The Jets' best shot is to run through the Dolphins, who could be without linebacker Channing Crowder and his 105 tackles due to an ongoing knee injury, as well as solid run supporter CB Will Allen, who is hampered by a sore groin. If CB Jason Allen plays instead of Will Allen, look for Brett Favre to try to exploit that. Allen's height should come in handy against Jerricho Cotchery, who has 69 catches for 817 yards with five TDs. Pro Bowl running back Thomas Jones is second in the AFC with 1,495 yards from scrimmage, and he had 101 rushing yards in the season opener. He's just one of three running backs to gain 100 yards against Miami this season. Scatback Leon Washington usually saves his best for the Dolphins. He's had two touchdown runs twice against Miami and his career-best reception day as well when he had 108 yards Christmas Day 2006. Washington has 388 rushing yards and 41 catches with seven TDs.
Offensively, Pennington will attack the Jets secondary, which is ranked 29th and has given up an average of 237.3 yards per game and 21 touchdowns. Look for Pennington to avoid Darrelle Revis' side, simply because he's their best playmaker with five picks and 53 tackles. Expect RBs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to test NT Kris Jenkins and DE David Bowens, as both seem to be showing their age recently. Jenkins has been bothered by a sore hip.
PLAYER NOTES
--KR Patrick Cobbs took Ted Ginn's role last week and had a great game, including a game-opening 60-yard return. He no doubt will get the call again on Sunday against the Jets' 12th-ranked kick return unit as far as field position.
--FB Lousaka Polite, who wasn't on the team when the Dolphins and Jets played on opening day, has been a go-to-guy on third- or fourth-and-1 situations. He is nine of nine in such situations.
--LB Akin Ayodele needs to step up if Channing Crowder is out again. Ayodele was unable to stop TE Tony Gonzalez on a short touchdown pass last week and he also seemed nowhere to be found on several of Larry Johnson's bursts up the middle.
--LB Derek Smith was signed Tuesday and because of his vast experience in the 3-4 system could step in right away for the injured Channing Crowder. Reggie Torbor could go back to special teams play.
--CB Andre' Goodman was struggling mightily when these two teams first met when he was burned on a 56-yard touchdown bomb to Jerricho Cotchery. Goodman has since become an aggressive, shutdown corner in recent weeks, and has three picks.
--CB Will Allen, arguably the Dolphins' best shutdown corner, didn't practice Wednesday with a sore groin. If he can't go, then look for demoted CB Jason Allen to pick up the slack. CB Nate Jones has thrived since taking over for Allen -- who broke his hand -- last month with three sacks and a pick over his last two games.
GAME PLAN: Whoever wins the turnover battle and time of possession usually ends up on top. The Dolphins lead the NFL with the fewest turnovers (12) and are tied with the Titans with a plus-14 turnover ratio. However, the Jets also have forced 29 turnovers, including 15 fumbles with LB Calvin Pace and RB Leon Washington.
With CB Will Allen hobbling (groin), the Dolphins will probably put a red-hot Andre' Goodman on WR Laveranues Coles, who has 10 touchdowns in 14 games against Miami. They'll unleash Pro Bowl OLB Joey Porter on a regular basis against the 39-year-old Favre. He'll be shifting from side to side. Porter had his first sack of the season against Favre in the season opener, and his just one shy of tying Miami's all-time mark of 18.5. However, the Chiefs neutralized Porter (17.5 sacks and 46 tackles) and QB Tyler Thigpen threw for a career-high 320 yards in miserable weather conditions. They did pick three of Thigpen's passes off, too. Goodman had five pass breakups and a pick last week. Also, Miami's strength has been stopping the run but not lately as three of its last four opponents have gone well over 100 yards. So expect New York to utilize a combination of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington, particularly with Crowder ailing.
On offense, Pennington, who has thrown a career-high 3,453 yards with a second-ranked 96.4 passer rating, will attack New York's porous secondary with most midrange tosses to rookie Davone Bess and Ted Ginn Jr. Pennington has been regularly going to his tight end tandem of Anthony Fasano and David Martin, who have a combined 61 catches for 857 yards and nine TDs. They had three TDs combined last week with Fasano hauling in two.
But it's imperative that the Dolphins show the Jets the Wildcat, which wasn't unveiled until Game 3 against the Patriots. Pro Bowl RB Ronnie Brown needs to get more rushes than the eight he got last week. He has a history of hurting the Jets with 452 yards and three TDs on 93 carries. The Jets have been gashed by Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch and Seattle's Maurice Morris in the last two games with the Bills amassing 187 rushing yards.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Dolphins TE Anthony Fasano, who has reawakened from his midseason slumber and has eight catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns in his last three games, should be able to work over Jets converted ILB David Bowens, who has been forced into regular duty because of injuries. Bowens has been solid though with 34 tackles, four sacks and an interception. Fasano is averaging 13.4 yards per catch, and had the game-winning 14-yard TD last week when he dragged two K.C. defenders into the end zone. With fellow TE David Martin also a pass-catching threat, Bowens will need help from his safeties.
Dolphins FS Renaldo Hill has three interceptions so he should add to that total against Jets gunslinging QB Brett Favre, who leads the NFL with 19 picks, including six in his last four games. Favre is still capable of going deep at any time as he's completed 36 passes of 20 or more yards and has two deep threats in Jerricho Cotchery -- who burned CB Andre' Goodman in the season opener on a 56-yard TD -- and WR Laveranues Coles, who makes it a habit of scoring TDs against Miami. Of course, that's when QB Chad Pennington was throwing to him, although Coles does have six TDs this season.
INJURY IMPACT: MLB Channing Crowder is probably going to miss his second game in a row due to a left knee injury. Crowder, who has a history of knee problems, is the Dolphins' second-leading tackler with a career-high 105. His absence should bolster the Jets' running attack and RB Thomas Jones, who gained 101 yards against the Dolphins in the season opener with Crowder in there. LB Akin Ayodele will call the defensive signals in Crowder's absence and shift toward the middle with Reggie Torbor taking Ayodele's spot. Newly signed Derek Smith could be activated depending on how quickly he grasps the defensive schemes. ... CB Will Allen didn't practice Wednesday with a knee injury and he appeared hobbled when attempting to run. Allen, considered the best shutdown corner on the team, has 50 tackles, a sack and three interceptions. If he can't go, then expect demoted CB Jason Allen to pick up the slack especially against a taller Jerricho Cotchery. CB Nate Jones took Jason Allen's nickel role after Allen broke his hand in midseason, and he has thrived with 11 tackles, three sacks and his first career interception in the last three games.
