On the eve of a New Year, the Dolphins have little more to play for than keeping the rival Jets out of the playoffs for the first time in Rex Ryan's tenure.

Even if New York manages to win and end its current two-game win streak, the Jets must also hope for Cincinnati, Tennessee and either Oakland or Denver to lose just to qualify.

Of course, the Jets needed something almost as improbable to happen two years ago in Ryan's first season, and it did, setting the stage for New York's miraculous run to the AFC Championship Game.

But this is a different Jets team, one that is not as confident as in years past.

Since improving to 8-5 two weeks ago and looking like a lock for a third straight playoff appearance, New York has been dismantled by the Eagles 45-19 and humbled by the Giants 29-14, and everyone has come under fire, including Mark Sanchez, who completed 30-59 passes last week, was intercepted twice and fumbled at the goal line for a Giants TD.

Ryan, the defense, and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have all been called out as well, and things will not be pretty should New York fall and miss the postseason.

The Dolphins are a different team from the one that lost 24-6 in New York in the first meeting, but Reggie Bush will miss the finale with a knee injury, and Jake Long is out with a torn right biceps.

That means Matt Moore will have to carry more of the load, but he hasn't shown the ability to do that without the benefit of the running game. So rookie Daniel Thomas, who has played sparingly as Bush has thrived, will have to come up big against a Jets defense that allows an average of 113 yards per game.

The Dolphins defense is the third-best against the run, which bodes well since the Jets want to pound the ball with Shonn Greene, who is a yard short of his first 1,000-yard campaign.

Ultimately, this game will come down to the two quarterbacks. Sanchez has been mistake-prone, and the Dolphins have forced 11 interceptions since Week 9. Moore has not made many errors, but he did throw an interception in the end zone that Darrelle Revis turned into a 100-yard TD to swing the first game in October.

It's a tough choice, but the Jets still have something at stake in this game, while Miami will only be celebrating the end of Jason Taylor's stellar career.

Jets 20, Dolphins 17.