The Miami Dolphins will have to overcome one final obstacle before the end of the season.

On Friday, interim coach Todd Bowles said running back Reggie Bush will not play in Sunday's season finale against the New York Jets because of a right knee injury.

He suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's loss to the New England Patriots.

"He's not going to play," Bowles said.

"The knee hasn't been responding, so we're going to sit him down. ... I think he would be out earlier in the year, too. He's just not ready to play this game."

The injury will cut a career-best season short for Bush.

In his first season with Miami, he surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, finishing with a team-high 1,086 rushing yards.

Bush missed the entire week of practice before being ruled out Friday. The Dolphins are expected to turn to rookie Daniel Thomas to fill in for Bush.

Thomas, who has missed three games this year because of injuries of his own, has made just one start this season and it came on Nov. 13 against the Washington Redskins.

He has averaged just 12.8 carries per game, but that number is expected to go up Sunday.

"That's what I prefer every week," Thomas said. "I just have to be ready and that's how I prepare myself in practice."

Carpenter, Fields bring stability

Hidden behind the instability surrounding Dolphins coaches and players is the duo of kicker Dan Carpenter and punter Brandon Fields.

The tandem has been together since 2008, turning into two of the most dependable players on the Dolphins' roster.

And that didn't change this season.

Although a groin injury forced Carpenter to miss the first two games of his career this year, he has still turned in a solid season.

After making a career-low 73.2 percent of his field goal attempts in 2010, he has bounced back to hit them at an 83.3 percent rate this year. At one point, he made 14 consecutive field goals.

Carpenter, however, is still trying to replicate his 2009 Pro Bowl season when he hit 89.3 percent of his field goals.

"My percentage isn't exactly where I want it to be," Carpenter said. "I was kind of down early in the year, and that's something personally I don't want to have."

Carpenter missed three of his first nine field goal attempts, but made 19 of his next 21 kicks.

For Fields, there isn't as much to complain about.

He has put together a solid season, ranking fourth in the NFL with a career-high 48.9-yard punting average. Fields is first in the league with 31 punts that have landed inside the 20-yard line.

"Numbers wise, this has been one of the better years of my career," Fields said.

Still, Fields did not make it on the initial Pro Bowl roster. Shane Lechler of the Oakland Raiders was voted the AFC punter.

"There's still always a chance of being chosen as an alternate," Fields said. "Who knows what can happen?"

Injury Report

Although linebacker Karlos Dansby missed Wednesday and Thursday's practices because of non-injury related reasons, he was listed as probable on Miami's injury report.

He is expected to play Sunday after returning to practice on Friday.

However, cornerback Jimmy Wilson (hamstring) was held out of practice and is listed as doubtful. And wide receiver Clyde Gates (groin) is listed is questionable.

Tackle Marc Colombo (ankle), cornerback Vontae Davis (elbow), tight end Anthony Fasano (head), wide receiver Brandon Marshall (knee) and Thomas (knee) are all listed as probable for Sunday's game.

Bell receives media's award

Safety Yeremiah Bell was given the Dolphins Good Guy Award on Friday for his cooperation with the media this season.

The award was voted on by members of the local media.

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"I'm a leader on this team. And as a leader on this team and as a veteran player, you feel obligated to (speak to the media)," Bell said.

"When things are going good, it's easy to talk. But you really see how a person is and what comes out when you're losing and times are hard."

Dolphins to honor Taylor

The Dolphins will hold a pregame ceremony honoring linebacker Jason Taylor on Sunday. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 12:45 p.m. for the event.

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