Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets: A Rivalry Like No Other

For Dolphins fans, the days leading up to a Jets game are the most intense in a calendar year.

The anticipation of gameday leads to the four extra packets of sugar stirred in a daily cup of coffee, the inability to concentrate at work as you decipher the game-plan adjustments to an injury report and that internal clock in your head is counting down the milliseconds to kickoff.

This is it. This is the rivalry. This is the game that Dolphins fans emotionally put their cleats on as if they are ready to line up on the line of scrimmage.

The Jets lead the all-time series (49-44-1), but Miami has the edge in the Rex Ryan era (4-3).

Growing up in New York has allowed me to see the impact this rivalry has on its fans. There is a legitimate level of disdain that exists between the two fanbases and it is due in large part to the epic duels the two franchises have engaged in.

The Jets-Dolphins rivalry carries a reputation around the NFL and is responsible for some of the most memorable moments ever caught on camera.

Who can forget New York's remarkable comeback in 2003, erasing a 30-7 fourth quarter deficit, forever etched in history as the Miracle at the Meadowlands?

Perhaps the most notorious play in the rivalry's history occurred in 1994. Marino's fake spike not only changed my life, it altered the direction of the Jets for a span of three years, leading them to lose 32 of their next 36 games.

The Jets won the first matchup of the 2012 season in Week 3—a 23-20 overtime classic that the Dolphins could have won with a Dan Carpenter field goal—and Miami is looking to rectify their mistakes this coming Sunday.

The Dolphins have not been swept by New York since 2007, and a win will put Miami above .500 (4-3) for the first time since 2010. It is an essential victory that will begin the playoff chatter in South Beach. 

Kickoff is six days away and there is plenty of time to contemplate a potential game plan that can lead to a Dolphins victory, but for now, let us relive some of the best moments the Jets-Dolphins rivalry has to offer. Feel free to comment below on what you believe is the greatest moment in the rivalry’s history.

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