DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — The touchdown total is modest, long completions are infrequent and the interceptions can be ugly and untimely.

So what? Chad Henne's winning.

By leading the Miami Dolphins' recent surge into playoff contention, Henne has strengthened his case as a long-term solution at quarterback. He's 7-3 as a starter since Chad Pennington was sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury, giving Miami (7-6) a shot at winning the AFC East.

"In my mind," Henne says, "I can be here for a long time and help this team win."

In his second NFL season after playing at Michigan, Henne hasn't exactly taken the league by storm. His quarterback rating of 74.9 ranks 23rd, behind even Jay Cutler, Jason Campbell and Matt Hasselbeck. He's averaging 6 yards per attempt and has thrown just 5 touchdown passes to his wideouts. Seven of his 9 interceptions have come in the fourth quarter.

But since Henne took over, the Dolphins are 6-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less. Three times he has led fourth-quarter comebacks for victories.

"I don't think he ever played like a first-year starter," teammate Ricky Williams said. "We've always been impressed with how poised he is. Usually when you lose your starting quarterback and this young guy comes in, there's panic. But we never flinched, and he has done a great job."

Henne directs an offense that ranks third in the league in rushing and puts an emphasis on efficiency. He was plenty efficient in Sunday's win at Jacksonville, setting a franchise record by completing 17 consecutive passes.

While he has had costly turnovers, his interception rating of 2.7 is solid. He's working with a receiving corps that lacks a deep threat, forcing him into mostly conservative throws. And his team ranks second in the NFL with a third-down conversion rate of 49 percent.

"He looks like a guy who has been hand-picked for that offense," said coach Jeff Fisher, whose Tennessee Titans play Miami on Sunday. "He keeps drives alive, he makes throws, he's not making mistakes, he's changing things on the line of scrimmage. That offense is perfect for him — a run-oriented offense that forces defenses to load the line of scrimmage, and when he needs to, he takes advantage down the field."

On Dec. 6, New England made it so difficult for Miami to run that Henne threw 52 passes. He totaled a career-high 335 yards and directed the drive for the winning field goal with a minute left.

"If he keeps improving like he has over the last year, I think the sky's the limit," Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "They're a smart team, a ball-control type team. In order for that to work well, you have to have a good quarterback, a smart quarterback, an efficient quarterback with the ball. And it seems like he's playing better and better each week."

Henne also won at a 70-percent rate in college, where he went 33-14 as a four-year starter with Michigan. He was taken in the second round of the 2008 draft and spent his rookie year as an understudy to Pennington, a wise and willing mentor.

"Learning from Chad for a year, I learned how to prepare," Henne said. "Until you are in the spot that I am now as a starter, you really don't understand how valuable it is. I feel comfortable with the offense and what we're trying to get done and what we're trying to attack in defenses, and I feel comfortable with our game plan."

Henne's biggest improvement has been to get rid of the ball more quickly. He took 15 sacks in his first five starts and has taken just four in the five games since.

"The decision-making — where to put the ball, anticipating, understanding the defense, reading the coverage— all comes with experience," Henne said.

Henne has confirmed projections he possesses the arm strength needed for the NFL, but he's still learning how to put more touch on passes so they can clear linebackers and safeties.

"I've got to keep working at it," he said. "A guy like me likes to shoot the ball in there."

A quarterback's early won-loss record isn't necessarily a predictor of future success. Ben Roethlisberger won his first 10 games, and Tom Brady and Drew Brees started 7-3, but Peyton Manning won just 2 of his first 10 starts while throwing 20 interceptions.

Miami coach Tony Sparano said Henne has lots of room for growth.

"I still think of him as a first-year starter," Sparano said. "We'd be making a mistake to think otherwise. I want to let the whole process happen here. But he's doing a tremendous job, and I see him getting better and better and better."