MIAMI -- A look at the positives and negatives (without the benefit of film review) from the New York Jets' 27-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins:
FIVE DOWN
1. Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback -- He was decent between the 20s, but he self-destructed in the red zone -- only 4-for-9, one touchdown and one interception (his league-leading fifth inside the 20). The pick came on a miscommunication, presumably with rookie Robby Anderson. Fitzpatrick threw a jump ball in the back of the end zone and none of his teammates were there to jump for it. Give him credit for returning with a banged-up knee -- the man is tough -- but the production wasn't there. And what was he thinking on that first-quarter lateral?
2. The kickoff coverage unit -- The special teams were supposed to be better than last season, but we haven't seen it. The kicking units have given away two touchdowns in the past three games. This time, it was a breakdown on Kenyan Drake's 96-yard, game-winning return. It came on a re-kick, thanks to Antonio Allen's offside penalty. He insisted he was onside; replays show he was slightly off. The coverage on the re-kick was terrible; some players looked gassed after covering a serpentine return by Jakeem Grant on the initial kick. Anyway, here were the 10 players in coverage -- Allen, Nick Marshall, Charone Peake, Juston Burris, Mike Catapano, Jordan Jenkins, Marcus Gilchrist, Rontez Miles, Buster Skrine and Taiwan Jones, who had the only real shot at Drake. Nick Folk's short kickoff contributed, too. It was a total mess.
3. The penalty pals -- Sheldon Richardson (unnecessary roughness), Calvin Pryor (taunting), Skrine (unnecessary roughness) and Julian Stanford (roughing the passer) all committed personal fouls. These flags were totally avoidable, but the players lost their composure. Darrelle Revis fingered Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry as a primary instigator, saying, "If you study him on film, he's usually the one in the middle of a lot of those flags. He's the one usually throwing the first punch. He threw a punch, he grabbed Skrine's face mask and that's not how you play football." Maybe not, but the Jets took the bait. Pryor, Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson, the latter two of whom were benched for the first quarter, didn't stick around to talk to reporters.
4. Julian Stanford, linebacker -- The third-string inside 'backer, starting his second game for the departed Erin Henderson and injured Darron Lee, had a rough game. Aside from the roughing call, he missed at least two tackles and got beat a couple of times in pass coverage. Ryan Tannehill did a nice job of exploiting the Jets' lack of speed at outside linebacker, attacking Catapano and Jenkins.
5. Chan Gailey, offensive coordinator -- His playcalling was befuddling, especially in the red zone -- nine passes, only two runs. Considering Fitzpatrick's struggles, they should've pounded the rock inside the 20 instead of throwing. The Jets averaged 4.1 yards per rush before contact, their highest rate this season. Despite the push from the offensive line, they ran on only 35 percent of the plays in the second half, compared to 44 percent in the first half.
THREE UP
1. Matt Forte, running back -- He scored for the third straight game, something he hadn't done since his rookie year (2008). Forte ripped off runs of 31 yards (touchdown) and 32, finishing with 92 yards on 12 carries. Week after week, he shows excellent vision and cutback instincts. If he were a half-step faster, he'd be a force.
2. Jalin Marshall, wide receiver -- Buried on the receiver depth chart in recent weeks, Marshall leapfrogged fellow rookie Peake as the No. 3 receiver and recorded his first NFL touchdown. He ran a post route in the fourth quarter and hauled in an 18-yard strike from Fitzpatrick -- his first career touchdown. Marshall was benched from his kickoff returner role, as he was replaced by the newly-signed C.J. Spiller.
3. The secondary -- Look, no burn marks! The Jets limited Tannehill to 149 yards, including no completions longer than 24 yards. Surprisingly, Tannehill didn't attack with deep throws. Surprisingly, he didn't challenge the struggling Revis.