Joey Porter yanked off his helmet and gave it a jubilant fling,
done with it for the day. With that, the Miami Dolphins’ latest victory
celebration was under way.
Porter’s game-clinching sack punctuated another strong defensive effort, and the
surprising Dolphins helped their playoff chances Sunday by beating San Francisco
14-9.
The Dolphins had possession for less than 22 minutes but held the opposition
without a touchdown for the third game in a row, their first such streak since
1973 and the NFL’s first since 2000. San Francisco reached Miami’s 21 before its
final threat ended when Shaun Hill was sacked by Porter on fourth-and-10 with
1:02 left.
“We kept bending but never breaking,” Porter said. “We made the plays when we
had to.”
The Dolphins (9-5) remained tied for the AFC East lead with the Patriots and
Jets, who both won Sunday. Miami won for the seventh time in eight games—quite a
turnaround for a team that went 1-15 last season...
Chad Pennington passed to David Martin to the left for
61 yard gain (Dan Carpenter made PAT)
0 - 7
3:57
SF
FG
Joe Nedney kicked a 38-yard field goal
3 - 7
2nd Quarter
8:27
MIA
TD
Chad Pennington passed to Joey Haynos down the middle
for 19 yard gain (Dan Carpenter made PAT)
3 - 14
3rd Quarter
2:46
SF
FG
Joe Nedney kicked a 23-yard field goal
6 - 14
4th Quarter
9:21
SF
FG
Joe Nedney kicked a 28-yard field goal
9 - 14
Team Statistics
SF
MIA
First Downs
24
11
Passing
16
6
Rushing
6
5
Penalty
2
0
Third Down Efficiency
8-17
1-7
Fourth Down Efficiency
0-1
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
318
248
Total Plays
79
42
Average Gain Per Play
4.0
5.9
NET YARDS RUSHING
112
98
Rushes
27
22
Average Per Rush
4.1
4.5
NET YARDS PASSING
206
150
Completions-Attempts
30-47
12-19
Yards Per Pass Play
4.0
7.5
Times Sacked
5
1
Yards Lost to Sacks
27
6
Had Intercepted
0
0
PUNTS
5
5
Average Punt
48.4
41.0
PENALTIES
4
8
Penalty Yards
22
66
FUMBLES
0
0
Fumbles Lost
0
0
TIME OF POSSESSION
38:13
21:47
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
New Page 1
Preview:
Thanks to a win last week
and a loss by the AFC East
leaders, the Miami Dolphins
control their own destiny as
they try to complete a
turnaround from one of the worst
teams in NFL history to division
champions. Now the team that
helped put them in this position
is standing in their way. The
Dolphins look to move one step
closer to an improbable playoff
spot Sunday against the visiting
San Francisco 49ers, who are
coming off back-to-back wins
over Miami's division rivals...
Prediction: The Dolphins
figure to hit the 49ers hard with the running game and short passing early to
get a lead. Further complicating life for the 49ers is they aren't sure running
back Frank Gore (left ankle) will play. That and the trip east combined make for
an easy Dolphins victory Dolphins 23 - 49ers 13
Video Preview: The Dolphins
look to move one step closer to an improbable playoff spot Sunday when they host
the 49ers. Join Jason Horowitz and Charley Casserly for a breakdown of this game
23.5
14.0