Miami 37, Minnesota 35
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 21, 2014
Where: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Temperature:
80°
Head Official:
Tony Corrente
Attendance:
66203
By SportsDirect Inc.
Dolphins 37, Vikings 35: Rookie defensive end Terrence Fede blocked a punt that resulted in a safety with 41 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as host Miami upended Minnesota.
Ryan Tannehill (35-of-47, 396 yards) threw for four touchdowns to extend his season total to a career-best 26 for the Dolphins (8-7), who were eliminated from postseason consideration after Pittsburgh posted a 20-12 victory over Kansas City. Mike Wallace reeled in two of the scores, tight end Dion Sims and running back Damien Williams each had one and Lamar Miller rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Miami native Teddy Bridgewater went 19-of-26 for 259 yards and two touchdowns - including the fourth in five contests for Greg Jennings. Matt Asiata rushed for two scores and Jarius Wright added a receiving TD for the Vikings (6-9), who squandered a 14-0 lead for the second straight week to suffer their fourth loss in six games.
Asiata scored his second TD with 4:35 left in the fourth quarter, but Tannehill capped an 11-play drive with a 3-yard scoring strike to Williams with 1:11 remaining to tie it at 35-35. The Dolphins forced the Vikings to go three-and-out on the next possession and Fede blocked Jeff Locke's punt, sending the ball out of the end zone.
Wallace hauled in his second touchdown reception to give Miami a 28-20 lead, but Bridgewater found Wright for an 8-yard score and Asiata rumbled in for the 2-point conversion to knot it with 4:46 remaining. Rookie Jarvis Landry fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Asiata bulled his way in from 5 yards out on the next play to put Minnesota ahead.
GAME NOTEBOOK: With Minnesota leading 17-7 at halftime, Tannehill tossed a 41-yard pass to TE Charles Clay before connecting with a well-covered Wallace on a 16-yard touchdown midway into the third quarter. DE Derrick Shelby intercepted Bridgewater on the next drive and Miller punched it in from 1 yard out before Wallace reeled in a slant pass for a 7-yard score with 6:39 remaining to give Miami a 28-20 lead. ... Landry's costly fumble on the kickoff was his fourth on special teams this season. ... Miami DE Cameron Wake recorded one sack to extend his season total to 10.5, earning him a $750,000 bonus.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Minnesota |
|
Miami |
Matt Asiata |
Player |
Lamar Miller
|
16 |
Attempts |
19 |
58 |
Yards |
92 |
3.6 |
Avg Yards |
4.8 |
2 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
10 |
Long |
14 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Minnesota
|
357 |
119 |
238 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1.0 |
0 |
Miami
|
493 |
110 |
383 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
4.0 |
0 |
Upcoming Games
-
Miami will play their next game at home against N.Y. Jets. The Dolphins have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .714 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Vikings have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .375 after a loss.