The Dolphins lost to the New York Jets 21-16 on Sunday night in Miami, ending their unbeaten streak at home and virtually assuring that they will not win the AFC Division crown this year. Because of tiebreaking rules, the only way for the Dolphins to win the AFC East is to win both of their final two games and to have the Jets lose their final two games. This is possible, but not very likely.

This short summary will not be a full game summary. If any Dolphins fans really wants to relive this loss, they can read any of the media summaries available or go to NFL.com and select the

The Dolphins lost last night for several reasons. First of all, on defense, the Dolphins were not able to get the kind of pass rush that they needed to put pressure on Testaverde without blitzing. The 4 man Dolphins' defensive line was not able to put any kind of pressure on Testaverde and that allowed him way too much time to find the open receiver, especially early in the game. The Dolphins did get pressure on Testaverde with blitzes and they were effective in disrupting his passing, even though he was not sacked once, but with just 4 down linemen, the defensive line did not get in Testaverde's face enough.

Other than that problem, the Dolphins' defense did a pretty good job. They got two turnovers late in the game that almost turned the tide in favor of the Dolphins, but the offense was unable to take advantage of those gifts. The Jets offense scored 14 points in the game and were contained late, especially when Terrell Buckley picked off a Vinny Testaverde pass in the endzone that was intended for Keyshawn Johnson and returned it 61 yards. Also in the 4th quarter, the Dolphins forced a Jet's fumble and recovered, giving Miami the ball while down by only 4 points.

The second reason that the Dolphins lost this game - and really, the main reason (on the field, that is...) - was that the Dolphins' offensive line took the night off and allowed the Jets to sack Marino 5 times. One of those sacks caused a fumble that was picked up by the Jets and run into the endzone for a touchdown that proved to be the margin of victory in the game. The Dolphins' makeshift offensive line that consisted of Richmond Webb rotating with Brent Smith and Kevin Donnalley rotating with Mike Sheldon looked like swiss cheese most of the evening as Marino was harassed and battered.

Ultimately, though, it was the fact that the Jets had a better gameplan that made the difference last night. The Jets' offense was able to create mismatches by varying their formations to take advantage of Dolphins' coverage schemes. Their first touchdown came when they got Wayne Chrebet covered by Robert Jones in the endzone. They did a number of things that got coverage mismatches that favored their players.

On defense, the Jets pass rush completely confused the Dolphins' blocking schemes and got to Dan Marino all night. Their blitzes totally turned the Dolphins' offensive line in circles and created havoc in the Dolphins' backfield. Sometimes, it was purely the fault of the players, as when Tim Ruddy watched Bryan Cox blow past him and sack Marino, but mostly it was just great scheming by the Jets' defensive coordinator Bill Belichek, who has managed to become to Bill Parcells what Arnsparger was to Don Shula. Bill Parcells has a losing record as a coach without Bill Belichek next to him on the sidelines and last night showed us why.

There is one other area where the Jets outperformed the Dolphins and this also made a big difference in the game. In my preview, I said that the mistakes would determine the outcome of the game. Well, the big mistakes were roughly even - each team gave up the ball twice on turnovers - but in the area of small mistakes, the Jets did not commit nearly as many as the Dolphins. Ed Perry dropped a potential touchdown pass; Stanley Pritchett seemed completely oblivious to when passes were going to come his way; Nate Jacquet dropped a deep pass early in the game that could have made a big difference - the list goes on, but the point is that the Dolphins made a lot of small mistakes that added up to a lot of potential points that never were.

In the end, the Jets were better coached and "made more plays" than the Dolphins, although the Dolphins had their share. This game showed that the Dolphins still need to work on their offensive line and get some better skill players at key positions for the offense. The defense still needs that one guy on the defensive line who can disrupt an opponent's pass protection by just being on the field. If the defense can get that one guy, they will be absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, the offense still has a long way to go.

In terms of individual performances, Marino did a good job, all things considered. OJ McDuffie worked very hard and had a final total of 10 catches and a touchdown, but was blanketed in coverage. No other offensive player really stood out. The offensive line as a whole was truly offensive.

On defense, Terrell Buckley had an outstanding game, stealing the ball from Keyshawn Johnson in the endzone and forcing a fumble. Sam Madison also provided his usual blanket coverage, knocking down two passes. Unfortunately, no one else on the defense really had a great night, although Brock Marion did lead the team in tackles and had a few good plays.

The most surprising player of the night was Nate Jacquet, who caught 5 passes for 68 yards. He had some nice moves and showed toughness, some speed and a willingness to go across the middle. Unfortunately, he had that key drop early in the game, but he made up for it later. I think we'll be seeing more of him in the future.

The bottom line is that the Dolphins came up short again last night and will need to do some retooling on offense before next fall. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the Broncos lost yesterday and will be on a mission next week to reassert themselves. I think that the Dolphins match up pretty well against the Broncos, but their offensive line will have to play much better in order to win on Monday night.

Related Info:

• NFL.com: Gamebook