Now, that's how to throw a party.

On a night when the Dolphins' organization did everything possible to set up a celebration of Hispanic heritage, it was the heroic efforts of two running backs and its quarterback that kept this fiesta rocking into early Tuesday morning.

For 3 and a half quarters of this epic 31-27 win against the Jets on Monday night, the Dolphins grinded and pounded and clawed for every inch of every yard behind the huge efforts of running backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams.

But then, with one swift, smooth throw, it happened: Quarterback Chad Henne took over his team in the graceful, epic manner that will forever be sealed away in the vaults of long-standing history between these two teams.

With the momentum waning and the energy flattened, Henne dropped back, made a beautiful play-action fake and looked downfield to the speedy but previously unproductive Ted Ginn Jr.

The spiral was perfect. The timing was flawless. And the catch -- for a 53-yard touchdown -- provided enough reason with one single throw to place confidence that, yes, Henne might just be the right man for this job.

``For a young quarterback, in that situation, there's going to be confidence that comes with that,'' coach Tony Sparano said.

If you weren't sold then, perhaps you were sold instead by the 13-play, 70-yard drive Henne orchestrated during the game's final five minutes that led to the final, game-sealing touchdown to give Miami a 31-27 win.

Henne was 20-of-26 passing for 241 yards and a passer rating of 130.4.

But this certainly wasn't just Henne's game, even if it was Henne's quarter. Perhaps symbolic of the rest of the game, Brown scored the final touchdown out of the Wildcat -- the same package that gave the Jets trouble the entire game.

``We've got 10 seconds left on the clock,'' Brown said. ``We were in the huddle, we're all like, `All right, here we go -- we've got to score a touchdown. No settling for field goals. We've got to finish the game.'

``That's something we've been struggling with the first couple of games. We said, `We're going to finish tonight. Whatever we've got to do, get the ball in the end zone.' ''

Just as Miami did in its previous Monday Night Football game this season, the team benefited from long, grinding drives -- this time featuring the Wildcat nearly as often as the base offense.

FEW BIG CHUNKS

And just as Sparano prescribed, the Dolphins opened with a flawlessly executed drive that included eight runs and four passes (all completions) for a touchdown that wiped 7:29 from the clock.

It wasn't always so efficient, nor was it always so pretty. Despite what went down in the final quarter, the Dolphins never managed to muster many big chunks of yardage through the passing game.

Even Williams' 59-yard reception began near the line of scrimmage and occurred because of some crafty cuts.

At one point in the third quarter, the Dolphins snapped directly to Brown five consecutive times, providing the team with 25 combined yards during that span to set up a touchdown for a 17-13 lead.

Through three quarters, Henne was extremely efficient, even if he wasn't all that flashy. He completed 11 of his first 14 passes -- but those passes were only good for 120 yards (59 of which came from Williams on the short pass he turned into a big gain).

It wasn't until the final quarter when Henne's leash began to loosen, likely in part because the Dolphins' grinding ground attack caused the Jets to become so focused on trying to stop Brown and Williams.

But when it finally happened -- when Henne finally let go of that 53-yard touchdown pass to Ginn -- it changed the entire dynamic of the game, helping the Dolphins capture a critical 24-20 lead.

Henne's completion was critical for multiple reasons. Not only did it put Miami back on top, but it also provided a major boost of morale for a defense and a crowd that seemed to be flattening in the wake of a huge play by new Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards.

On the previous series before Henne's touchdown pass, Edwards came down with a brilliant 34-yard, acrobatic catch that led to a touchdown from the 2-yard line.

HENNE COMES THROUGH

However, just as Edwards' big catch was not the final swing of momentum in this game, Henne's touchdown pass to Ginn was not the last word, either. On the next series, Edwards was back to running the deep route. This time, it hurt the Dolphins once more.

Cornerback Will Allen was flagged for a questionable pass-interference call that provided the Jets with a huge 49-yard gain, setting up a touchdown that gave them a 27-24 lead.

But it was Henne's heroics -- a drive that will surely provide the Dolphins with the confidence in their second-year quarterback to take this team over -- that locked up this game for good.

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