As early as the first quarter of the game, the Dolphins already got Chad Henne, the team’s starting quaterback, an eye injury and he wasn’t allowed to play again. It was then followed by Pat White in the third quarter who also suffered a serious head injury. It happened when White tried to convert a third-and-8 but fell just short on his 7-yard run. White, a 6-foot-0, 190-pound rookie from West Virginia, was forced out of bounds by Ike Taylor’s physical hit.

When White laid motionless, it prompts Thigpen to play as his replacement. He was acquired by the team at around late September to address Chad Pennington’s injury. On his first series he led the Dolphins to a 61-yard touchdown drive on his first possession, closing the deficit to 27-17. Thigpen later threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Davone Bess to make it 27-24, but he threw a costly interception in the final minutes near the goal line as the Dolphins were going for the go-ahead score.