(My Sportsbook) - The New York Jets have returned home from the West Coast with their heads held high following their shocking 44-13 blowout victory over the first-place San Diego Chargers in Week 9. New York's sudden and unexpected turnaround gives new hope to a team that had been just 1-5 in its previous six games and sets up this week's meeting against division rival Miami as a chance to get back into the thick of the AFC East race. Only two games separate the first-place Dolphins from the last-place Jets.

Last Sunday, the Jets were on the verge of collapse but showed a lot of heart with a complete game in all three phases. QB Chad Pennington was effective, and the running attack was led by RB LaMont Jordan's season-high 107 yards. New York's highly-criticized rush defense held San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson to only 60 yards and Santana Moss was ferocious on special teams. In other words, it couldn't have been better for the Jets' waning confidence.

"This is going to be another heck of a challenge for us. Miami is a very good football team that has a lot of pride. They want to come up here and win. This is a big game for both teams. They already beat us so we are going to have to prepare like we did last week," said defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. "It's going to be a tough game."

Miami was exposed on Monday night in Green Bay, where the Packers dominated the careless Dolphins with a 24-10 win. The Fins struggled to move the ball offensively, and committed four turnovers. Miami's defense couldn't contain Brett Favre, who took full advantage of his many opportunities.

QB Ray Lucas threw two interceptions and coughed up a fumble, while the return of WR Cris Carter was also a flop. The future Hall of Famer dropped passes and also fumbled. Miami's running game never got into gear, as Ricky Williams ran 14 times for just 47 yards.

The Fins need to get back on the right track in the worst way, as back-to-back losses have allowed the rest of the division to narrow the gap. This week's showdown is pivotal for both teams in the quest for the division crown.

"We're just shooting ourselves in the foot," said Lucas. "When you really look at it, nobody is stopping us yet. We were driving the ball on Monday night and we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We can't have that. The bottom line is that we have to win, period."

SERIES HISTORY: The Jets have won eight of the past nine meetings to open a 37-35-1 lead in the all-time series. The last time these teams met, in Week 3, Miami posted a 30-3 win thanks to 151 yards from Williams and four turnovers forced to snap New York's eight-game series win streak.

Miami coach Dave Wannstedt is 2-5 versus the Jets, while Herman Edwards owns a 2-1 mark against the Dolphins.

Six of the past eight meetings in New York have been decided by eight points or less. The Jets have won four in a row over Miami at home.

DOLPHINS OFFENSE

Turnovers will always make coaches crazy. After spending the entire week developing a game plan and finding the right plays to run, giving the ball to the opponent destroys everything the coaching staff works for. Against the Packers last week, the Dolphins allowed the league's best quarterback to have extra chances and Green Bay opened a 24-0 lead.

Former Jet QB Lucas tried to get the ball to Carter, but on two occasions the ball ended up in the hands of Green Bay defenders. Miami failed to get much going in the running game either, as Williams never established enough of a rushing threat to provide the Dolphins with any balance. Lucas spread the ball to nine different receivers and completed 22-of-39 passes (56.4 percent), but Miami played from behind the eight ball all night.

Lucas is listed as questionable for this week's game following a bruised right shoulder he suffered last week, which would mean third-string QB Sage Rosenfels may make his first NFL start. Wannstedt still hasn't named a starter.

"I don't know, to be honest with you," said the coach. "[Lucas is] not 100 percent. We're just going to have to wait and see and take it one day at a time. We're preparing Sage for the possibility that he will have to play."

It's time for coach Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Norv Turner to get back to the drawing board, and hopefully the Dolphins will take better care of the ball while executing the game plan. Since the Jets have been very vulnerable to the run for the majority of the season, expect Williams to get more carries this week.

It appeared that Miami was using short passes as its main approach last week before things began to unravel. Turner was calling a lot of plays to Williams out of the backfield and many other short patterns for the receivers. Since Lucas isn't the most polished passer, Miami's philosophy will probably be the same this Sunday.

