Monday Night Miracle (American football)
Notable 2000 NFL game
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The Monday Night Miracle was an NFL Monday night game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played at Giants Stadium on October 23, 2000.[2] The Jets scored 30 points in the fourth quarter, twice tying the score, and sending the game into overtime, where they defeated the Dolphins, 40–37.
Giants Stadium, the site of the game. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | October 23, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Giants Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Jets by 3[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Walt Coleman | |||||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ABC | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, and Dennis Miller | |||||||||||||||||||||
Background
Like their 1994 showdown at Giants Stadium which was made famous by Dan Marino's "fake spike", this game was for first place in the AFC East as both teams entered the game with a 5–1 record. Unlike the 1994 game which featured the Jets failing to hold a double-digit (18) lead in the second half, it was the Dolphins who failed to hold the lead.[citation needed]
The game is notable for having the second largest fourth-quarter comeback in NFL history and the largest comeback in Jets history. It was also voted the greatest game televised on ABC's Monday Night Football,[3] along with being #5 on NFL Top Ten's Top Ten Comebacks.[4]
At the end of the third quarter with the score 30–7 in Miami's favor, Jets broadcaster Howard David announced, "And with a whole quarter to go, this game is over."[citation needed]
Jets comeback
The Jets proceeded to stage a furious rally in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 unanswered points to tie the game at 30. They scored three touchdowns and a field goal, but a two-point conversion attempt to Curtis Martin was stopped. On the Dolphins' first play from scrimmage after the game was tied, they took the lead on a long touchdown pass by Jay Fiedler to Leslie Shepherd. However, the Jets still managed to drive downfield and tie the game. One of the key plays was a 4th down catch at the Dolphins 2-yard line by Richie Anderson as he caught the ball despite a head-on hit by Zach Thomas and Dolphins defensive back Jerry Wilson. Improbably, the tying touchdown was caught by offensive tackle John "Jumbo" Elliott, playing as a tackle-eligible.[5] After Elliott caught the touchdown pass, Dennis Miller remarked how opposing defenses, "couldn't keep him down forever." In the overtime Fiedler was intercepted by Marcus Coleman but Coleman was hit by Thurman Thomas and fumbled the ball back to the Dolphins. Several plays later, Coleman intercepted Fiedler again and this time held on. An eventual Vinny Testaverde pass to Wayne Chrebet put the Jets in field goal range, and a pass that was nearly intercepted by Jerry Wilson hit the ground first, nullifying the turnover. Jets kicker John Hall then won the game with a field goal with 8:13 remaining in the extra session.[5]
Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, while visiting the ABC broadcast booth to promote his upcoming film The 6th Day, said after halftime,[6]
Wayne Chrebet is going to pull it off. I think as usual the Jets are going to come from behind, you will see... I think the Dolphins have to be terminated.
The Monday night game for the Jets was in between Games 2 and 3 of the All New York (Yankees vs. Mets) 2000 World Series. The series overshadowed the game. In fact, the crowd broke out into "Let's Go Yankees" chants countered by "Let's Go Mets" chants during the third quarter.[citation needed]
Starting lineups
Hall of Fame‡
| Miami | Position | New York Jets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Leslie Shepherd | WR | Dedric Ward | |
| Richmond Webb | LT | Jason Fabini | |
| John Bock | LG | Kerry Jenkins | |
| Tim Ruddy | C | Kevin Mawae‡ | |
| Kevin Donnalley | RG | Randy Thomas | |
| Todd Wade | RT | Ryan Young | |
| Hunter Goodwin | TE | Fred Baxter | |
| Oronde Gadsden | WR | Wayne Chrebet | |
| Jay Fiedler | QB | Vinny Testaverde | |
| Rob Konrad | FB | WR | Laveranues Coles |
| Lamar Smith | RB | Curtis Martin‡ | |
