KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In the coldest game they ever played, the Miami Dolphins stayed hot.

Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes and the Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 today, continuing one of the most remarkable comeback seasons in NFL history in temperatures that plunged into the single digits.

With their fourth victory in a row and eighth in nine games, the Dolphins (10-5) can clinch the AFC East next week just one year after finishing a league-worst 1-15. All they'll have to do is beat the Jets in the Meadowlands.

The temperature at kickoff was 10, with a wind chill of minus-12. Previously, the coldest game the Dolphins ever played was 14 degrees at Foxboro, Mass., on Dec. 11, 1977.

It was the second-coldest game ever played at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs (2-13) concluded the home portion of what's certain to be the worst season in the 49-year history of the franchise.

The loss, coming six days after the abrupt resignation of general manager Carl Peterson, would seem to cast the future of head coach Herm Edwards in even greater doubt.

A Miami defense that hadn't yielded a touchdown in three weeks gave up four TDs and a season-high 492 yards to the Chiefs, who have lost eight games by seven points or fewer and finish their miserable season next week at Cincinnati.

Pennington, the longtime Jet who was acquired in the offseason, was 26-of-34 in the brutal cold, including two touchdown tosses to Anthony Fasano.

After Connor Barth's 24-yard field goal put the Chiefs on top 31-24 in the third quarter, Ricky Williams' 4-yard touchdown run tied it 31-all. Then Pennington engineered a 13-play, 85-yard drive capped by a 14-yard pass to Fasano with 4:08 to go.

Tyler Thigpen was 21-for-40 for 320 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City, but also was intercepted three times.

The Dolphins got their first touchdown on their first play from scrimmage and scored on four of their first five possessions — but still trailed 28-24 at halftime.

After Patrick Cobbs returned the opening kickoff 60 yards, Ted Ginn Jr. went 31 yards on an end-around on the first play, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead that went to 10-0 on Dan Carpenter's 34-yard field goal following Andre Goodman's interception.

About 90 seconds later, Thigpen hit Devard Darling with a 31-yard touchdown pass for the first TD the Dolphins had allowed since Nov. 23 against New England. Less than a minute into the second quarter, Tony Gonzalez caught Thigpen's 8-yard pass at the goalline and fought his way into the end zone for a 14-10 Chiefs lead.

Pennington hit two more touchdown passes in the first half, 11 yards to David Martin and 14 to Fasano, but the Chiefs responded quickly each time.

Larry Johnson scored from the 2 following Thigpen's screen pass to Jamaal Charles that went 75 yards, after right tackle Damion McIntosh took out two tacklers at the point of attack.

After the Dolphins were stopped on fourth-and-one from the KC 5, the Chiefs went on a 95-yard touchdown march, capped by Thigpen's 8-yard run on a quarterback draw.