Tagovailoa wins in cold, leads Dolphins to 4th straight victory 34-10 to remain unbeaten vs. Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa warmed up pretty quickly against the New York Jets and put his cold weather woes on ice.

Tagovailoa threw a touchdown pass to stay undefeated against his AFC East rivals, Miami rushed for three scores and the Dolphins ran away with a 34-10 victory Sunday for their fourth straight win. The defense also stifled an already struggling Jets offense.

“That's a formula to win games in December,” coach Mike McDaniel said.

Tagovailoa improved to 7-0 against the Jets as a starter and 8-0 overall in games in which he has played against the AFC East rivals. And with the temperature 41 degrees at kickoff, Tagovailoa moved to 1-7 in his career when the temperature is 46 or colder.

“I felt good, but it’s football," Tagovailoa said. “Whether it’s hot, whether it's cold, you've got to go out there and you've got to play.”

De'Von Achane ran for 92 yards and a touchdown before leaving in the second quarter with a rib injury following a 29-yard run, but McDaniel said the star running back could've returned in “an emergency.”

He wasn't needed, though. Jaylen Wright filled in and had a career-high 107 yards and his first NFL score. Rookie Ollie Gordon II also ran for a TD for Miami (6-7), which rushed for 239 yards overall and has won five of its last six to remain in the playoff hunt after starting the season 1-6.

“I don’t think I’ve been in the league where I’ve had a stretch necessarily like this one," Tagovailoa said, "in terms of the start to the year and finding that flow toward the later end of the year.”

Tagovailoa was 13 of 21 for 127 yards with a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle before sitting for the final minutes with the game well in hand. Zach Wilson, New York's No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft, finished for Miami.

Zach Sieler had 2 1/2 of the Dolphins' six sacks of the Jets (3-10), who were officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss. It's the 15th straight year — the NFL's longest active drought — without a postseason appearance for New York.

“This game was definitely disappointing," first-year coach Aaron Glenn said. "Really hard to try to put this in words. The only thing I can say is I didn’t have these guys ready to play. That was obvious by the way we went out there and played.”

Undrafted rookie quarterback Brady Cook made his regular-season NFL debut for the Jets when he replaced the injured Tyrod Taylor with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter. Taylor left with what the team announced was a groin injury. Glenn didn't have an immediate update on Taylor, who was 1 for 4 for 6 yards and an interception.

Cook, who was Taylor's backup because Justin Fields was ruled out with knee soreness, was 14 of 30 for 163 yards and two interceptions. The rookie said he “absolutely” felt more comfortable as the game went on after a rough start.

“I think you definitely saw flashes there in the fourth quarter of us moving the ball," Cook said. "We need more of it.”

On Miami's opening drive, Tagovailoa was hit as he was throwing, but got enough on the pass to complete it to Waddle for a 3-yard touchdown that gave Miami a 7-0 lead.

Achane made it 14-0 a few minutes later with a 13-yard touchdown run to cap Miami's second possession.

“We knew they were going to come out fast and the biggest thing was us coming out fast, too,” Jets linebacker Quincy Williams said. “We didn't do that the first series. ... We didn't show up earlier.”

Tyrel Dodson gave the Dolphins the ball right back when Taylor's pass went off Mason Taylor's hands and right to the linebacker. It was originally called an incompletion, but McDaniel challenged the call and it was ruled via video review that Dodson kept the ball from hitting the ground for an interception by pinning it between his knees.

Tyrod Taylor, who made his third straight start in place of the benched Fields, was hurt on the play.

Isaiah Williams gave the Jets a spark when he returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown — his second score on a punt return this season — to make it 21-7 with 20 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Trailing 24-7 late in the third quarter, New York's special teams again came up big. With Austin McNamara set to punt on fourth-and-8, Malachi Moore took the direct snap and then lateraled to Isaiah Davis, who gained 20 yards and a first down.

The Jets' offense stalled, though, and New York settled for Nick Folk's 31-yard field goal.

Dolphins: LB Caleb Johnson left in the first quarter with a shoulder injury and didn't return. ... S Elijah Campbell was ruled out in the third with knee and ankle injuries.

Jets: Glenn said TE Mason Taylor has a stinger. ... TE Stone Smartt has a possible concussion. ... Rookie DE Tyler Baron was ruled out with a knee injury. ... Rookie LB Kiko Mauigoa cleared the concussion protocol, but didn’t return because of a shoulder injury.

