Miami Dolphins: Top 5 moments of the 2000s

Moment #3: Week 17 against the Jets for the division

One of the few saving graces for the otherwise lousy decade was the 2008 division championship and playoff appearance.

The NFL season started with an injury to Tom Brady in Week 1, which subsequently opened the door for someone other than the Patriots to take the division that year. The Dolphins found themselves as the beneficiaries of the watered-down competition, as Comeback Player of the Year Chad Pennington led the squad to an 11-5 record and the AFC East crown. But it wasn’t easy.

The Brett Favre-led New York Jets were having a fine season of their own, and would take the division title and playoff appearance away from Miami if they could defeat them in Week 17 on the final day of the regular season. The game would be played in New York, the second meeting of the year after the Jets won in Miami in Week 1.

The game was a typical one for the Dolphins that season: play as mistake-free as possible, be efficient in the passing game and effective in the running, and seal the deal with a field goal or two. Pennington went 22 for 30 for an even 200 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, allowing the Dolphins’ defense to put the game away by forcing Favre in to three interceptions, one of which came with less than five minutes left to play.

The Week 17 victory would be the one that allowed the Miami Dolphins to win the division for the first time in eight years (and the last time for twelve years and counting.)