Miami goes for prime-time win

The Miami Dolphins made a historic turnaround last season, from 1-15 in 2007 to the playoffs in 2008.

Now for another milestone.

The Dolphins, who play host to the Indianapolis Colts, have a chance to collect their first prime-time victory since 2004.

It won’t come easy, of course, not with Peyton Manning on the other side of the ball. He’s one victory away from tying Johnny Unitas’ career mark of 119, which would put both Manning and Unitas at No. 5 on the all-time list behind Brett Favre (171), John Elway (148), Dan Marino (147) and Fran Tarkenton (125).

“I’ve never felt comfortable with comparisons with him,” Manning said of Unitas. “He’s kind of in his own category.”

Like Unitas, Manning has had some great receivers on the other end of his passes. That’s a problem this season, however, as he lost receiver Anthony Gonzalez in the opener, prompting the Colts to sign Philadelphia castoff Hank Baskett.

Getting the running game going will be critical for Indianapolis, which gained just 71 yards on the ground in a 14-12 victory against Jacksonville in the opener.

The Dolphins have their share of offensive challenges, too. Quarterback Chad Pennington was sacked four times in a Week 1 loss at Atlanta, and Miami had four turnovers, that from a team with just 13 turnovers in 2008.

Dolphins players say they’re excited to show the country the progress they have made since being a laughingstock in 2007. This is their first of four prime-time games this season.

“When you’re not having real good years and your team is kind of slipping a little bit, they don’t want to put you on TV,” safety Yeremiah Bell told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “Last year, we showed them we’re a team that was going to compete.”

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