MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. _ Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi came up short in his bid to record a third consecutive 200-yard rushing game. But the Dolphins didn't require such a heroic performance in Sunday's 27-23 victory over the New York Jets. They had defensive and special teams heroes.
As a result the Dolphins (4-4), now on a three-game winning streak, find themselves back in the thick of the AFC playoff race.
Kenyan Drake, whose block above the waist penalty earlier in the game negated a 57-yard punt return touchdown by Jakeem Grant, returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown with 5:15 left to put the Dolphins ahead to stay.
It was the sixth-longest kickoff return in team history, including the playoffs, and the first kickoff return touchdown since Marcus Thigpen in November 2012 vs. Buffalo.
And the strange thing is it should have never happened.
After the Jets took a 23-20 lead on an 18-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to wide receiver Jalin Marshall, Grant returned the ensuing kickoff 19 yards.
But the Jets were flagged for being offside. The Dolphins opted for a re-kick.
The Jets, fearing Grant's shiftiness and speed, kicked short of Grant and to Drake, who had a kickoff return touchdown for Alabama in last year's national championship game against Clemson.
Drake's kickoff return erased two special teams errors that could have led to a loss.
Punter Matt Darr mishandled a punt that allowed the Jets to tie the score at 20 in the fourth quarter, and Drake's second-quarter penalty could have given the Dolphins a 21-13 lead shortly before halftime.
Photos: New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Instead, the Dolphins took possession at their own 36-yard line and settled for a 14-13 halftime lead.
But the defensive heroes had yet to surface.
True, defensive end Cam Wake had a pair of strip-sacks, raising his sack total to a team-leading 5.0.
But youngsters were the game-savers.
Cornerback Bobby McCain, who left the game in the third quarter and was being investigated for suspicion of a concussion, intercepted Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the end zone with 7:00 left to preserve the 20-13 lead.
Shortly before that, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips had an interception that allowed the Dolphins to allow the Dolphins to go ahead, 20-13.
With the Dolphins holding a 17-13 lead Jordan Phillips' third-quarter interception seemed as though it might have sealed the victory. The second-year defensive tackle even hurdled a defender during his beeline to the end zone, and looked good doing it.
The payoff _ a 29-yard field goal by Andrew Franks _ was disappointing in a couple of ways. Firstly, the Dolphins had to settle for a field goal instead of getting a touchdowns, and the field goal was 29 yards because rookie left tackle Laremy Tunsil was flagged for illegal formation (not being on the line of scrimmage) after Franks made a 24-yard attempt.
Franks' 33-yard field goal earlier in the third quarter gave the Dolphins a 17-13 lead.
The Dolphins made a number of gains with the victory: getting to .500 for the first time since being 3-3 last season, improving to 4-2 vs. the AFC and 2-1 vs. the AFC East, both potentially big for tie-breaking purposes, and finishing this four-game homestand with a 3-1 record.
The Dolphins now carry lots of momentum into the West Coast games against the San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams the next two weeks.