| Defense | |||
| Kenny Mixon | LE | DE | Rick Lyle |
| Tim Bowens | LT | DT | Jason Ferguson |
| Jermaine Haley | RT | DE | Shane Burton |
| Jason Taylor‡ | RE | LB | Mo Lewis |
| Zach Thomas‡ | MLB | LB | Bryan Cox |
| Jerry Wilson | WLB | LB | Marvin Jones |
| Robert Jones | SLB | LB | James Farrior |
| Patrick Surtain | LCB | CB | Aaron Glenn |
| Sam Madison | RCB | CB | Marcus Coleman |
| Brock Marion | FS | Kevin Williams | |
| Brian Walker | SS | Victor Green | |
Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 17 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 37 |
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 40 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 23, 2000
- Game time: 9:10 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 51 °F (28 °C), Clear
- Game attendance: 78,389
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, and Dennis Miller
- Boxscore, Game Book
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Final statistics
Statistical comparison
| Miami Dolphins | New York Jets | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 31 |
| Third down efficiency | 5/17 | 4/16 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/0 | 1/2 |
| Total yards | 433 | 455 |
| Passing yards | 235 | 376 |
| Passing – completions/attempts | 16/35 | 36/59 |
| Rushing yards | 198 | 79 |
| Rushing attempts | 38 | 22 |
| Yards per rush | 5.2 | 3.6 |
| Penalties–yards | 13–95 | 3–30 |
| Sacks against–yards | 2–15 | 1–2 |
| Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 3 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 36:11 | 30:36 |
Individual stats
| Dolphins Passing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | C/ATT* | Yds | TD | INT |
| Jay Fiedler | 16/35 | 250 | 2 | 3 |
| Dolphins Rushing | ||||
| Player | Cara | Yds | TD | LGb |
| Lamar Smith | 23 | 155 | 2 | 68 |
| Jay Fiedler | 4 | 24 | 0 | 15 |
| Rob Konrad | 5 | 11 | 0 | 3 |
| J. J. Johnson | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Thurman Thomas | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Dolphins Receiving | ||||
| Player | Recc | Yds | TD | LGb |
| Oronde Gadsden | 7 | 119 | 0 | 29 |
| Leslie Shepherd | 3 | 94 | 2 | 46 |
| Hunter Goodwin | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Lamar Smith | 2 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Thurman Thomas | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Rob Konrad | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Jets Passing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT* | Yds | TD | INT | |
| Vinny Testaverde | 36/59 | 378 | 5 | 3 |
| Jets Rushing | ||||
| Player | Cara | Yds | TD | LGb |
| Curtis Martin | 14 | 65 | 0 | 34 |
| Vinny Testaverde | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Dwight Stone | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Richie Anderson | 6 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Jets Receiving | ||||
| Player | Recc | Yds | TD | LGb |
| Richie Anderson | 12 | 109 | 0 | 19 |
| Curtis Martin | 8 | 72 | 0 | 15 |
| Wayne Chrebet | 6 | 104 | 2 | 28 |
| Laveranues Coles | 4 | 55 | 1 | 30 |
| Dedric Ward | 3 | 40 | 0 | 27 |
| Jumbo Elliott | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Jermaine Wiggins | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Jerald Sowell | 1 | -6 | 0 | -6 |
*Completions/Attempts aCarries bLongest play cReceptions
Officials
- Referee: Walt Coleman (#65)
- Umpire: Undrey Wash (#96)
- Head linesman: John Schleyer (#21)
- Line judge: Dave Anderson (#81)
- Field judge: Scott Steenson (#88)
- Side judge: Bill Spyksma (#12)
- Back judge: Ron Spitler (#119)
Aftermath
Despite the Jets winning the game, they would finish the season with a 9-7 record 3rd in the AFC East. The Dolphins however would win the AFC East with an 11-5 record but forcing them to enter the playoffs as a wild card team as they couldn't catch the two teams with the best record in the AFC, the 12-4 Oakland Raiders and the team with the best record in football that year, the 13-3 Tennessee Titans. The Dolphins won their first playoff game 23-17 against Indianapolis in the Wild Card round in overtime (their last playoff win to date) but lost next week against Oakland 27-0 in the divisional round.