If you simply look at the records of these two teams, it would be safe to assume the Jets are the odds on favorites to win this football game. Vegas agrees - with the Jets currently five and a half point favorites over the Dolphins. But it's going to be rainy and windy - and weather is sometimes the great equalizer.
Below is a sampling of who writers and analysts like this week:
| Chris Mortensen - NYJ | Adam Schefter - NYJ | Tom Jackson - NYJ |
| Ron Jaworski - NYJ | Peter King - NYJ | Mike Florio - Mia |
| Gregg Rosenthal - Mia | Pete Prisco - NYJ | Jason Cole - NYJ |
| Solomon Wilcots - NYJ | Mike Mayock - NYJ | Brian Billick - NYJ |
So the only two willing to take a chance on the Dolphins are the two guys from Pro Football Talk? That's fine. After all, only Tom Jackson and Jason Cole have been more accurate with their picks than both Florio and Rosenthal.
I said above that weather is a great equalizer. But desperation is also a powerful thing when you get into these last season games. Right now, the Dolphins are as desperate as you can get - clinging to slim playoff hopes and facing a division rival on the road.
Call me crazy, but I just don't think this game is going to be as one-sided as many think it's going to be. Chad Henne is more suited to play in the kind of conditions we'll see on Sunday at the Meadowlands than Mark Sanchez. And Miami's defense is very well equipped to handle this kind of game.
I believe it's going to be low scoring. It's going to be physical. It's probably going to be sloppy.
But will it be a Dolphins' win? That depends on which Dolphins team shows up - the team that really dominated the Raiders; or the team that handed the game to the Browns.
I'm expecting this team to show up for Tony Sparano and play hard. And I'm expecting a game that comes down to the final ten minutes.