Dolphins: Take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh next Monday night.

Jets: Travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars next Sunday.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Miami Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas (26) intercepts a pass intended for New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III (3) at the goal line during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Dolphins running back Ollie Gordon II (31) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (4) passes against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) carries the ball for a touchdown against New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) reacts during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

DALLAS (AP) — Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, has died. He was 79.

Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said in statement that Hicks died peacefully Saturday in Dallas surrounded by family.

Hicks owned the NHL's Dallas Stars from 1995–2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. He also owned baseball's Texas Rangers from 1998–2010, a period when they won three American West Division titles and made their first World Series appearance just months after the team was sold. In 2007, he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool.

“Being shoulder to shoulder with him was always about more than ballparks and stadiums, though,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “It was about personal respect, trust and friendship. We shared a lot of miles together, and I’ll miss him greatly. My heart goes out to his family.”

Hicks co-founded Hicks & Haas in 1984 and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst in 1989, helping reshape private equity and investing strategy.

“Tom Hicks was an innovative businessman and a pioneer in private equity,” fellow Texas businessman Ross Perot Jr. said in a statement. “He combined his commitment to business and sports through his ownership of the Stars and the Rangers.”

One of Hicks' most notable moments with the Rangers came 25 years ago at baseball's winter meetings in Dallas, when the team signed Alex Rodriguez, then a 25-year-old All-Star shortstop, to a $252 million, 10-year contract in free agency.

A-Rod's deal at the time was $2 million more than Hicks had paid to buy the entire team only 2 1/2 years earlier. It also then doubled the previous record for a sports contract, the $126 million, six-year agreement in October 1997 between forward Kevin Garnett and the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

Rodriguez led the American League in homers in all three of his seasons with the Rangers. He hit 156 homers in that span while the team's overall record was 216-270. He was traded to the New York Yankees at the start of spring training in 2004.

The Rangers' first World Series appearance in October 2010 came after the team was bought that August by an ownership group that then included Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. After an initial agreement to buy the team from Hicks at that start of that year, a messy bankruptcy case ensued before the group finally acquired it at auction with a bid valued at $590 million.

The Stars, the NHL franchise that moved from Minnesota before the 1993-94 season, became the league's first champion from the Sun Belt when they raised the Stanley Cup in 1999 after beating Buffalo in Game 6. They made the Stanley Cup Final again the following season, losing a six-game series to New Jersey.

Brett Hull scored the Cup-winning goal for the Stars in 1999. Hicks had signed him to a $17 million, three-year contract in free agency the previous summer after Hull had been an All-Star in seven of his previous 11 seasons with the St. Louis Blues.

Before the 2001-02 season, the Stars moved a few blocks in downtown Dallas, from Reunion Arena to the American Airlines Center where the team still plays and shares with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. The Stars, too, went into bankruptcy before being acquired by Canadian businessman Tom Gaglardi in 2011.

The Stars in a statement Sunday lauded the team's unprecedented on-ice success under Hicks' ownership.

“He also played an instrumental role in the development and planning of the American Airlines Center, along with the grassroots growth of hockey through the creation of numerous StarCenter facilities,” the team said. “Our franchise would not be in the position we are today without the ownership of Mr. Hicks. His legacy will be honored by our franchise for decades to come.”

Hicks served as paratrooper in the Army Reserves and was Commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission. He served on the University of Texas’s Board of Regents from 1994 to 1999.

Hicks is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cinda Cree Hicks, and his six children — Thomas Ollis Hicks Jr., Mack Hardin Hicks, John Alexander Hicks, Robert Bradley Hicks, William Cree Hicks and Catherine Forgrave Hicks.

His children released a joint statement, saying:

“Of everything he accomplished in his remarkable life, Tom Hicks’s most cherished title was, ‘Dad.’ No matter the trials and tribulations he faced in life, he was constant in his generosity and love for his family. He remains a guiding force for our family, and we are deeply honored to continue expanding his legacy. Although we are devastated by this loss, we are profoundly grateful to have been his children.”

The Rangers in a statement Sunday described Hicks as “a passionate and competitive owner and Texas Rangers fan. The club extends its thoughts and prayers to Mr. Hicks’ wife Cinda, his six children and his entire family as they mourn a legendary Texas businessman, philanthropist, and sportsman.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

FILE - Then Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks during an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tim Sharp, File)

FILE - Tom Hicks, the former owner of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars during an NHL hockey game in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)