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The top two teams in the AFC East meet Sunday in ESPN.com's Game of the Week when the New York Jets visit the Miami Dolphins (CBS, 1 p.m. ET).
ESPN analysts Ron Jaworski and Sean Salisbury break down the game plans of each team.
| JAWORSKI VS. SALISBURY |
 | | Jaworski on the Jets |  |
Surprisingly, people seem to have a cynical view of the New York Jets. I believe they have a solid template for success in place. While the Jets may not be flashy, they win with execution on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they want to run the football with Curtis Martin and an athletic offensive line, and they have a rock-solid quarterback in Vinny Testaverde.
Defensively, the Jets have no superstars and don't use exotic schemes or blitzes. They run a basic front with basic coverage schemes. The defense, under coordinator Ted Cottrell, is improving each week, with players understanding their responsibilities in the defensive system. In addition, the Jets are solid on special teams. Taking everything into consideration, I'm not surprised the Jets are 6-3. They are talented, well-coached and disciplined. The Jets take the ball away and don't turn it over. As I've said a million times, more games are lost in the NFL than are won. And the Jets are not beating themselves.
Five keys for the Jets:
1. Martin is the man. The Jets must maintain their offensive focus on Martin. He has been one of the NFL's most consistent backs over the last seven years and is already the No. 16 rusher of all time. He needs to be the offensive focal point. Everything revolves around Martin, including their play-action passing. The threat of Martin running causes the linebackers to cheat up, opening the intermediate areas for Testaverde. Martin must get his touches.
2. Get vertical. The Jets need to attack downfield with their passing game. With the safeties cheating toward the line of scrimmage to stop Martin, the Jets will have the opportunity for big plays down the field. Testaverde has to take his shots. With Miami cornerback Sam Madison out of the lineup, the Jets will have more of an advantage. Madison's absence limits what the Dolphins can do defensively.
3. DTs must be dynamite. The Jets need a solid performance from defensive tackles Shane Burton and Steve Martin inside. They have played better the last few weeks, allowing linebackers Marvin Jones, Mo Lewis and James Farrior to be more active in the running game. Their numbers against the run have picked up since the two tackles have improved their level of play. Burton and Martin must continue to take on the double teams and play well for the Jets to have success stopping the run.
4. Keep taking. Because of the Jets' style of play, every game will be a nailbiter. Takeaways become important, and the Jets lead the league with 28 takeaways. Because the Jets are not an explosive offensive team, they need takeaways to shorten the field and put them in position to score points, either on special teams or defense.
5. Living on the edge. The Jets' offensive strength is their athletic line and Martin running outside. The weakness of the Dolphins' defense is their ability to stop the run on the edges. The Jets should be able to win the matchups outside if they run Martin at the edge of the Miami defense.
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 | | Salisbury on the Dolphins |  |
Although I didn't pick the Miami Dolphins to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season, they are the most complete team in the AFC East. People spend a lot of time talking about their defense, ranked fifth in the NFL, but their offense is doing something it hasn't done in a long time -- making big plays. Oronde Gadsden is a good possession receiver, but now they have rookie Chris Chambers, who can stretch the field with his speed. In the backfield, they have another fast rookie, Travis Minor, who can bust loose for big plays. Look at what both players did last week against Indianapolis.
The Dolphins' speed enables them to expand what they do offensively, giving them a better chance to score points. They no longer need Lamar Smith, their workhorse, to rush for 100 yards to win games. In fact, during the Dolphins' three-game win streak, Smith hasn't rushed for more than 53 yards. At the same time, Jay Fiedler is playing efficient football. Their offensive improvement bodes well for them both long term and this Sunday against the Jets.
Five keys for the Dolphins:
1. Get it to Chambers. The Dolphins need to keep Chambers involved in the offense. He is tied with Green Bay's Bill Schroeder for the league lead in yards per catch (21.1). He is a big-play receiver, as he demontrated last week with two touchdown receptions, one going 74 yards.
2. No turnovers. The Jets are an opportunistic team. They are winning games off turnovers; their plus-17 turnover margin is by far the best in the league. They have two of the league's top tacklers, linebackers James Farrior and Marvin Jones, and players will try to knock the ball loose. The Dolphins need to hold onto the ball and not give the Jets a short field.
3. Maul Martin. Curtis Martin is a physical runner who will get at least 25 touches. Because the Dolphins have two great cornerbacks in Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison, they can commit eight or nine receivers close to the line of scrimmage. Madison, however, is recovering from a separated shoulder and may not play, meaning rookie Jamar Fletcher would get the start. But the Dolphins still have to stop Martin. If he only gets 18-20 carries, the Dolphins have a better chance.
4. Get their kicks. The game will come down to a kicking game, and Olindo Mare is the one of the game's best kickers. The game is in Miami, where it could be rainy. The score may end up being 20-17, so Mare has to make every field-goal attempt he gets.
5. Double-team Abraham. The Dolphins cannot leave a lineman on an island to protect Fiedler from John Abraham, who leads the AFC with nine sacks. Abraham leads the Jets in forced fumbles with four. If he gets to Fiedler, he could give the Jets a short field with one hit. The Dolphins need to know where Abraham is lined up on every snap because he can take over a game. Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey will make sure there is another player, whether it's a back chipping or an extra tight end, to help left tackle Spencer Folau.
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