D in this game.  LB Kevin Burnett (9 tackles) and safety Tyrone Culver (8 tackles) also had solid games for the Dolphins.  The Patriots finished up with 119 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 27 of 46 passes (58.7%) for 281 yards in this game.  The Dolphins are now 5-10 on the season.

The Miami Dolphins won last weekend and they have now won 5 of their last 7 games.  The Patriots have won six games in a row now as they currently have the #1 seed in the AFC if the playoffs started today.  The Patriots beat the Dolphins 38-24 in Miami in the season opener, but the Dolphins are a vastly improved team since that game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins are going to run the ball a lot tomorrow.  Reggie Bush is proving that he can handle a heavy workload and he will be coming after the Patriots’ D tomorrow as they are giving up 117.6 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Matt Moore has to be licking his chops looking at game tape of the Patriots’ secondary that is giving up 296.7 yards passing per game this year.  They are ballhawks, but if Moore has time to throw the ball….he’s going to have a good game.  Brandon Marshall could give the Patriots fits in this game.

When the Patriots have the ball:  The Patriots are going to pass, pass and pass some more tomorrow against the Dolphins.  The Dolphins need to get after Brady, because if he has time to throw the ball……they are in big, big trouble.  Brady will be attacking the middle of the field tomorrow, so the Fins’ safeties are going to have to step up.  Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are going to give the Fins’ DBs fits all game long.  The Patriots only run for show.

PREDICTION:  PATRIOTS 34, DOLPHINS 26

The Dolphins have placed 24-year old linebacker Koa Misi on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to a shoulder injury.  Misi played in 12 games for the Fins this year and he had 34 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 28 games in his first two years with the Dolphins and he has 75 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 passes defensed.  The Dolphins should be able to cover for Misi the rest of this year as they are playing well on defense right now.

The Dolphins pushed around the Bills in Buffalo yesterday.  Matt Moore was very efficient in this game as he completed 10 of 20 passes for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Reggie Bush had a monster game for the Dolphins with 203 yards rushing on 25 carries (8.1 ypc) with a 76-yard TD run.  Daniel Thomas pitched in with 11 carries for 42 yards (3.8 ypc) in this game.  WR Brandon Marshall (3 rec, 84 yards, TD), WR Brian Hartline (3 rec, 69 yards) and TE Anthony Fasano (2 rec, 28 yards, TD) led the way for the Fins in the passing game.  The Dolphins finished up with 254 yards rushing on 38 carries (6.7 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 20 passes (50%) for 194 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 28:49.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but most of them came late in the game.  OLB Cameron Wake (7 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 4 QB hits), CB Will Allen (7 tackles, 1 pass defensed), safety Reshad Jones (6 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB Vontae Davis (5 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) led the way for the Fins on D yesterday.  The Bills finished up with 113 yards rushing on 19 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 47 passes (66%) for 291 yards.  The Dolphins are now 5-9 on the season as Todd Bowles wins his NFL debut as a head coach.

The Dolphins got beat 26-10 last weekend at home against the Eagles and it cost head coach Tony Sparano his job.  Todd Bowles will be the head coach starting this weekend against the Bills.  The Dolphins have won 4 of their last 6 games, including a 35-8 whipping of the Bills just four weeks ago in Miami.  The Bills have lost six games in a row, getting blown out in four of them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Dolphins have the ball:  The Dolphins will likely come out running the ball a lot with Reggie Bush being the main man.  Bush should be able to find a lot of running room against a Bills’ D that is giving up 130.7 yards rushing per game and 4.7 yards per carry so far this year.  The Dolphins have allowed 44 sacks already this year, but the Bills only have 19 of them this year…so something has to give.  If Matt Moore or J.P. Losman have time to throw the ball, they are going to be very successful.  Brandon Marshall is a huge mis-match for any corner on the Bills.  Davone Bess, Brian Hartline and Anthony Fasano will likely have good games catching balls over the middle of the field.

When the Bills have the ball:  The Bills are a pass first team, so the Dolphins are going to have to get after Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick makes big time mistakes when he gets hit a lot.  He still has decent WRs in Steve Johnson and David Nelson, so the corners better come to play for the Dolphins.  C.J. Spiller is trying to make his mark for the Bills in his second year with the team, and he has gamebreaking type speed.  The Dolphins have been effective stopping the run though as they are only giving up 89.9 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry, so they should be up to the challenge of stopping C.J. Spiller.

PREDICTION:  DOLPHINS 23, BILLS 20

27-year old QB Matt Moore suffered a concussion last weekend and he might not be ready to play the Bills this Sunday.  Moore has played in 10 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has completed 162 of 263 passes (61.6%) for 1,864 yards with 10 TD passes and 6 INTs (86.1 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 26 times for 74 yards (2.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs so far this year.  The Dolphins will be in trouble if Moore can’t go this Sunday.  30-year old J.P. Losman would get the start against his old team (the Bills) if Moore can’t play.  Losman has played in 2 games for the Dolphins so far this year and he has completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 60 yards without a TD pass or interception (77.1 QB Rating).  Losman has also carried the ball 2 times for 1 yard (0.5 ypc) so far this year.

The Miami Dolphins have fired 50-year old head coach Tony Sparano.  The Dolphins are 4-9 on the season and that’s just not good enough.  Sparano compiled a 29-32 record (47.5%) during the regular season for the Dolphins and he was 0-1 in the playoffs.  48-year old defensive backs coach Todd Bowles will take over as the interim head coach of the Dolphins.  This is his fourth year with the Dolphins and his 7th season as a NFL head coach.  Bowles has little chance of getting the head coaching job next season even if he goes 3-0 the rest of the way.  That’s because Dolphins’ ownership will be looking to catch a big fish as the next head coach.