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The Miami Dolphins' first road game against the New York Jets in the 2000s produced one of the wildest fourth-quarter comebacks in NFL history — or worst fourth-quarter collapses, depending on your viewpoint.
It was part of a very rough start for Miami in those away games against their AFC opponents from the New York/New Jersey area in the new millennium, though the Dolphins have evened things out at 13 wins apiece heading into their 27th matchup of the 2000s in the Northeast this Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Here is our countdown of the Dolphins' top five of those 13 victories at Giants Stadium, Meadowlands Stadium or MetLife Stadium against the Jets in the 2000s.
We start our countdown with one of those rare games — the only one we can remember, actually — where the punter was the difference-maker. In this game under cloudy skies, the Dolphins offense was brutal to the tune of 131 total yards and two turnovers, not to mention going 3-for-15 on third downs. The defense did hold New York to 280 yards, but the difference was Brandon Fields averaging 56.4 yards with an absurd net of 49.6 yards. A big example of Fields' brilliance that day came with Miami leading 10-3 on the second play of the fourth quarter and having to punt from its 7-yard line. Fields unleashed a 69-yard punt and even after an 11-yard run, that produced a 58-yard net that had the Jets starting at their own 35.
The term "Hail Mary" had been used before to describe the fiasco produced by an apparent (or obvious) officiating mistake that changed the outcome of a Green Bay-Seattle game on a, you guessed it, Hail Mary. But it was more appropriate here because this was a bad player fail, with the culprit being future Dolphins QB Tim Boyle and the hero/beneficiary being former Dolphins safety Jevon Holland. For those who don't remember, the Dolphins were in full control leading 10-0 against the Jets heading toward halftime until a pick-six gave New York some life. Holland's touchdown off a brilliant return basically ended all suspense.
Talk about coming up big as a backup quarterback. With the Dolphins in the midst of a playoff run, Matt Moore had to start this Saturday night game after Ryan Tannehill went out the previous week with a knee injury, and he lit up the Jets for four touchdown passes. Those came after a pair of future Dolphins — QB Bryce Petty and WR Robbie Chosen — connected on a 40-yard touchdown pass to give the Jets an early 7-0. The Dolphins' other touchdown came on a blocked punt return by Walt Aikens, which we bring up because ...
Yep, more special teams fireworks, this time courtesy of Ted Ginn Jr. The Dolphins' controversial 2007 first-round pick — who absolutely was overdrafted, but still had a productive NFL career — made NFL history with not one but two kickoff returns for touchdowns in the third quarter alone. Oh, and that third quarter also featured a 48-yard fumble return for another Miami touchdown by Jason Taylor. Those big plays allowed the Dolphins to score 30 points and steal a victory despite the offense being held to a meager 104 total yards.
As the Dolphins going through this rebuilding 2026 season, it's always nice to look back on those days when the team was able to win the AFC East title. It hasn't happened in 18 years, but it was an oh-so-satisfying capper to an improbable run just one year after the Dolphins were 1-15 — and certainly a measure of hope for fans going through the pain of 2026. That seven-point win against the Jets in 2008 was highlighted by defensive end Phillip Merling's pick-six in the second quarter, but don't forget about QB Chad Pennington — maybe the most important player in the amazing turnaround after the Jets discarded him for Brett Favre and the Dolphins gladly scooped him up in August of that year — converting a massive fourth-and-1 with a run that basically clinched the victory and the division title.
2000 — Jets 40, Dolphins 37 (OT)
2001 — Jets 21, Dolphins 17
2002 — Jets 13, Dolphins 10
2003 — Dolphins 21, Jets 10
2004 — Jets 41, Dolphins 14
2005 — Jets 17, Dolphins 7
2006 — Jets 20, Dolphins 17
2007 — Jets 31, Dolphins 28
2008 — Dolphins 24, Jets 17
2009 — Dolphins 30, Jets 25
2010 — Dolphins 10, Jets 6
2011 — Jets 24, Dolphins 6
2012 — Dolphins 30, Jets 9
2013 — Dolphins 23, Jets 3
2014 — Dolphins 16, Jets 13
2015 — Jets 38, Dolphins 20
2016 — Dolphins 34, Jets 13
2017 — Jets 20, Dolphins 6
2018 — Dolphins 20, Jets 12
2019 — Jets 22, Dolphins 21
2020 — Dolphins 20, Jets 3
2021 — Dolphins 24, Jets 17
2022 — Jets 40, Dolphins 17
2023 — Dolphins 34, Jets 13
2024 — Jets 32, Dolphins 20