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Patriots visit Dolphins in key division clash

Nov 18, 2008 - 7:48 PM NEW ENGLAND (6-4) AT MIAMI (6-4), 1:00 pm EST

MIAMI (Ticker) -- The New England Patriots have more than revenge on their minds this week.

Having lost their hold atop the AFC East, the Patriots visit the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in another key division clash.

The teams are tied for second place in the East with 6-4 records - one game behind the front-running New York Jets, who handed New England a 34-31 overtime loss in Foxborough on November 13.

However, Miami demolished the Patriots, 38-13, in Week Three and could take what amounts to a two-game lead over New England in the crowded AFC wild card race with a victory on Sunday.

"They played a great game against us," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick of the first meeting. "They are a great football team right now. We are going to have a lot of work to do, have our hands full getting ready for them. It will be a big challenge to go down there this week and play a team that is as hot as they are right now."

The surging Dolphins, who are one year removed from a miserable 1-15 season, have ripped off four consecutive victories, including last weekend's 17-15 win over the Oakland Raiders to pull into a tie with the Patriots.

Despite dominating the Raiders, Miami appeared on the verge of being upset when Oakland's Johnnie Lee Higgins returned a punt 93 yards for a score and a 15-14 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to play.

Miami responded by driving 64 yards for rookie Dan Carpenter's 38-yard field goal with 38 seconds left, converting a huge 4th-and-5 along the way.

"When you've got a team down, you've got to figure out how to put them away," Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter said. "Having last-second wins is not something you want to be hoping for every time."

Ronnie Brown rushed for 101 yards and emerging second-year wideout Ted Ginn scored on a 40-yard reverse to keep the win streak intact.

In its earlier win over the Patriots, Brown single-handedly sparked the lopsided rout. Using the "wildcat" formation to perfection, Brown rushed for four touchdowns and threw for another as the Dolphins snapped the befuddled Patriots' 21-game regular-season winning streak.

"That's a good thing, but then if you think about it, how many teams have beaten Bill Belichick twice in a season?" Brown said. "That's another goal in itself. We obviously know what's at stake and we've got a must-win game for us."

The Patriots still seemed in control of the division until a pair of losses in the past three weeks, including the setback against the Jets.

Despite battling back from a 24-6 deficit and tying the game with one second in regulation on Matt Cassel's 16-yard scoring pass to Randy Moss, the Jets won the coin toss for overtime and marched down the field for the winning field goal.

Cassel had his best performance since being thrust into the lineup for an injured Tom Brady, finishing 30-of-51 for a career-high 400 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 62 yards.