If they weren’t playing different sports, you’d swear that the teams from Wayne Huizenga Tech got it backward the past couple of days.
The junior varsity played last.
The Dolphins dropped a 36-33 overtime decision to the previously winless Chicago Bears on Monday night at Pro Player Stadium. The Dolphins put on a display that measured up to their hardball brethren Marlins’ performance in Game 7 of the World Series in only one way. The game went longer than regulation.
It only made the agony more excruciating for the handful of fans who remained from the 73,156 announced attendance. The Bears got the win when kicker Jeff Jaeger hit a 35-yard field goal with 5:35 remaining in overtime.
The Bears got the win after Dan Marino was sacked by Barry Minter and fumbled. The ball was recovered by Chicago defensive lineman Carl Reeves at the Dolphins’ 17. It was the fourth time Marino had been sacked, matching the number the Dolphins had allowed all season, and the second time he fumbled, also matching the team’s season total.
The Dolphins committed three turnovers on the way to blowing what had been a 33-18 lead with 7:26 remaining in regulation. The loss cost the Dolphins a chance to take control of the AFC East. They fell to 5-3 and are tied with the New York Jets and New England, which lost 28-10 to Green Bay in the other Monday night game.
The Dolphins, who hadn’t allowed a touchdown in the second half of three previous home games, allowed 15 points in the final six minutes. The tying scores were set up by a pathetic display of pass defense, which included several big gains to wide-open receivers.
The Dolphins coupled that with 13 penalties for 83 yards, including three penalties in overtime. The total is one short of the team record.
The Dolphins had only themselves to blame for the tying score. On back-to-back possessions in the final six minutes, the Dolphins failed to get a first down and ran less than two minutes off the clock. They also threw three incomplete passes in those two drives.
The Bears scored with 1:25 remaining on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Erik Kramer to Chris Penn. They then converted a two-point conversion on a pass from Kramer to Bobby Engram.
The hitch to the score was that the Bears had no timeouts left when they did it. If the Dolphins had run on each of those three pass plays, they would have run at least that much time off the clock, first downs or not.
The 1-7 Bears, who avoided setting the franchise record for losses to open a season, scored before the play to Penn on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Engram with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins appeared to take over this game with a flurry of scores in the second half and a solid defensive effort. The defense came up with a key big play, as safety George Teague stripped wide receiver Ricky Proehl. Cornerback Terrell Buckley picked up the loose ball and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and a 19-18 lead. The offense then came up with touchdowns on a 22-yard pass to Troy Drayton and a 2-yard touchdown by Karim Abdul-Jabbar, pushing the lead to 33-18 at one point.
The first half was error-filled for the Dolphins, who committed eight penalties, had a season-high two turnovers, allowed two sacks (including a safety) and had the ball for only 7:39 compared with 22:21 for Chicago. Despite making every attempt to beat themselves, the Dolphins managed to keep the game close in the first half with a slew of big plays.
Chicago broke to a 7-0 lead after quarterback Dan Marino was sacked by John Thierry and fumbled. The ball was recovered by former Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox at the Dolphins’ 20. The Bears scored seven plays later on a 2-yard run by Raymont Harris.
The Bears then appeared ready to gamble, attempting an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Somewhere, they regained their caution. After driving to the Dolphins’ 36, facing a fourth-and-7, the Bears decided to punt.
Let’s see, Chicago was off to its worst start in franchise history and it felt compelled to play conservative and punt, a gain of 16 yards when punter Todd Sauerbrun put the ball in the end zone.
The Dolphins responded with a two-play drive, coming out in a three-receiver shotgun formation. On the second play, the Dolphins caught the Bears in a blitz, handing off to running back Jerris McPhail, who raced for a 71-yard touchdown, the third-longest scoring run in team history.
The Bears maintained their composure to score a pair of field goals, and Thierry used a nice spin move to get past offensive tackle Richmond Webb and catch Marino for a safety.
The safety was set up by back-to-back penalties against the offensive line. Center Tim Ruddy committed one of his three holding penalties and left guard Jeff Buckey was called for a false start.
The Dolphins closed to 15-13 just before halftime on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Marino to McPhail.
