Jay Fiedler '94, after breaking his thumb with less than four minutes left, led the Miami Dolphins from behind to defeat the Denver Broncos 24-22.
The win quiets the doubters of Fiedler as he won possibly his biggest NFL game and put the Dolphins record to 5-1.
Peter King of "Sports Illustrated" said the game was "was an instant classic," and "should go down as one of the best games ever played."
The players felt the same way. Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain told CNN-SI, "it was one of those great finishes that you see on Classic Sports. It was a great game, man. Two great teams going at it, playing four quarters."
For those of you who saw the game, it's why we watch football. If you didn't see it, here's a breakdown of the final thrilling four minutes.
The Broncos' game plan was to stop Ricky Williams, which they did, holding him to 49 yards rushing. The Broncos put the pressure on Fiedler to beat them, which is what he did.
With eight minutes left in the game, the Dolphins were up 21-12 and looked to be in control of the game. With a little less than four minutes left, the Broncos finally penetrated the Dolphins' defense and scored a touchdown to bring the game to 21-19, still in favor of the Dolphins.
The Dolphins got the ball back, but could not keep it for long. On this drive, Fiedler's throwing hand hit a helmet as he threw a pass to Ricky Williams, ultimately breaking the quarterback's thumb.
The Broncos, down by two, marched down the field and Jason Elam booted a 55-yard field goal. The crowd in Denver went insane as the Broncos had seemingly won the game.
With 40 seconds left on the clock, Fielder put back on his helmet and took the field, broken thumb and all. It looked impossible for the Dolphins to travel 45 yards in 40 seconds with a hurt quarterback against a stingy defense in a hostile Invesco Stadium.
Fiedler's first two passes were shaky and went incomplete. On third down, Randy McMichael made an acrobatic catch which put the Dolphins at their own 43 with 20 seconds left. The Dolphins needed another 30 yards with only one timeout left to have a chance at a long field goal.
Fiedler's next pass was a bullet and went through Broncos' defensive back John Mobley's hands and into the hands of wide receiver Dedric Ward for a 22-yard gain.
With the clock at 11 seconds, Olindo Mare tried a difficult 53-yard field goal that sailed through the uprights giving the Dolphins the thrilling 24-22 win.
Fiedler finished the day 19-29 for 210 yards with just one interception and one gutsy drive for the win. Fiedler, broken thumb and all, led the Dolphins to an amazing comeback and put the Dolphins atop the AFC East and on track for the playoffs.
The jubilation of the Dolphins' big victory was subdued by Monday's news. Fiedler's hand was in a cast, and the star QB would need surgery and rehabilitation for his broken thumb.
Fiedler has a record of 26-11 as a starter for the Dolphins and has only missed one game since 2000. Fiedler had this to say to ESPN after hearing he would be out at least four weeks.
"It will be somewhat frustrating just because I'm a competitor and want to be out on the field and helping the team. But I'll help in the best way that I know how right now. I plan on being a coach for however many weeks this keeps me out."
The Dolphins will take on the Buffalo Bills next Sunday with Ray Lucas under center. Fiedler hopes to return Nov. 17 to play the Baltimore Ravens.
