Patriots get revenge

The Patriots avenged their early season loss to the Dolphins by beating Miami, 48-28. New England led just 31-28 early in the fourth quarter before pulling away. The loss couldn't be blamed on QB Chad Pennington, who threw for a career-high 341 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Dolphins defense couldn't stop Patriots QB Matt Cassel, who racked up 415 yards and three touchdowns of his own.

The Patriots also kept the Wildcat offense in check. After being burned by the Wildcat for four touchdowns in their prior meeting, New England gave up just 25 yards on 8 plays from the Wildcat.

The Dolphins fell to 6-5, but two of the next three games are against the Rams and 49ers, who have a combined record of 5-17, sandwiched around a meeting with 6-5 Buffalo. The Dolphins need to win at least two of those games to realistically keep their playoff hopes alive.

Dolphins win 4th straight

It required a last minute field goal from Dan Carpenter to defeat the deplorable 2-8 Oakland Raiders, but once again, a win is a win. Ronnie Brown took his turn as the star of the offense, rushing 16 times for 101 yards. The game wasn't as close as the score suggested, but the Raiders led before Carpenter's kick due to poor special teams play. The Dolphins punt coverage unit is the second worst in the league, and it showed why in allowing Johnnie Lee Higgins to score on a 93-yard return with 4:30 left.

Dolphins achieve winning record

For once this season, the Miami Dolphins won a game they were supposed to win. The result, a 21-19 victory over Seattle, meant that the Dolphins are now 5-4, which is their first winning record since the end of the 2005 season. It required foiling a 2-point conversion and a defensive stand in the last seconds of the game, but a win is a win.

The offensive star this week was Ricky Williams, who gained 105 yards and scored a touchdown. The touchdown came on a 51-yard run from the "Wildcat" formation. The defense held the Seahawks to less than 200 yards passing and played just good enough at the end to win.

The winning record aside, this was a victory that the Dolphins needed if they're to make the playoffs this year. Winning when you're supposed to, and winning close games, are what differentiates good teams from bad. This week, the Dolphins did both.

Dolphins even record at 4-4

With the way the season has been going, it came as no surprise that the Miami Dolphins defeated the Denver Broncos, 26-17. This time, it was the Dolphins defense that saved the day against the AFC West leaders. Miami held Denver's rushers to 14 net yards, and Broncos QB Jay Butler was intercepted 3 times, including a Will Allen pick that was returned for a touchdown.

Offensively, the Dolphins weren't as sharp as they've been in previous victories. Chad Pennington was a pedestrian 23-of-40 for 281 yards and an interception. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for just 75 yards on 26 carries. The offensive star was WR Greg Camarillo, who had a season high 11 catches for 111 yards.

The Dolphins must now avoid letdowns the next two weeks against the 2-6 Seahawks and 2-6 Raiders.