Sunday's loss dumped the Dolphins on a familiar street corner in a bad neighborhood: two games under .500 and needing to make almost every move the right one to get where they want to go.

They did it in 2008, going 9-1 after starting 2-4 to take the AFC East. Now, at 3-5 in an AFC where teams will need at least a 10-6 record to have a wild-card shot, they need a repeat run to have much hope of playing into January.

``That's exactly what's going to have to happen,'' cornerback Nate Jones said. ``We hate to compare to last year. We've got to find it inside ourselves to do the exact same thing we did if we want to salvage this season. The head coach doesn't like and we don't like being mediocre.''

Down the road are the obvious problems of a rematch with New England and the season closer against defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. But the immediate future offers a chance to get rolling.

Tampa Bay (Sunday) and Buffalo (Nov. 29) have struggled while dealing with quarterback problems. Tampa Bay's Josh Johnson, the lowest-rated passer in the NFC, lost his job to rookie Josh Freeman, who will be making his second NFL start Sunday. Buffalo's Trent Edwards played as if he was concussed before he actually became so behind a patchwork offensive line.

Then again, in Freeman's first NFL start Sunday, Tampa Bay burned Green Bay 38-28 after averaging 13.7 points per game in losing its first seven games.

Then there's a Thursday night date with Carolina, a meeting of teams ranked Nos. 3 and 4 in rush offense. The Panthers' rush defense, however, sits at No. 23, while strangling the run remains the Dolphins' defensive strength.

``My message [to the team] is that we have two games right now in ten days, and I think that can change an awful lot,'' Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said.

Buffalo and Carolina have 3-5 records. It's almost a mantra around the Dolphins locker room that they aren't a 3-5 team, a belief shared by some other NFL people and media. Their coach, on the other hand, believes in the black and white.

``I think we are a 3-5 football team,'' Sparano said. ``I think you are what your record says you are, but from my end, I know in my heart that we are pretty close to be being a pretty good team. I don't know what is `pretty good' and what is `really good' and what the difference is. But I do think we are pretty close.

``We are at a point right now, this thing can go either way, it really can. But I am going to try my best to make sure it only goes one way.''

TOP BILLING

Perhaps The NFL Network should change the opening credit graphics for NFL Replay to aqua and orange, as the Dolphins have practically become the show's in-house team. This week's loss to the Patriots, to be rerun in a condensed manner at 8 p.m. Wednesday, will be the Dolphins' fourth consecutive game and fifth overall this season to be featured as one of the weekend's four most exciting games.

HONORS FOR OWNER

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, Miami Beach High '58, will be inducted into the Miami Beach High School Hall of Fame this Friday for his contributions to business.

GOOD DEEDS

On Monday evening, 30 Dolphins players, cheerleaders and Dolphins alumni accompanied 100 elementary-school children from public schools in Dade and Broward County to the Kids and Fins Publix Shopping Spree in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. Each student was paired with a member of the Dolphins contingent or a local celebrity and given a $100 Publix gift card and one hour to shop for groceries for their family's Thanksgiving dinner.

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