by Alex Marvez

Miami's 31-27 upset of the New York Jets harkened back to the great games between two squads that have delivered plenty of them. We're talking about action like in the days of New York's Mark Gastineau-led Sack Exchange, Miami's Killer B's defense, the Marks Brothers (Duper and Clayton) and the "Jets Jinx" losing streak that haunted the Dolphins in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

We had Miami's wildcat offense spearheaded by Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and even rookie quarterback Pat White vs. New York's intimidating 3-4 defense. Edge: Miami. Brown's 2-yard touchdown plunge with six seconds remaining won the game.

Brown (74 rushing yards, two TDs) stole the spotlight from Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards, who made a spectacular debut after arriving via trade last week from Cleveland. He caught a touchdown pass and drew a pass-interference penalty that set up a second well into the fourth quarter.

There were personal elements involved in Monday's matchup. Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder tried showing up brash Jets head coach Rex Ryan after an offseason war of words. New York sent a message on its first snap when instructing a mammoth guard aligned at fullback to steamroll Crowder. He was kept in check with three tackles.

Jets kicker Jay Feely and special teams coach Mike Westhoff gave their licks to the organization that spurned them. Feely — a good man whose 2008 Dolphins release was at least partially spurred by concerns about his friendly relationship with the media — kicked two field goals to extend his NFL-high streak to 22. Westhoff was dumped by Miami in 2001 not because of football acumen but his inability to coexist with then-Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt. Besides Feely's success, Westhoff's special-teams unit ran two successful fakes that led to 10 points.

There's never any shortage of "Noo Yawkahs" in the Miami stands. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)

Adding even more to an already spicy night were the heated exchanges between Dolphins fans and the sizable "Noo Yawk" contingent that was part of Monday night's sellout crowd of 70,000-plus.

Each side had plenty to cheer about. The Jets and Dolphins traded leads six times with two ties in a pivotal AFC East meeting. After opening the season with three consecutive losses, Miami (2-3) is back in the running in the AFC East with New England (3-2) losing Sunday to Denver. The Jets (3-2) now look like less of a Super Bowl contender after dropping their second consecutive game.

Coincidentally, Super Bowl XLIV will be held in South Florida in February. There's no better place to start when recounting Jets-Dolphins history.

The Jets forged a special tie with this area when the Dolphins were a neophyte franchise in the late 1960s. The sun and sand is where Joe Namath made and backed the most famous guarantee in NFL history — a New York upset of Baltimore in Super Bowl III.

Competition between the Dolphins and Jets grew increasingly spirited in the 1970s. The next decade brought one of the greatest individual defensive performances in AFC Championship game history. Dolphins linebacker A.J. Duhe snagged three interceptions off Jets quarterback Richard Todd — including one he returned for a touchdown — to pace a 14-0 shutout on a muddy Orange Bowl field.

The Dolphins scored an off-field victory against the Jets in 1983 when New York bypassed Dan Marino for fellow quarterback Ken O'Brien in the draft. Marino would enjoy some of his best — and worst — moments against New York. He produced games of five and six touchdown tosses respectively and 521 passing yards in a third. Miami still lost all three games.

Marino finished his Hall of Fame career with a 17-14 record against New York. He burned the Jets for more passing yards than any other team. But New York also won enough meetings to help keep Marino from a Super Bowl appearance in his final 14 NFL seasons. His failings against New York even became a self-deprecating punch line in the 2001 Adam Sandler movie Little Nikki. Making a cameo, the retired Marino begged the devil for a Super Bowl ring because he "did it for Namath." The devil (actor Harvey Keitel) leads Marino on — then privately reveals he's a Jets fan.

Other memorable Dolphins-Jets moments include:

Chad Henne showcased a strong arm with his 53-yard TD pass to Ted Ginn Jr. (Doug Benc / Getty Images)

Yet by 2004, Jets-Dolphins had lost its luster. Miami sank to the NFL basement. New York made the playoffs some seasons but never had the lasting success of the AFC East kingpins in New England. Besides, who could get excited about quarterback battles like Brooks Bollinger vs. Gus Frerotte or Kellen Clemens vs. John Beck?

The Jets inadvertently reignited the fire in the 2008 preseason when releasing quarterback Chad Pennington in favor of quick-fix Brett Favre. Pennington was signed by Miami and immediately changed the franchise's fortunes. Without an experienced quarterback, Miami probably would have shown scant improvement from its 1-15 record the previous year. But with Pennington enjoying a season that won him NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors (again), Miami finished 11-5 and won the AFC East. He also extracted the kind of revenge that Favre could appreciate against a former team. Pennington defeated the Jets in the season finale to clinch the division.

The quarterback dynamics have since changed. Pennington (shoulder) is out for the season and a likely goner from Miami unless willing to accept a lesser-paying backup role in 2010. The Dolphins are giving 2008 second-round pick Chad Henne the chance to become their permanent signal-caller. Henne has far more upside than Pennington and a stronger arm, which he showcased Monday with a 53-yard touchdown strike to Ted Ginn Jr.

Henne/Mark Sanchez is already showing the earmarks of being a quarterback rivalry for years to come. Henne (20-for-26, 241 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions) treated the Jets as if they were Ohio State from his college days at Michigan. Sanchez was no slouch either but far less of the media-proclaimed "Sanchize" with 172 yards and one touchdown on 12-for-24 passing.

Both quarterbacks will have the chance to grow before meeting again in 19 days at Giants Stadium. Miami could quickly come back to earth after facing New Orleans (4-0) on Oct. 25 after this weekend's bye. The Jets should be 6-2 after dispatching inferior opposition Sunday at Buffalo (1-4) and visiting Oakland (1-4) the week after.

But whatever the records, there is a strong likelihood of pregame trash talk and at least one memorable moment that will help accent the Dolphins-Jets series. That's how great rivalries roll — something we were reminded of Monday night.