Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Miami 20, San Diego 16
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, November 17, 2013
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Temperature: 81°
Head Official: Peter Morelli
Attendance: 60256

Dolphins 20, Chargers 16:
Ryan Tannehill passed for 268 yards and a touchdown as Miami jumped into the wild-card race by holding off visiting San Diego.

Daniel Thomas rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown and Charles Clay caught six passes for 90 yards and a score for the Dolphins (5-5), who are tied for the sixth-best record in the AFC with the Jets. Brent Grimes picked up his third interception as Miami bounced back from a loss at Tampa Bay.

Philip Rivers threw for 298 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while Ryan Mathews rushed for 127 yards on 19 carries for the Chargers (4-6). Antonio Gates hauled in a touchdown pass but San Diego stalled at the opposing 25-yard line as time expired.

The Dolphins struck first on Caleb Sturgis’ 22-yard field goal on the opening drive but the Chargers were the first to find the end zone when Rivers converted a turnover into points by hitting Gates with a 5-yard TD pass with 18 seconds left in the first quarter. Miami jumped on top with Daniel Thomas’ 1-yard dive but a San Diego field goal just before the half sent it into the break knotted at 10.

Tannehill found Clay short to the right side and the tight end broke three tackles while racing for a 39-yard TD and a 17-10 lead. The Chargers twice had to settle for field goals in the second half and Sturgis connected on a 37-yarder for the Dolphins with 8:34 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
Dolphins C Mike Pouncey (illness) missed the game, leaving the team without three starters on the offensive line including Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. … Miami, which rushed for a franchise record-low 2 yards last week, went for 104 yards on the ground on 19 carries. … Ladarius Green led the San Diego receiving corps with four catches for 81 yards.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
San Diego   Miami
Ryan Mathews Player Daniel Thomas
19 Attempts 10
127 Yards 57
6.7 Avg Yards 5.7
0 Touchdowns 1
51 Long 11
Receiving
San Diego   Miami
Ladarius Green Player Charles Clay
4 Receptions 6
81 Yards 90
20.2 Avg Yards 15.0
0 Touchdowns 1
35 Long 39
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
San Diego 435 154 281 1 3 1 4.0 0
Miami 343 104 239 2 2 1 3.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Miami will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Dolphins have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • San Diego will play their next game on the road against Kansas City. The Chargers have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .500 after a loss.