Miami Dolphins players were not happy with the turf field at MetLife Stadium after linebacker Jaelan Phillips suffered a noncontact Achilles injury during Miami’s 34-13 victory over the New York Jets on Friday.
“I don’t know the statistics or anything like that, but I do know turf does increase the chance of getting hurt,” safety Jevon Holland said. “That field is trash.”
Phillips sustained the injury while trying to explode off of his right foot when the ball was snapped for a play during the fourth quarter. He quickly fell to the ground and was ultimately placed on a cart in order to be taken off the field. He was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the day.
After the game, Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert called for the NFL to take action against turf fields.
“We’ve got to do something about this turf and this playing surface,” Mostert said, “because obviously it’s still a major problem, even with trying to figure out what we can do. But I don’t know, it just has to change.”
He continued.
“The reason why guys are against the turf [is] there’s no give,” he added. “With grass, there’s give-way and you’re able to get out of certain positions. But with turf, you’re kind of stuck in that position and it ultimately causes severe injuries. I know there’s a lot of analytics and stuff like that and people go back and forth on different playing surfaces. But if you’re truly out there and you’re a player, you know how it feels to at least have some give, and grass is the ultimate give in that aspect.”
After the game, Phillips shared an optimistic but emotional message on X.
Absolutely devastated, but I feel strength in knowing that this is all a 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
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel admitted that the injury is going to be tough if it’s as bad as many fear, but he expressed confidence that the linebacker will be able to persevere.
“If it’s the worst-case scenario, it’s also you get a chance to write your own story,” McDaniel said. “He’s the type of person and he has the right mindset where he’ll be able to turn anything that’s perceived as negative into eventual positive. But this is going to be tough.”
While the injury to Phillips is obviously bad news for Miami, the good news is that the team was still able to come away with a victory over the Jets to move to 8-3 on the season.
The Dolphins are in the driver’s season in the AFC East heading into a soft area of their schedule. Miami’s next three opponents — the Washington Commanders, Tennessee Titans and Jets — are all below .500 this season.
It’s possible that Phillips has already played his final snap this season, but even if that’s the case, the Dolphins will certainly be motivated to make him proud the rest of the way.
