(My Sportsbook) - The New York Jets have returned home from the West Coast with their heads held high following their shocking 44-13 blowout victory over the first-place San Diego Chargers in Week 9. New York's sudden and unexpected turnaround gives new hope to a team that had been just 1-5 in its previous six games and sets up this week's meeting against division rival Miami as a chance to get back into the thick of the AFC East race. Only two games separate the first-place Dolphins from the last-place Jets.

Last Sunday, the Jets were on the verge of collapse but showed a lot of heart with a complete game in all three phases. QB Chad Pennington was effective, and the running attack was led by RB LaMont Jordan's season-high 107 yards. New York's highly-criticized rush defense held San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson to only 60 yards and Santana Moss was ferocious on special teams. In other words, it couldn't have been better for the Jets' waning confidence.

"This is going to be another heck of a challenge for us. Miami is a very good football team that has a lot of pride. They want to come up here and win. This is a big game for both teams. They already beat us so we are going to have to prepare like we did last week," said defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. "It's going to be a tough game."

Nobody saw it coming, but Pennington and Jordan were unstoppable in San Diego last week. Pennington took hold of the offense, throwing for 253 yards and a touchdown while running for an eight-yard score as well. He distributed the ball equally to eight different targets with short passes and avoided an interception. In fact, the Jets did not turn the ball over at all.

Jordan ran roughshod over the San Diego defense, averaging 8.2 yards per carry (13 carries, 107 yards). Moss gave the Jets good field position with his five punt returns and ran back a punt for a score for the second straight week. Moss finished with a total of 124 yards, 116 of which came on special teams.

For a team that had been struggling on the ground all season, the Jets sure made it look easy in San Diego. RB Curtis Martin still failed to get on track, but Jordan took over and delivered in a big way. New York's success was predicated on the play of its offensive line, which opened holes and allowed only two sacks on Pennington.

Thanks to the O-line, New York controlled the tempo and held the ball for over 37 minutes. New York went 7-for-15 on third down and racked up 412 yards of offense. Their scheme was well balanced, with 37 passes and 30 rushes.

Now that everything is running smoothly for the Jets, it's time to prove last week wasn't a fluke. Although the Dolphins had their hands full in Green Bay on Monday, Miami's defense is still tough to run against. On the season, the Fins yield only 94.8 rushing yards per game -- fourth in the AFC.

DARLING OF THE DEFENSE

New York's defense answered the call against San Diego's high-powered offense last week, keeping Tomlinson under wraps and punishing QB Drew Brees. But what may have been the most impressive aspect of the Jets' win was the way they remained focused in the hostile environment. In Week 8, New York squandered an 18-point lead in its 24-21 loss to Cleveland at home.

The Jets had been abused on the ground before Sunday's game, but they responded by holding Tomlinson in check. Without the running attack, San Diego's offense couldn't get any steady movement.

Linebacker James Darling had a great game, intercepting Brees and returning it 38 yards to set up a field goal, and he also recovered a fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter.

Against the Dolphins, New York will need to continue to defend the run and prevent Williams from making an impact. Since Lucas is struggling and the Miami passing game has slowed to a virtual stand-still, the Dolphins will try to re-establish Williams. It will be up to the front seven to control the line of scrimmage.

Cottrell is pleased with the improvement of his pass rush, which he thinks will be important against Miami's thin QB corps.

"The pass rush is coming along. Again, if you can make a team one-dimensional, you know what you are doing. Defensive end Shaun Ellis has really improved this year and we all know John Abraham is a very good player. Josh Evans is really starting to crank it and come on and is becoming the type of player we thought he would be."

COMING UP: The Jets face the Denver Broncos in Week 11.