The Miami Dolphins are playing in the first Black Friday Game the NFL has ever put on. They will be heading on the road to play against their AFC East rivals, the New York Jets, in a 3 p.m. ET matinee that afternoon.
This is a big game for the Dolphins, who are in the race for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. At 7-3, they are one of five teams in the conference with only three losses, making for a very tight race down the back stretch of the season.
What separates the Dolphins from their competition is their other-worldly offense. Mike McDaniel has this unit humming at maximum capacity as they are putting up points in bunches. They have struggled at times against upper-echelon competition, so it will be interesting to see how they handle playing against a stout Jets unit.
Also, they may not have one of their top playmakers on the field. Running back De’Von Achane took the league by storm earlier this season. After not playing in Week 1 and receiving only one carry in Week 2, he exploded in Week 7 in the team’s historic performance against the Denver Broncos.
Achane ran the ball 18 times in that game for 203 rushing yards, adding four receptions for 30 yards with four total touchdowns. He recorded 100+ yards in the following two games as well but suffered a knee injury in Week 5 against the New York Giants.
That injury kept him sidelined until this past weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, the return didn’t last long as he had one carry before reaggravating the same knee injury.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN provided an update on Achane’s status for Friday afternoon’s game. While no serious injury was sustained, it seems unlikely that he will be able to play on a short week.
“I was told that Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (knee) playing Friday vs. the Jets would be at least a mild surprise. Achane reaggravated the knee injury that put him on injured reserve at midseason, and though there’s no major damage, the Dolphins have been cautious with him,” Fowler wrote.
Exhibiting caution is the right course of action for the Dolphins. Given the current status of the Jets, they should have more than enough firepower to defeat their rivals without pushing Achane to play.
Having him sit out Week 12 would give him some extra time to heal up before Miami is back on the field in Week 13 against the Washington Commanders. It is smart to ensure he is as close to 100 percent healthy as possible as the Dolphins need him for what they hope is a deep playoff run.
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