Dolphins make it to No. 1

On the day the Miami Dolphins won their first game of the 2007 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrated.

That wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. The Dolphins were one loss away from matching Tampa Bay’s infamous 0-14 record, set in 1976, when the Buccaneers lost 14 games because those were all they were allowed to play. The ’76 Bucs had a vested interest in the Dolphins’ 0-for-07 run. They needed Miami to lose to Baltimore on Sunday . . . and New England next week . . . and Cincinnati in Week 17 to lose their millstone as the Only NFL Team to Complete a Winless Regular Season.

Miami’s bid for infamy ended at 0-13. It ended in overtime, on a quick pass over the middle from Cleo Lemon to Greg Camarillo that splintered the Baltimore defense and resulted in a did-that-just-really-happen? 64-yard touchdown play that resulted in a 22-16 Dolphins’ triumph.

Lemon to Camarillo.

That doesn’t have quite the same resonance as Griese-to-Warfield or Marino-to-Clayton in the Dolphin’s touchdown-pass pantheon, but don’t try telling that to Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, who cried at the sight of his team’s first victory of the season, or Miami Coach Cam Cameron, who needed 14 tries to win his first game as an NFL head coach.

Compared with the historic performance of the Buccaneers’ kickoff-return squad, 0 for 14 doesn’t sound so bad. Before Micheal Spurlock’s 90-yard return in Tampa Bay’s 37-3 rout of Atlanta, no Tampa Bay player had ever run back a kickoff for a touchdown. Before that, Buccaneers over the span of 32 years had gone 0 for 1,864 on kickoff tries.

So Tampa Bay will have to live at least a few months longer with the solitary stigma of 0-14. At least the franchise now has video evidence that, after more than three decades, it finally figured out what to do with a kickoff.

The Dolphins’ breakthrough was charmed in more ways than one.

First, Miami had to rally from a 10-point third-quarter deficit to take a 16-13 lead late in regulation.

Then, the Ravens had a golden opportunity to keep the streak alive, needing half a yard on fourth down for a game-winning touchdown -- only to have Baltimore Coach Brian Billick signal retreat and go for the tying field goal with eight seconds left in regulation.

Then, Ravens kicker Matt Stover, who never misses in overtime, missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt five minutes into the extra period.

The Dolphins and their fans could not believe what they were seeing.

Over a stretch of 5:08, they had experienced more good fortune than they had all season.

Pressing their luck, the Dolphins tried a pass over the middle against a defense playing without linebacker Ray Lewis, who left the game in the third quarter because of a dislocated finger. Lemon, previously winless in five NFL starts, and Camarillo, previously scoreless in the NFL, combined on a scoring play that now ranks alone in Dolphins’ lore in the all-important statistical category of Sheer Relief.

Move over, Dan Marino.

That was a message Marino heard more than once Sunday, when Brett Favre completed his latest round of torment in the longest season of Marino’s post-football life. Favre took down one more Marino record, once thought to be unassailable: the league’s career passing yardage mark.

With 227 yards in the Green Bay Packers’ 33-14 victory over St. Louis, Favre became the NFL’s all-time leader with 61,405 passing yards, eclipsing Marino’s old record of 61,361. This season, Favre broke Marino’s records for most career touchdown passes (Favre now has 440) and most career attempts (Favre has 8,715).

Most impressive about Favre’s finally chasing down Marino this season is how he has maneuvered the closing kick. At 38, Favre is not merely hanging on in a self-absorbed pursuit to pad his Hall of Fame resume. Favre owns three league most-valuable-player awards and in 2007 has waged a convincing argument for a fourth. The Packers are 12-2, having ridden Favre’s exploits to the NFC North title, a first-round playoff bye and a share of the best record in the NFC, thanks to an unexpected assist from the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles upset Dallas, 10-6, at Texas Stadium, leaving the Cowboys 12-2. The Cowboys defeated the Packers in Week 13, a useful tiebreaker, if or when. But Dallas is no lock to win out, not after quarterback Tony Romo sprained his thumb against Philadelphia. The Cowboys close with road games against Carolina and Washington -- and Carolina just figured out how to win at home again. The Panthers kept Seattle out of the end zone until the Seahawks’ final offensive play in a 13-10 triumph, Carolina’s second consecutive home victory.

The Packers have the easier finishing schedule: at home against Chicago and Detroit. The Bears are 5-8 and down to starting Kyle Orton at quarterback tonight against Minnesota. The Lions are 6-8 -- after a 6-2 start -- coming off Sunday’s 51-14 surrender to San Diego, newly christened champion of the AFC West.

Norv Turner, we never doubted you.

The Chargers, a.k.a. the Anti-Lions, 2007 champion of the AFC West Division, are 8-2 in their last 10 games and 9-5 overall. LaDainian Tomlinson netted 116 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and he was only the Chargers’ No. 2 rusher for the day. Third-string tailback Darren Sproles rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

Also contributing to San Diego’s victory: five interceptions by Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna.

Seven of the league’s eight division championships are now decided. New England clinched the AFC East title long ago and improved to 14-0 with a surprisingly competitive and acrimony-free 20-10 victory over the New York Jets in the Spygate Memorial Classic. Bad weather can be a great equalizer.

Indianapolis, which needs to make note of the above, wrapped up the AFC South championship and a record fifth consecutive 12-victory season with a 21-14 decision over Oakland. It wasn’t easy; the Raiders led, 14-13, before Peyton Manning’s 20-yard scoring pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 4:49 left. But when Jacksonville defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh, 29-22, the Colts also earned the No. 2 playoff seeding in the AFC and the first-round playoff bye that goes with it.

Pittsburgh’s loss, coupled with Cleveland’s throwback-to-the-Ice-Age victory over Buffalo (strange but true final score: 8-0), kept the AFC North race undecided. The Steelers and the Browns are tied for first at 9-5. Pittsburgh swept the season series with Cleveland, but the Browns can clinch no worse than a wild-card berth if they defeat Cincinnati next week.

Jacksonville (10-4) edged closer to the other AFC wild card on a day when Florida’s three NFL teams accomplished a rare sweep. Tampa Bay got through with the help of a non-traditional path -- a kickoff returned all the way to the other end zone. Miami also followed an unusual route -- finally finding the victory column, by way of Camarillo.

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christine.daniels@latimes.com

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The new No. 1

Brett Favre became the NFL career leader in yards passing, moving ahead of Dan Marino (* active):

*--* YARDS PLAYER YEARS 61,405 Brett Favre 1991-2007* 61,361 Dan Marino 1983-1999 51,475 John Elway 1983-1998 49,325 Warren Moon 1984-2000 47,003 Fran Tarkenton 1961-1978 46,233 Vinny Testaverde 1987-2007* 44,611 Drew Bledsoe 1993-2006 43,040 Dan Fouts 1973-1987 40,944 Peyton Manning 1998-2007* 40,551 Joe Montana 1979-1994 Source: NFL *--*