NFL: Dolphins to relive 'Lett it be' memory

It's been 10 years and no one has forgotten the "Lett it be" game. With the field covered in snow, the Cowboys blocked a late field goal, only to have lineman Leon Lett tried to pick up the ball -- even though he didn't need to.

Miami recovered the blunder, and kicker Pete Stoyanovich got a reprieve, giving the Dolphins a 16-14 win.Lett's embarrassing moment has become Turkey Day lore.

Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said there's a Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas that he would like to forget. In 1999, Dallas shutout Miami, 20-0, ruining Taylor's holiday and appetite.

AT A GLANCE

Dolphins (7-4) at Cowboys (8-3), 4:05 p.m. Miami has won two in a row to lower some of the heat on Dave Wannstedt. But the Dolphins have needed all of their resolve and luck to beat the Ravens and Redskins in successive weeks, otherwise, they'd be enduring a four-game losing streak. They needed overtime to beat the Ravens in a game in which they didn't score a touchdown and they needed Jay Fiedler to come off the bench to produce 14 fourth-quarter points to beat the Redskins. Dallas, which had been shut out in two of their previous four games, scored 24 points in a victory against Carolina. Prediction: Cowboys, 20-16 -- Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Under today's forecasted sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s, the Dolphins will try to make the most of a short week. With less than four days to prepare, Miami will try to build on its 24-23 come-from-behind victory against the Washington Redskins on Sunday night.

Taylor said he isn't complaining about the lack of time in between games. Instead, he relishes the chance to play in front of a national television audience.

"You get to play on Thanksgiving Day in front of the whole world in Texas Stadium, the late game," Taylor said. "So, you can sit here and gripe about it all you want as far as the schedule is concerned, but most guys are excited about the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving against a good team. They're playing well so it's a very meaningful game on a great stage."

The stage is set for a pivotal game in the playoff race. Coach Bill Parcells has Dallas tied with Philadelphia for first in the NFC East. Miami finds itself two games behind New England in the AFC East. With just five games remaining for the Dolphins, every game is a must-win.

"If we want to still win the division and try to catch up to New England, we have to find a way not to fall back," said Dolphins defensive end Adewale Agunleye. "So, we have to go up there with the mindset that we're going to come back with a win."

The Cowboys game could be a swing game in the Dolphins playoff push. Miami's next three opponents - Dallas, New England and Philadelphia - have a combined record of 25-7.

"I think this will tell us a lot," said Dolphins center Tim Ruddy. "We're coming to this point now, when you want to have a good end-of-year run as you head to the end of the year. We are going to get our chance here against some very good teams that is going to let us know how good of a team we are."

Miami is hoping to ride the arm of quarterback Jay Fiedler. After missing four weeks with a knee injury, Fiedler revived the Dolphins' playoff hopes in leading them to two touchdowns in the fourth-quarter comeback at Pro Player Stadium on Sunday night.

Fiedler, who was immediately named this week's starter, had a light workout Tuesday and said he's ready despite the short turnaround.

"I only played a quarter so it wasn't a full game where I took too many hits and had to exert myself as much as some of the other guys," Fiedler said. "So I'm feeling pretty good going into the short week."

Fiedler expects a close game between these two teams that are very similar. Miami is scoring an average 18 points a game. Dallas is averaging 18 points a game. The Miami defense is allowing only 15 points a game, as are the Cowboys.Dallas, also, is given up an average of 15 points a game.

The Cowboys do own the bragging rights of being the NFL's No. 1 defense based on a combination of yardage and points allowed.

"They have great players across the board,' said Fiedler of the Dallas defense. "They don't have too many weaknesses out there and they have great team speed. They have 11 guys running after the football forcing cut backs right into other players. They really swarm and surround the football as good as any team I've seen on film."

Offensively, the Cowboys will counter with Quincy Carter who has matured under the tutelage of Parcells. In leading Dallas past the Carolina Panthers, 24-20, Sunday, Carter had his best game with career highs of 29 completions in 44 passes.

"They believe in him - that he's going to produce," Agunleye said. "They've found a coach that has done a great job of motivating him and believing in his talents and he's playing very well right now."