Something had to give for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. In his six NFL seasons, the former Alabama All-American had been a winner in all six of his starts against the New York Jets. Tagovailoa also had started eight games with a kickoff temperature of 47 degrees or colder, and the Dolphins lost all of them.

On Sunday, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins took on the Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the kickoff temperature was 37 degrees.

The winning streak against New York was the survivor as Miami defeated the Jets 34-10 for the Dolphins’ fourth consecutive victory.

“I think it was a great team win today,” Tagovailoa said. “The momentum that we’ve had when offense went out and then it was complemented by the defensive stops in the first quarter and then with special teams kind of adding on to that, I think that momentum just kept going.”

Miami blitzed New York by scoring on its first three possessions without facing a third-down snap to build a 21-0 lead with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter.

Tagovailoa completed all seven of his passes for 84 yards and one touchdown on the Dolphins’ first three drives.

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Tagovailoa’s only throw on the opening series was a 3-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with 12:46 left in the first half – a pass completed as Tagovailoa took a blindside hit. A 21-yard end-around by Waddle and a 39-yard run by running back De’Von Achane on back-to-back snaps were the backbone of the four-play, 69-yard drive.

Achane finished Miami’s second possession with a 13-yard touchdown run on the snap after a 24-yard connection between Tagovailoa and Waddle during the five-play, 80-yard drive.

After an interception by Miami linebacker Tyrel Dodson, the Dolphins needed to move only 29 yards for their third touchdown – a 2-yard carry by running back Jaylen Wright.

“I would say to that it was staying on schedule,” Tagovailoa said of the fast start, “staying ahead of the chain, staying on what we were talking about for our openers, guys knowing where to go, guys knowing what to do, just being able to operate through those plays. We were able to stay in the rhythm and the flow with those first three drives that we had.

“And then it was just that we kind of got out of the flow with some self-inflicted wounds.”

In the remainder of the game, Tagovailoa completed 6-of-14 passes for 43 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

For the fourth game in a row, the Miami offense produced more rushing yards than passing yards. The Dolphins had 239 yards on 41 rushing attempts, the third-most rushing yardage in a game started by Tagovailoa.

Achane had 92 yards and one touchdown on seven carries before leaving the game because of a rib injury. Jaylen Wright took over as the primary ball-carrier and finished with 107 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Running back Ollie Gordon also had a touchdown on a 7-yard run with 6:18 to play.

Wright entered the game with 65 yards on 18 rushing attempts in five games this season.

“I don’t think there’s a secret to knowing what makes the run game go,” Tagovailoa said. “It’s those guys up front. It’s the O-line. It’s their communication, their conviction throughout the week of practice, being able to get looks. And then if they didn’t get a certain look, they’ll go and get it by themselves. They’ll talk about that. They’ll communicate through that. And that’s how the running game goes.

“And then you add on top of that De’Von, Ali, Ollie and you also add Jay Wright, who had a phenomenal game as well today. I think those meshing up, those are really good recipes for success.”

The Jets had won three of their previous five games. But quarterback Tyrod Taylor left with a groin injury in the first quarter, and Brady Cook, who’d been promoted from the practice squad before the game, took the rest of the snaps. The rookie QB threw two interceptions, and New York didn’t get its first first down until 1:33 remained in the first half as the loss dropped New York to 3-10 on the 2025 season.

Miami continued its long-shot chase of an AFC playoff spot by improving to 6-7 with four games remaining on its regular-season schedule.

The Dolphins play the Pittsburgh Steelers are 7:15 p.m. CST Dec. 15 in the Week 15 Monday game. After that, Miami has the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 21, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 28 and the New England Patriots on Jan. 4 left to play.

“I think it’s a really cool testament to the guys on the team,” Tagovailoa said, “not giving up, continuing to press forward, continuing to come into the building with a great attitude, with a great mindset for a lot of the younger guys as well and to set that example for them.

“You know, it’s a one-game season every time. And so that’s how we look at it.”