Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
MIAMI -- The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins are trading big-gain punches for an entertaining start Monday night. The AFC East showdown matches two top 10 defenses against bottom-half offenses.
The Jets' defense didn't perform as advertised on the opening drive.
The Miami Dolphins strutted down the field on Monday night's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead in Land Shark Stadium.
Miami traveled 80 yards on 12 plays. They took 7:29 off the clock.
Ronnie Brown squeezed his way into the end zone from a yard out. The Dolphins had five plays of 9 yards or longer, including back-to-back snaps of the Wildcat. Brown threw to tight end Anthony Fasano for 21 yards. On the next play, Brown handed off to Ricky Williams for an 18-yard run.
But the Jets answered with a touchdown of their own. The Dolphins appeared to have forced a three-and-out after snuffing Leon Washington's attempt at a Wildcat-style play. But Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff, an old hand on Don Shula's staffs, called for a fake that sprung punter Steve Weatherford for a 26-yard run up the Dolphins sideline.
Braylon Edwards, five days after the Cleveland Browns traded him, grabbed a 3-yard toss from Mark Sanchez to cap a seven-play, 70-yard drive that took 3:40.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Tim Graham
Graham joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Miami Dolphins for the Palm Beach Post. He previously spent eight years at the Buffalo News, where he was an award-winning NHL and boxing writer. The Baldwin-Wallace College grad also has worked for the Las Vegas Sun and Boston Herald.