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A playoff spot was up for
grabs the last time the New York Jets finished the regular season on the road
against the Miami Dolphins.
This time, the Jets and Dolphins will be wrapping up disappointing seasons for
both teams when they meet at Pro Player Stadium.
New York beat Miami 23-20 in overtime on Dec. 22, 1991, to advance to playoffs, while the Dolphins were eliminated.
There will be no such theatrics this time around, as the Dolphins will miss the playoffs for the second straight season, and the Jets close a lost season following last year's AFC East title.
Miami was eliminated from the playoffs Sunday when the Denver Broncos beat the Indianapolis Colts, marking the first time since 1989 the Dolphins will miss the postseason in consecutive seasons.
After losing back-to-back games to the New England Patriots and Philadelphia
Eagles, Miami responded with a strong defensive effort and a 20-3 win against
the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins had six sacks, forced four turnovers and limited
Buffalo to 177 total yards. It was their first road win in December since Dec.
24, 2000.
Although the team's postseason fate is certain, coach Dave Wannstedt's future is not. Despite a 40-23 record in four seasons, Wannstedt might not return for the final year of his contract.
The Dolphins have regressed every season under Wannstedt. They won the AFC East in 2000, finished second in 2001 and were eliminated from the postseason in the final week in 2002 at New England. Now they are out with one week to play.
``My responsibility is to this team and to prepare these guys to the best of my ability,'' Wannstedt said. ``We still have a lot to play for. We're trying to get our 10th win and we're playing the Jets. In my mind, there's a lot to play for.''
With a victory against the Jets, the Dolphins would become the first team since the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in 1991 to win 10 games and not make the playoffs.
``It's unusual,'' Wannstedt said. ``There will probably be some teams that don't have 10 wins get into the playoffs. How do you figure? How do you figure?''
Chad Pennington, who missed the first six games of the season with a broken left wrist, was intercepted a career-high five times in a 21-16 loss to the New England Patriots on Saturday.
Pennington, who had just seven interceptions going into the game, finished 24-of-43 for 229 yards and two running scores.
Safety Sam Garnes told Pennington, ``Don't hang your head.'' Several other teammates gave him words of encouragement, showing a strong backing for the team's leader.
``We're going to stick behind Chad no matter what,'' Garnes said. ``He means everything to this team. He's out there making plays and we respect that so much. No doubt he's going to have a great game next week. He probably can't wait to get back on the field.''
Pennington certainly has learned from his mistakes in the past. Last year, he had his worst game of the season in the playoffs against Oakland, throwing two interceptions and going 21-of-47 for 183 yards for a quarterback rating of 44.9.
Pennington has been mostly consistent this season, guiding two fourth-quarter wins and throwing three touchdown passes and no interceptions in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
New York may be without
left guard Dave Szott, who injured his left knee against New England. Szott
has started all 15 games this season. He missed most of last season after tearing
the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the offseason. Brandon
Moore would start in his place.