PRO FOOTBALL : High-Scoring Game Works in Jets’ Favor

Well aware of the history of their series with the New York Jets, the Miami Dolphins were doomed to repeat it anyway Sunday.

Ken O’Brien threw three scoring passes and directed the Jets to touchdowns on all four of their second-half possessions as they rallied for a 40-33 victory. O’Brien threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Roger Vick for the winning score with 1:29 left.

The Dolphins have scored at least 30 points in their past seven games with the Jets, but have won only twice. Scores of other recent Miami losses to New York: 38-34, 44-30, 37-31 and 51-45.

“We score, they score, we score again,” Jets safety Erik McMillan said. “You’ve just got to go out and answer the phone when it rings.”

New York, which had lost its first two games for the first time since 1981, improved to 1-2. The Dolphins, who lost their opener when Buffalo’s Jim Kelly scored the winning touchdown on the final play, are 1-2.

“We always play games like this against the Jets,” said Dan Marino, who threw for 427 yards and three touchdowns. “We let things slip away from us at the end. We’ve got to find an answer to that.”

Only one second-half possession ended without a score, when Miami receiver Mark Clayton, who signed a four-year, $4.25 million deal Friday, dropped passes at the Jets 13- and 20-yard lines in the final 20 seconds. Clayton also had two drops earlier.

“I was just dropping the ball,” Clayton said. “What can I say?”

The Dolphins, who scored on a “Hail Mary” pass at the end of the first half, tried another one on the final play, but the ball fell incomplete in the end zone.

James Hasty’s second interception of Marino with three minutes left set up the winning score. Hasty stepped in front of Clayton to make the interception at the Jets’ 44 and returned it to the Miami 41.

The Jets rallied from a 20-12 halftime deficit with touchdown drives of 74, 77 and 83 yards on their first three possessions of the second half. Johnny Hector’s one-yard run with 3:22 left tied the game for the first time at 33.

O’Brien completed 27 of 37 passes for 329 yards. Marino completed 33 of 55 and surpassed the 400-yard mark for the 10th time, extending his NFL record.

The Jets’ Al Toon caught 10 passes for 159 yards, including eight for 138 in the second half.