The Dolphins nearly got a small mercy from the football gods on Sunday amid their terrible start — but one painful moment against a rival still stands alone
The Dolphins were almost granted a small mercy from the football gods on Sunday amid their 0-3 start in 2025. But when it rains, it pours…
The Miami Dolphins‘ winless start to the 2025 season has been a drag. There’s no mistake about that. Yet, with Miami having played on Thursday Night Football against the Bills this past week, it set the stage for a stress-free Sunday for fans of the aqua and orange. That is, of course, unless you tuned in to the final moments of one of Miami’s AFC East rivals’ Week 3 contest.
The New York Jets, Miami’s Week 4 opponent, were aiming to complete an upset bid against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa. A blocked field goal, which was returned for a touchdown, gave the Jets the lead in the final two minutes of the game clock — completing a flurry of points from New York after they entered the fourth quarter trailing 23-6.
What does all this have to do with the Dolphins? As the broadcast team spotlighted when the Jets tried to muster a final stop, New York had only successfully mounted a comeback of this magnitude once in franchise history. It came against the Dolphins. Miami nearly got some company on Sunday in the Jets’ history books.
Dolphins remain lone opponent to blow 17+ point fourth quarter lead vs. the New York Jets
Apologies if you feel I’m kicking you while you’re down. But I heard this on the broadcast on Sunday, so now you have to hear it, too.
The New York Jets entered Sunday 1-144-1 all-time when trailing by 17 points or more entering the fourth quarter. The Jets, who could not stop Tampa on that final possession and ultimately gave up a game-winning field goal, lost on Sunday 29-27. As such, the Dolphins maintain a dubious place in Jets lore all by their lonesome.
The Monday Night Miracle. It was an October primetime showcase between the Jets and Dolphins that saw Miami leading by 23 points entering the fourth quarter. Miami, which entered the game at 5-0, had the Jets on the ropes 30-7. But New York managed to score a whopping 30 points in the fourth quarter, pushing the game to overtime.
The scores included an infamous touchdown pass to offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott in the final minute to give New York its second tie of the quarter. And New York, which entered the game 4-1, walked Miami off in overtime with a game-winning field goal.
That’s the kind of heroics the Jets franchise has needed to come back from a 17+ point deficit in the fourth quarter across their entire franchise history. The Dolphins, amid their poor start in 2025, were nearly given a small gift of mercy from the football gods in the form of having someone else join them as a Jets opponent to blow a three-score lead in the final quarter. But when it rains, it pours.
And now the Jets are 1-145-1. Miami still stands alone.
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