The Dolphins will continue to throw to Carter, and the former Viking should respond after his poor showing on Monday night. He is a proud player, and he will do whatever it takes to get back to his old form. Carter thrives on short routes, and he will be a factor this week for sure.

New York's defense has regained its edge, but the fact remains that the Jets are capable of a letdown after their long road trip. The Jets allow a conference-worst 146.3 yards per game on the ground and Williams will be poised to bounce back from his struggled in Green Bay. Expect Williams to get the ball at least 20 times this Sunday since Turner will need to limit Lucas' attempts.

JETS DEFENSE

New York's defense answered the call against San Diego's high-powered offense last week, keeping Tomlinson under wraps and punishing QB Drew Brees. But what may have been the most impressive aspect of the Jets' win was the way they remained focused in the hostile environment. In Week 8, New York squandered an 18-point lead in its 24-21 loss to Cleveland at home.

The Jets had been abused on the ground before Sunday's game, but they responded by holding Tomlinson in check. Without the running attack, San Diego's offense couldn't get any steady movement.

Linebacker James Darling had a great game, intercepting Brees and returning it 38 yards to set up a field goal, and he also recovered a fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter.

Against the Dolphins, New York will need to continue to defend the run and prevent Williams from making an impact. Since Lucas is struggling and the Miami passing game has slowed to a virtual stand-still, the Dolphins will try to re-establish Williams. It will be up to the front seven to control the line of scrimmage.

Cottrell is pleased with the improvement of his pass rush, which he thinks will be important against Miami's thin QB corps.

"The pass rush is coming along. Again, if you can make a team one-dimensional, you know what you are doing. Defensive end Shaun Ellis has really improved this year and we all know John Abraham is a very good player. Josh Evans is really starting to crank it and come on and is becoming the type of player we thought he would be."

JETS OFFENSE

Nobody saw it coming, but Pennington and Jordan were unstoppable in San Diego last week. Pennington took hold of the offense, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown while running for an eight-yard score as well. He distributed the ball equally to eight different targets with short passes and avoided an interception. In fact, the Jets did not turn the ball over at all.

Jordan ran roughshod over the San Diego defense, averaging 8.2 yards per carry (13 carries, 107 yards). Moss gave the Jets good field position with his five punt returns and ran back a punt for a score for the second straight week. Moss finished with a total of 124 yards, 116 of which came on special teams.

For a team that had been struggling on the ground all season, the Jets sure made it look easy in San Diego. RB Curtis Martin still failed to get on track, but Jordan took over and delivered in a big way. New York's success was predicated on the play of its offensive line, which opened holes and allowed only two sacks on Pennington.

Thanks to the O-line, New York controlled the tempo and held the ball for over 37 minutes. New York went 7-for-15 on third down and racked up 412 yards of offense. Their scheme was well balanced, with 37 passes and 30 rushes.

Now that everything is running smoothly for the Jets, it's time to prove last week wasn't a fluke. Although the Dolphins had their hands full in Green Bay on Monday, Miami's defense is still tough to run against. On the season, the Fins yield only 94.8 rushing yards per game -- fourth in the AFC.

DOLPHINS DEFENSE

Granted, Chad Pennington is no Brett Favre, but New York's QB has been playing well and holds the key to the Jets' offense.

"He's real efficient. He's tough to get to," said Wannstedt. "I think he's doing a great job. His numbers speak for themselves. He's been the most efficient quarterback in the NFL. Completing 70 percent of your passes is hard to do in practice, let alone in a game with a full-speed pass rush. You've got to give him credit."

The Dolphins will need to put some pressure on Pennington so that the young signal-caller won't be able to get comfortable in the pocket. He has already shown the ability to succeed when he has good protection, which means DE Jason Taylor could be a big factor. Taylor has been having a great season, and he is clearly Miami's best pass rusher.

Miami's defense is too talented to have another poor showing. With CBs Patrick Surtain and Sam Madison manning the secondary, New York's receiving corps is built around short passes and running after the catch, highlighted by Moss; open field quickness. Madison and Surtain must not allow Moss to beat them deep, and prevent cut-back lanes.