Dolphins climb back into AFC East race

The Jets-Dolphins rivalry is back, and the nation got a chance to see two up-and-coming football teams play a classic game Monday night.

Ronnie Brown and the Wildcat got the better of the Jets, with Brown scoring a 2-yard touchdown run with six seconds left to give the Fins a 31-27 win that puts them back in the AFC East race.

There were several positives in the performance, and many of them were on offense.

We learned that the Wildcat is not just a "fad," as Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan called it prior to the start of the season.

In recent weeks, the Dolphins have run the Wildcat more and more often, culminating Monday night with 16 snaps out of the formation.

Miami gianed 110 yards in the Wildcat, the most since they unveiled the formation last season at New England, and they averaged 6.9 yards per play.

On the last madcap drive, in which Miami went 70 yards in 13 plays and ate up four minutes and 59 seconds of clock, the Wildcat accounted for 25 yards on four plays.

It has become apparent that the Dolphins, who ran for 158 yards and are the top-rushing team in the NFL, can run on any defense.

Brown gained 74 yards on 21 carries and scored twice, and Ricky Williams added 68 yards on 11 carries.

However, the team suffered a big loss when it was announced that backup running back Patrick Cobbs will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Cobbs is a key contributor to the Wildcat, though he doesn't often run the ball.

His biggest asset is as a blocker. If you watched the highlights, there was Cobbs, clearing space downfield for Williams on a big first down run out of the Wildcat in the first quarter.

He also added a big-play element to the formation. Remember Cobbs' 80-yard TD catch out of the formation last year against the Houston Texans?

Now, preseason star Lex Hilliard be called on to replace Cobbs as the third running back. Ted Ginn will again handle the kickoff return duties, a job Cobbs had taken over this season.

The other revelation was the Dolphins' passing game, which was finally able to stretch the field and make the big plays that had largely been missing this season.

Chad Henne had his best game as a pro, completing 20-of-26 passes for 262 yards and two TDs.

He looked poised in the pocket, and he was accurate and showcased a strong arm.

Henne's most impressive throw was a 53-yard rainbow to Ginn for a TD that gave the Dolphins a 24-20 lead.

Ginn beat triple coverage on that play, and maybe now he will be more of an offensive factor since it's clear Henne has the arm to get him the ball.

But Henne's most important throws came on the game-winning drive.

On 3rd-and-5 from the New York 30-yardline, Henne slid to his left to avoid a seven-man blitz, and delivered a perfect pass to Greg Camarillo for 14 yards and a crucial first down.

Two plays later, facing 3rd-and-10 from the 16, Henne showed good mobility, rolling right and drilling another accurate throw to Camarillo on a comeback route for 12 yards and another first down.

Two not-so-routine passes, both well-executed, and both for big plays that kept the winning drive alive.

The flip side of the offensive fireworks was another poor performance by the defense.

For the first time this season, a team was able to consitently run the ball against Miami, as the Jets pounded the Fins for a season-high 138 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Thomas Jones scored two TDs, one on a 7-yard run where New York's offensive line completely blew out the Dolphins front.

The pass defense was a little better, holding Mark Sanchez to 12-of-24 passing for 172 yards, but whenever he seemed to need a big play, Sanchez got it.

The Dolphins had practically no pass rush, allowing Sanchez to step up in the pocket for big plays like a 34-yard pass to Braylon Edwards.

Cornerback Will Allen had one of his worst days as a Dolphin, allowing the newly acquired Edwards to pick up 64 yards on five catches and score a TD.

Allen also drew a phantom pass interference call on another play when Edwards had clearly beaten him, but he dropped the potential TD pass.

David Clowney even found a way to get behind the Dolphins defense, as he beat Vontae Davis and Yeremiah Bell for a 53-yard reception that led to Edwards' big catch a few plays later.

The offense is still a work in progress, but the Dolphins have to feel good about it heading into the bye week. The pass defense however, has only slightly improved, ranking 19th in the league.

The Dolphins had just one sack Monday night, and no turnovers forced.

As a team, Miami has only three interceptions, and though the Dolphins rank 10th in the NFL with 12 sacks, half of that total came against woeful Buffalo last week. Miami has only forced six turnovers in five games this season.

That's not enough, and if they can't force offenses into more mistakes, there will be many more high-scoring games like Monday night's affair.

But at 2-3, the Dolphins are alive in the AFC East. And after the bye, they go right back into the fire at home against New Orleans, on the road against these same Jets, then host division-leading New England.

After that stretch, we'll know much more about this team.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)