Given a Break, Dolphins Take a 16-13 Victory : Interconference: Miami ties the score in final minutes after Bear miscue, wins in overtime.
The Miami Dolphins got a break in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t need any help in overtime.
Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime Sunday, and the Dolphins beat the Chicago Bears, 16-13.
Miami (6-6) kept its playoff hopes alive on Dan Marino’s two-yard touchdown pass to Farrell Edmunds in the final minutes of regulation after Jerry Fontenot’s snap went over the head of Chicago punter Maury Buford.
Buford tried to punt the ball anyway, but it was blocked by Marc Logan and the Dolphins took over at the Chicago four-yard-line.
“We definitely needed something good to happen,” Dolphin Coach Don Shula said. “It took a long time for it to happen, and it finally happened tonight on the bad snap.”
The Dolphins never gave the Bears (9-3) a chance in overtime. Marino set up the winning score with a 31-yard pass to Mark Clayton, who slipped on the play, but grabbed the ball away from a defender while on the ground.
Just to make sure Stoyanovich had the perfect shot, Marino took a snap and lost four yards to center the ball for Stoyanovich.
“This is a very tough place to kick this time of the year,” said Stoyanovich, who kicked two other field goals.
The Bears took a 13-3 lead late in the third quarter on Kevin Butler’s 19-yard field goal, but could not hold on.
Butler later missed a 24-yard field goal when holder Jim Harbaugh fumbled the snap.
After Miami tied the game, Butler attempted a 50-yard field goal that fell short on the final play of regulation.
“We win as a team, we lose as a team and this was a classic example of a team effort to lose a football game,” Bear Coach Mike Ditka said. “We made too many mistakes and couldn’t overcome them.”
The Dolphins started their rally with a 64-yard drive that ended early in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Stoyanovich, closing the gap to 13-6.
The Bears scored the only touchdown in the first half when they went 59 yards in 11 plays on their second possession, with fullback Brad Muster keying the drive. He caught a three-yard pass from Harbaugh for a first down, ran 10 yards for another first down and finally scored on a three-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
Lemuel Stinson intercepted Marino’s pass on Miami’s next possession, starting a series of turnovers.
Neal Anderson fumbled and Miami’s T.J. Turner recovered on the Chicago 30. Two plays later, Sammie Smith fumbled and Stinson recovered on the Chicago four-yard-line.
Late in the half, the Dolphins moved 45 yards to the Chicago 17 and Stoyanovich kicked a 35-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining.
But the Bears came back with a 64-yard drive and the half ended on Butler’s 32-yard field goal that gave Chicago a 10-3 lead.
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