MIAMI — By this point, it’s probably safe to assume you have at least heard of Dolphins wide receiver Davone Bess and fullback Lousaka Polite. Maybe you haven’t bought their jerseys. Maybe you don’t even know their numbers.

But you have heard of them, right?
Good. Now, it’s time to take your knowledge to another level. Sunday against the Jaguars, in a crucial playoff-like game at 1 p.m., this combination’s continued emergence as legitimate NFL stars will be reliant on their success in one area: third downs.
“Anytime we’re in a situation when it’s third down, I want the target on me,” Bess said. “I want to be the guy to make that play.”
Whether Bess or Polite, both players have been crucial to Miami’s ability to sustain drives better than most other NFL teams. This duo is an underrated combination of running and receiving when the Dolphins need them most.
Bess and Polite are the biggest reasons Miami is the second best team on third downs. It has converted 48.6 percent of 185 attempts.
READY TO DELIVER
“I always want to deliver for my team,” Polite said. “In my mind, I feel like I have to get it done for my team because they’re counting on me. That’s what I contribute, as well as blocking. But especially in those situations — that’s when you want to deliver.”
Both have delivered in their own way. When the team needs 1 yard and it’s third down, there has been no question Polite is getting the football. And when the team needs more yards, Bess has become Chad Henne’s favorite target.
Other than Giants wide receiver Steve Smith, Bess, a former Hawaii receiver, has more third-down receptions than any receiver in the NFL. He has 29 catches to Smith’s 31. And he has turned 23 of those into first downs, one less than Smith.
That’s better than big names such as Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez, Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall and Colts tight end Dallas Clark — all known in the past for being big in those tight spots.
“I know when it’s third down, and my sense of urgency has to be up,” Bess said. “My antennas are up. I know it’s time to make a play. I always have urgency, but it kicks up a little bit on that third down.”
Polite, meanwhile, has converted every single one of his 10 rushing attempts on third and fourth down when the team needs a yard. In 2008, he coverted 11-of-12 attempts when the team needed a yard on third or fourth down.
“There’s no real secret to it,” Polite said. “It’s just fighting and making the right decision with the ball. You just put two hands on it and fight until the whistle blows. Honestly, the guys up front make my job easier.”
It will be interesting to see how teams adjust to the Dolphins’ obvious use of these players. Bess said he already has noticed teams beginning to focus on him more often in third-down passing situations.
As Bess said, though, that just “opens the door for somebody else.” Still, the Dolphins’ push for the playoffs will rely heavily on how they handle the extra attention.
Consider how important Polite’s ability to keep alive drives has been to the Dolphins’ scoring aspirations: On 6 of 9 drives when Polite converted a third- or fourth-down attempt (he did it twice in one drive this season), the Dolphins went onto score a touchdown.
’IT’S AN HONOR’
“It’s all 11 against 11 fighting for a yard,” Polite said. “That’s what goes through my head. And it’s an honor that they trust me enough to put me in that situation.”
The third-down skills could come in handy down the stretch, including Sunday’s game against Jacksonville. None of the Dolphins’ final four opponents have been particularly strong when defending those situations.
The Jaguars, for instance, are ranked 28th in the league when defending third downs, and they’re tied for 28th when defending fourth downs.
So get ready. If the Dolphins are in a spot where they need someone to be clutch, you now will know which players to watch.
Polite wears No. 36. And Bess wears No. 15.
“All eyes are on you,” Polite said. “The whole sideline knows you’re getting the ball. You want to deliver for them.”