AFC Championship: New York Jets travel to face Miami Dolphins at Orange Bowl, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 1:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Miami Dolphins, the home crowd at Orange Bowl is asked to be a player; for New York Jets, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Orange Bowl with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
New York Jets versus Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of New York Jets-Miami Dolphins cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-2 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-3 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 4-5 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1-8 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 7-2 | W3 |
| New York Jets | 6-3 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 5-4 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-5 | L3 |
| Baltimore Colts | 0-8-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 8-1 | W5 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-3 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-5 | W1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3-6 | W1 |
| Denver Broncos | 2-7 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-4 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-5 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-6 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 2-7 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 5-3-1 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-4 | W3 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-5 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 3-6 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 8-1 | W4 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-3 | L2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 5-4 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 4-5 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-6 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 00000 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0071414 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Woody Bennett 7 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | A.J. Duhe 35 yard interception return (Uwe von Schamann kick) | 0-14 |
Miami Dolphins defeated New York Jets 14-0 at Orange Bowl in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Dolphins: A.J. Duhe 35 yard interception return (Uwe von Schamann kick). Top line of the day: Richard Todd: 103 pass yards on 15-of-37, 0 TD, 5 INT. Miami Dolphins advance to the Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins walked out of Orange Bowl as the team that survived an AFC Championship New York Jets will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 14-0. The final scoring play came from Dolphins: A.J. Duhe 35 yard interception return (Uwe von Schamann kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Miami Dolphins are bound for the Super Bowl.
Miami Dolphins 14, New York Jets 0.
Round: AFC Championship. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 1 scoring play.
Top performers: - Richard Todd: 103 pass yards on 15-of-37, 0 TD, 5 INT
AFC Championship, played at Orange Bowl. Final: New York Jets 0, Miami Dolphins 14, with Miami Dolphins taking the result by 14.
**Third quarter**
- Dolphins: Woody Bennett 7 yard rush (Uwe von Schamann kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Dolphins: A.J. Duhe 35 yard interception return (Uwe von Schamann kick)
**Top performers**
- Richard Todd: 103 pass yards on 15-of-37, 0 TD, 5 INT