Dolphins-Jets: The sequel

In a strange scheduling quirk, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets face off for the second time in three weeks, this time in the Meadowlands. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.

The last time the two teams played, of course, was on Monday night. And in one of the best games in the rivalry in recent years, Ronnie Brown's 2-yard TD run with six seconds left lifted Miami to a 31-27 win.

The next week, the Jets continued their skid with a 16-13 overitme loss at home to Buffalo, their third loss in a row. Quarterback Mark Sanchez single-handedly lost the game with his worst day as a pro, tossing five interceptions.

But last week, New York got back in the win column with a 38-0 demolishing of the hapless Raiders in Oakland.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, had unbeaten New Orleans on the ropes until a 22-point fourth quarter led to an improbable Saints 46-34 come-from-behind victory.

That loss dropped Miami to 2-4 and 2 1/2 games behind the Jets in the AFC East.

The Dolphins defense had no answer for New Orleans, as Drew Brees led the Saints to 43 points over the last two quarters.

Brees riddled the Dolphins secondary for 298 yards and one TD, and Miami also lost veteran cornerback Will Allen for the season with a torn ACL.

That elevates rookie Vontae Davis to the starting lineup, where he will play opposite another rookie, Sean Smith.

Jets receiver Braylon Edwards feasted on the Fins in the first meeting, catching five passes for 64 yards and a TD, but he has not been productive in the last two games.

Also, Jerricho Cotchery should return after missing the first meeting with a pulled hamstring, giving the Jets another receiving threat.

The Dolphins pass rush struggled against New York on that Monday night, tallying just one sack.

The defense started like a house of fire againast New Orleans, sacking Brees five times and intercepting him three times -- but all the damage was done in the first half.

Miami must get pressure on Sanchez to give the two young corners help, and the running game will be a priority for both teams.

The Jets ran the ball effectively against the Dolphins in the first meeting, tallying 138 yards.

New York lost a key player for the season last week as well, when do-everything running back Leon Washington broke his leg.

But the Jets found another option to team with Thomas Jones in rookie Shonn Greene, who lit up the Raiders for 144 yards and two rushing TDs.

Greene and Jones will look to pound it inside, while the Dolphins Wildcat offense will try to continue its dominance.

Miami ran for 151 yards against Rex Ryan's defense in the last meeting, which Ryan later lamented as an embarrassing effort.

Since then, the Jets have sunk to 22nd in the league against the run, and they lost a key run-stuffer in tackle Kris Jenkins, who also is out for the season.

Somehow, I get the feeling Ryan will have his defense better prepared this week than he did Monday night. The Jets have the home crowd on their side, and the revenge factor.

Plus, I don't think Chad Henne will have the same kind of day he had three weeks ago, when he riddled the Jets for 20-of-26 passing for 241 yards.

Ryan took the last Dolphins game personally, and I think he'll unleash the hounds on a team that might still be suffering a hangover from last week's meltdown.

Jets 27, Dolphins 24.

(Photo: Yahoo Images)

Mirror images collide Monday night

After losing some steam in recent years, the Miami Dolphins-New York Jets rivalry has returned to prominence over the past two seasons.

Monday night, the two teams meet before a national audience, in a game that will be televised by ESPN.

The Jets will no doubt be playing the revenge card in this one.

It was Miami that ended their dreams of a playoff berth in 2008, and ended the Brett Favre Era in one fell swoop in a 24-17 win at the Meadowlands.

Much has changed in that time.

Favre, of course, is in Minnesota. Coach Eric Mangini was fired, and hired by the Cleveland Browns.

The man who replaced Mangini is his polar opposite.

There is no doubt that Rex Ryan is Buddy Ryan's son. He has the same qualities: He's abrasive, arrogant, and he has the most important thing in common with Dad, he's a great defensive football coach.

Ryan has wasted no time in molding the Jets in his image, and they enter Land Shark Stadium 3-1 and as the de facto leaders in the AFC East.

The Dolphins have gotten off to a much slower start, falling to 0-3 and losing starting quarterback Chad Pennington for the season before rebounding for a 38-10 win over Buffalo last week.

Against the Bills, the Dolphins executed what must have been Tony Sparano's and Bill Parcells' dream game plan: They controlled the ball for more than 37 minutes, ran for 250 yards and forced six sacks and three interceptions.

It was an all-around brilliant performance, one in which first-time starter Chad Henne didn't have to do much (14-of-22, 115 yards, 1 TD).

That will likely change Monday night.

The Jets enter with the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL, though last week, they gave up a season-high 153 yards rushing in their first loss of the season to New Orleans.

But with a rookie quarterback under center, you'd better believe Ryan will stack the box in an effort to stop the run and force the ball into Henne's hands.

The last few weeks, the Wildcat offense has been operating at optimum efficiency. Miami leads the NFL in rushing at 183.5 yards per game, and since being held to 96 yards opening week by Atlanta, that number has risen to 212.7 yards per game.

Ronnie Brown has been the master of the Wildcat, ranking fifth in the league in rushing with 369 yards and four TDs.

But, if you remember last year, the only team that consistently stopped the Wildcat was the Baltimore Ravens, with Ryan as defensive coordinator.

In those two games, Brown had 27 and 19 yards rushing, and as a team the Dolphins gained just 153 yards total on the ground.

Ryan likes to blitz with different personnel, and he'll do it from any side of the field.

Also, with Bart Scott, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis, he had the personnel to stop the Wildcat.

Scott is now a Jet, and he has teammates like David Harris and Brian Thomas who can fly to the football and help stop the run.

Even more remarkable is the fact the Jets are sixth against the pass, despite having the fewest sacks in the league with four.

That's testament to Darrelle Revis, one of the top corners in the game, as well as safeties Jim Leonhard and Kerry Rhodes.

Scheme is what makes the Jets' D so effective, as the sum is truly greater than the individual parts.

Henne will have to take his deep shots when he gets a chance, but Ted Ginn may not have many opportunities with Revis on him.

The flip side of this battle is, the Jets are almost a mirror image of what the Dolphins try to do offensively.

New York ranks eighth in the league in rushing at over 130 yards per game, partly because they have a good trio of running backs in Thomas Jones, Leon Washington and Shonn Greene.

But the Jets also run out of necessity, as quarterback Mark Sanchez is only a rookie and not yet ready to assume the full burden offensively.

The Saints proved that last week, when they bottled up the New York ground attack, and forced Sanchez into 27 pass attempts and three crucial interceptions.

I don't see the Jets being able to run the ball on Miami, since the Dolphins have the No. 1 rushing defense in the league.

Washington will be a handful in the backfield and catching passes, as will tight end Dustin Keller, who will try to exploit what has been a soft spot in the Dolphins defense all year.

Joey Porter returns to help the pass rush, and Cameron Wake should see more playing time after his three-sack effort last week.

New Jets receiver Braylon Edwards gives "The Sanchise" the deep element the offense has been missing.

And that may be what this game comes down to: Which team can make plays in the passing game?

This should be a defensive struggle, but the Dolphins troubles against the pass -- and the unknown quantity in Henne -- tip the scales slightly in New York's favor.

Jets 17, Dolphins 13.