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Dolphins look to keep pace in AFC East

Dec 9, 2008 - 3:42 PM San Francisco (5-8) at Miami (8-5), 1:00pm EST

MIAMI (Ticker) -- The AFC East is a now a three-team race, and the Miami Dolphins have as good a chance to win the division as the New England Patriots or New York Jets.

Now in a three-way tie with the Patriots and Jets, the Dolphins seek their seventh win in eight games Sunday when they host the San Francisco 49ers.

Miami (8-5) already has clinched at least a .500 season after winning just one game last season.

According to Miami coach Tony Sparano, Chad Pennington is the main reason for the Dolphins' surprising turnaround, calling his quarterback a "commander" in the huddle.

"He's a commander, he really is," Sparano said. "I think the guy is just so important. Being in the situations that we've been in in some of these games and the way these games have had to go, it takes a special guy to put his personal agenda aside and to go out there and to do what's right for this football team."

Pennington has not been putting up spectacular numbers, but he has been directing the offense

in an efficient manner, limiting mistakes. He passed for just 181 yards in last week's 16-3 win over Buffalo in Toronto - his second straight game with under 200 yards.

Pennington did became the third Dolphin to reach 3,000 yards passing in a season and first since Jay Fiedler in 2001.

"Some guys maybe wouldn't have liked throwing the ball for 180 yards and completing 20-something passes (23, to be exact)," Sparano added. "They would've been complaining about not throwing the ball down the field, where here's a guy that understands what efficiency means. He understands how efficiency wins in our league."

The Dolphins are three games above .500 for the first time since 2001, when they finished 10-6.

It would be ironic if the division race came down to the final week of the season when Pennington faces his former team - the Jets - at Giants Stadium.

However, the Dolphins can't look past the 49ers, who are playing hard for interim coach Mike Singletary.

San Francisco has won two straight and three of its last four under Singletary, improving his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis. Last week, the 49ers damaged the Jets' division title hopes with a 24-14 victory.

Shaun Hill passed for 285 yards and two touchdowns for San Francisco, although the health of running back Frank Gore could be an issue.

Gore, who needs 22 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his four-year career, left last week's game early in the third quarter with a sprained ankle, but expects to play against the Dolphins.

"It's tight," Gore said. "Tight and sore, but I'll be fine."