Chad Henne made up for an interception late in
the fourth quarter by directing a final-minute drive for a game-winning field
goal, as the Miami Dolphins pulled out a 25-23 victory over the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers at Land Shark Stadium.
Henne, with the Dolphins nursing a six-point lead, was picked off by Tampa Bay
linebacker Quincy Black inside the Miami 30 on a third-down pass with 1:43 to
play. The Bucs converted soon after when Cadillac Williams reached the end
zone from a yard away with 1:14 remaining, and the extra point gave Tampa Bay
a 23-22 lead.
The Dolphins, who missed an extra point earlier in the game, took over at
their own 16 following the kickoff and Henne hit Devone Bess for 25 yards on
the first play. After a pass interference penalty against the Bucs, Henne and
Bess hooked up for 16 yards to the Tampa Bay 34. Following a spike, Ricky
Williams broke through the line for 27 yards and Miami used its last timeout
before Dan Carpenter came on and drilled a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds
to play.
Tampa Bay's last-ditch lateral attempt on the play after the kickoff went
nowhere and the Dolphins (4-5) won for the fourth time in their last six
games.
Henne finished 17-of-31 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception for
Miami. Williams ran for 102 yards on 20 carries, while Ronnie Brown added 82
on 12 attempts before leaving the contest with an ankle injury.
Josh Freeman completed 16-of-28 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and an
interception for the Buccaneers (1-8), who notched their first win of the
season last week against Green Bay. Kellen Winslow Jr. caught seven passes for
102 yards in defeat.
The Bucs trailed 19-6 heading to the break, but pulled within 10 on their
second series of the second half. A 35-yard pass to Winslow put Tampa Bay at
the Miami 35, leading to a 54-yard field goal from Connor Barth with 4:05 to
play in the third.
Miami then crossed midfield for the first time in the second half, but Brown
had the ball punched out of his hands at the Tampa Bay 32 and the Bucs
recovered. Brown also injured his ankle on the play and limped off the field.
Freeman followed by directing a six-play drive for a touchdown. After
converting 3rd-and-2 with a three-yard toss to Michael Clayton, Freeman hit
Winslow for 19 yards on the final play of the third quarter. The rookie went
to the end zone on the first play of the fourth and found Maurice Stovall
behind the secondary for a 33-yard score to make it a 19-16 game.
After a trade of punts, the Dolphins ate nearly five minutes off the clock and
added three points on a 45-yard field goal by Carpenter with 6:04 to play,
setting up the wild finish.
The Bucs took a 3-0 lead on the game's first possession, as a 36-yard kickoff
return by Clifton Smith set up a 51-yard field goal by Barth, but Miami
answered with a 77-yard march for a touchdown on its first offensive series. A
45-yard run by Brown out of the Wildcat formation keyed the nine-play set and
he took a straight handoff one yard for the score. The extra point was
blocked, leaving the Dolphins with a 6-3 edge.
After a trade of punts, the Dolphins recovered a Freeman fumble at the Miami
34, but the Bucs forced a three-and-out. Another Freeman fumble on the next
Tampa Bay series was recovered by one of his teammates to end the opening
quarter, but the Dolphins got the ball back on another punt and added three
points on a 49-yard field goal by Carpenter.
Tampa Bay responded with a 50-yard field goal by Barth to again make it a
three-point game with 2:36 left in the first half.
The Dolphins punted it away at the two-minute warning, but pinned the Bucs at
their own six and a controversial call went in Miami's favor soon after.
Freeman appeared to complete a pass to Clayton that would have given Tampa Bay
a first down, but the ball popped loose and Miami's Jason Taylor returned it
to the end zone. The play was then ruled incomplete, but a video review gave
the Dolphins an interception, although it appeared as if Clayton lost the ball
after contact and had hit the ground. Taylor could not advance the ball
because it was initially ruled incomplete.
Miami took possession at the Tampa Bay eight after Bucs head coach Raheem
Morris was also hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Henne followed
with a five-yard touchdown pass to Kory Sperry moments later to give the
Dolphins a 16-6 advantage.
The Miami defense forced a Tampa Bay punt and, with 52 seconds left, Henne was
able to move the offense from its own 48 to the Tampa 12-yard line, setting up
a 30-yard Carpenter field goal for a 19-6 lead just before the intermission.
Game Notes
The Dolphins snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bucs and lead the
all-time series, 5-4...Sperry notched his first career TD reception...Barth
became the first Bucs kicker with three 50-yard-plus field goals in one
game...Miami has a short week with a visit to Carolina on Thursday, while
Tampa Bay hosts New Orleans next Sunday...The Dolphins were without linebacker
Joey Porter, guard Justin Smiley and tight end Anthony Fasano. Porter was a
coach's decision late Saturday night, while Smiley missed practice this week
with a shoulder injury and Fasano ha been sidelined with a sore hip...Tampa
Bay played without wide receiver Antonio Bryant because of a knee injury.
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