POP quiz: Which team currently holds the longest active winning streak in the AFC?
The Texans? No. Ravens? Wrong. Patriots or Broncos? No and no.
It’s the 4-3 Dolphins who are riding a three-game winning streak into Indianapolis today and are one of the league’s most refreshing revelations.
When the season began, the Jets — at least in their minds — appeared to be the most likely challengers to the Patriots’ throne of dominance in the AFC East. But there has been a surprise shift in power in the division. Enter the Dolphins, who with a win today can get to 5-3 after a 6-10 finish last season.
The beauty of the turnaround is that the Dolphins are doing it with a head coach and quarterback who were not the franchise’s first choices for their respective positions. Dolphins rookie coach Joe Philbin was not Miami’s top pick, and not even the second. After Dolphins owner Stephen Ross unsuccessfully courted Jim Harbaugh during the 2011 season, he was turned down after the season by Jeff Fisher, who opted for St. Louis instead.
Before that, frustrated Dolphins fans screamed for Jon Gruden to come out of the TV booth and coach them.
In the end, they got Philbin, the former Packers offensive coordinator, and all he has done is position himself at the top of the conversation as NFL Coach of the Year. Most interesting about Philbin, whose public persona is rather dry, is that he has coached in an aggressive, swashbuckling way that would make the bombastic Rex Ryan blush.
Against Ryan’s Jets last Sunday, Philbin called for an onside kick early in the game and blitzed Mark Sanchez to the point Sanchez was so skittish he looked as if he were seeing ghosts in the backfield. The Dolphins also blocked a Jets punt for a touchdown and blocked a field goal en route to a dominating 30-9 win.
At quarterback, Miami fans clamored for the Dolphins to trade up in the draft to get the dynamic Robert Griffith III before the Redskins beat them to it. There, too, was talk of Philbin bringing Green Bay backup Matt Flynn with him to Miami. But Flynn signed a lucrative free agent contract with the Seahawks and isn’t starting.
The Dolphins settled for drafting Ryan Tannehill, who so far has been a solid game manager. Before he hurt his left knee and quadriceps against the Jets, Tannehill’s production was on the rise. He completed 62 percent of his passes against Arizona, 65 percent against Cincinnati and 70 percent against St. Louis.
Tannehill’s improvement symbolizes that of the entire team, which is seeking its first playoff berth since the 2008 season.
With the Dolphins coming off their third consecutive losing season, their longest such stretch since the 1960s, their fans are starved for some continuity. Philbin is their seventh coach in the past eight years. The team has hasn’t reached a Super Bowl since 1985 and has missed the playoffs nine of the past 10 years.
Now there is hope, thanks in large part to Philbin, his No. 3 rated defense, and his rookie quarterback.
To further illustrate how much better Miami is, had kicker Dan Carpenter made either the 47-yard field goal attempt late in regulation against the Jets earlier this season or his 48-yard attempt in overtime, the Dolphins would instead bring a 5-2 record to Indianapolis with a chance to take a one-game lead over idle New England for first place in the AFC East.
mark.cannizzaro@nypost.com