Monday Night Miracle ( American football ) The Monday Night Miracle was an NFL Monday night game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins played at Giants Stadium on October 23 , 2000 . The Jets overcame a 23 - point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Dolphins , 40 – 37 , in overtime . Background . Like their 1994 showdown at Giants Stadium which was made famous by Dan Marino ' s " fake spike " , this game was for first place in the AFC East as both teams entered the game with identical 5 - 1 records . But unlike the 1994 game which featured the Jets failing to hold a double - digit ( 18 ) lead in the second half , it was the Dolphins who failed to hold the lead . The game is notable for having the second largest fourth - quarter comeback in NFL history and the largest comeback in Jets history . It was also voted the greatest game televised on ABC ' s " Monday Night Football " , along with being # 5 on NFL Top Ten ' s " Top Ten Comebacks " . At the end of the third quarter with the score 30 – 7 in Miami ' s favor , Jets broadcaster Howard David announced , " And with a whole quarter to go , this game is over . " The Jets proceeded to stage a furious rally in the fourth quarter , scoring 23 unanswered points to tie the game at 30 . They scored three touchdowns and a field goal , but a two - point converstion attempt to Curtis Martin was stopped . On the Dolphins ' first play from scrimmage after the game was tied , they took the lead on a long touchdown pass by Jay Fiedler to Leslie Shepherd . However , the Jets still managed to drive downfield and tie the game . One of the key plays was a 4th down catch at the Dolphins 2 - yard line by Richie Anderson as he caught the ball despite a head - on hit by Zach Thomas and Dolphins defensive back Jerry Wilson . Improbably , the tying touchdown was caught by offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott , playing as a tackle - eligible . After Elliott caught the touchdown pass , Dennis Miller remarked how opposing defenses , " couldn ' t keep him down forever . " In the overtime Fiedler was intercepted by Marcus Coleman but Coleman was hit by Thurman Thomas and fumbled the ball back to the Dolphins . Several plays later , Coleman intercepted Fiedler again and this time held on . An eventual Testaverde pass to Wayne Chrebet put the Jets in field goal range , and a pass that was intercepted by Brock Marion hit the ground first , nullifying the turnover . Jets kicker John Hall then won the game with a field goal with 8 : 13 remaining in the extra session . Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger , while visiting the ABC broadcast booth , said after halftime , Chrebet would catch a pass in the fourth quarter for a touchdown to tie the game at 30 – 30 , and the Jets would go on to complete the historic comeback . The Monday night game for the Jets was in between Games 2 and 3 of the All New York ( Yankees vs . Mets ) 2000 World Series . The series overshadowed the game . In fact , the crowd broke out into " Lets Go Yankees " chants countered by " Lets Go Mets " chants during the third quarter . The Jets made 20 first downs in the 4th quarter , as opposed to the Dolphins , who only managed one ( the Leslie Shepherd touchdown ) . Three of Testaverde ' s four 4th - quarter touchdown passes went to players who had never scored an NFL touchdown ( Coles , Wiggins , Elliott ) . The 2 - point conversion attempt ( a pass to Curtis Martin stopped by Zach Thomas at the Dolphins 1 - yard line ) ironically made overtime possible , as a point - after kick may have resulted in a 38 - 37 regulation win ( the attempt was criticized by Boomer Esiason on the Westwood One broadcast , who accused the Jets of " chasing ghosts " ) .