The Miami Dolphins’ 34-13 victory over the New York Jets on Black Friday had many ugly moments, but the worst came early in the fourth quarter when the MetLife Stadium turf struck again.
Dolphins standout passer Jaelan Phillips suffered a non-contact injury at the line of scrimmage and ultimately had to be carried off the field. Almost the entire Dolphins team surrounded him as he received treatment.
The Prime Video broadcast later showed him visibly sobbing into a towel as he was taken to the locker room. Replay of Phillips’ jump off the snap showed the telltale signs of an Achilles tendon injury in Phillips’ right calf, and the Dolphins soon confirmed it was the Achilles tendon rules him out for the rest of the game.
Phillips was seen on crutches and with a hiking boot on his right ankle after the game. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel wasn’t optimistic about his player’s prospects after the game.
“It doesn’t look good, but we’ll find out more tomorrow,” McDaniel told reporters. “I’m not excited about it.”
Phillips later issued his own statement on social media.
Absolutely devastated but I feel strength knowing that this is all part of God’s plan and that I have an incredible team and support system around me. I’ll be back stronger than ever 💪🏽 Fins up 🐬🙏🏾
– Jaelan Phillips ;🕴🏾® (@JJPhillips15) November 25, 2023
Conversely, at least some people were upset about Phillips’ injury, particularly the potentially avoidable nature of the loss. The MetLife Stadium turf is notorious for its injury record. Opposing players say so. Opposing coaches say so. The Jets’ own players say so.
In this case, the loudest voice was Dolphins safety Jevon Holland, who recorded the wildest highlight of his NFL career with him a pick-six on a Hail Mary attempt by the Jets at the end of the first half. He also suffered an injury in the fourth quarter and was listed as questionable to return from a low tackle attempt because of a knee injury.
Holland told reporters after the game that he it was finethen said the MetLife lawn was “Garbage” and noted that he had heard that his reputation factored into the game.
Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert agreed: saying “We need to do something with this turf and this playing surface.”
The Dolphins will now be holding their breath that Phillips avoided a season-ending injury. Confirmation is expected to take place on Saturday. If that’s all Phillips has this year, he’ll finish the season with 43 combined tackles, 6.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss, 11 QB hits and two passes defended.