The Dolphins lost their first game of the season to the Indianapolis Colts when they blew a 24-3 halftime lead and allowed the Colts to score 21 unanswered 2nd half points. This moved the game into overtime, where the Colts took the kickoff and moved down the field to kick the winning field goal.
The Dolphins began by kicking off to the Colts 3, where Warren took the ball and carried it out to the 20. From there, the Colts went to Faulk on the first carry, which went around right end for 3 yards to the 23. On 2d down, Harbaugh hit Turner for 9 yards to the 32, but on the ensuing 1st down, Faulk vaulted over the middle of the line and, as he hit the ground, the ball popped loose and Singleton recovered.
I didn't see the entire play, but it seemed apparent that this was a bad call by the officials, since the ground can't cause a fumble. The only thing that might have caused it to be a fumble was if Faulk was not touched by a Dolphin before he jumped, in which case, it would have been a fumble, because he would not have been down on contact with the ground.
Nevertheless, the Dolphins took over at the Colt 34 and began by running Kirby around right end for 8 yards. On 2d down, Byars carried for 3 yards and a 1st down to the Colt 23, where Marino passed to Byars for 4 yards. With a 2d and 6 from the 19, Kirby carried the ball behind Webb for 10 yards to the 9 for a 1st and goal.
With a 1st and goal at the 9, Kirby ran twice in a row, first off left tackle to the Colt 3 and the second time, he ran around the right end and with a great second effort, plunged over the goal line into the endzone. This gave the Dolphins a 7-0 lead with 5:05 gone in the 1st quarter.
The Dolphins kicked off to Warren in the endzone, but Warren brought it out to the 19, where the Colts started 1st and 10. They tried to run Faulk on 1st down, but he only got 2 yards. On 2d down, JB Brown broke up a pass to Dawkins and on a 3rd and 8, from their own 21, Bryan Cox, Trace Armstrong and Marco Coleman all converged on Harbaugh at the same time for a sack and a 4 yard loss. Facing a 4th and 12 from their own 17, the Colts punted to the Miami 33, where McDuffie took the ball and returned it to the 50.
With a 1st and 10 from mid-field, Parmalee ran for 3 yards up the middle and the Marino missed Eric Green on 2d down. However, on 3rd down, Marino hit Gary Clark over the middle for 12 yards and a 1st down at the Colt 35. From there, Parmalee ran for 7 yards to the 28 and for 2 more on 2d down to the 26. Facing a 3rd and 1, the Dolphins ran Parmalee again for 7 yards off right tackle to the 19.
On 1st and 10 at the 19, Marino barely overthrew a screen pass to Spikes on 1st down. Then, a draw to Spikes got the Dolphins 9 yards to the 10 and on 3rd and 1, Spikes got stuffed just short of the 1st down at the Colt 9. However, the Dolphins elected to go for it on 4th and inches and Kirby took the handoff and catapulted over the line for 4 yards down to the 5.
With a first and goal at the 5, Marino lined up under center, but saw something he liked and stepped back into the shotgun. When he did this, he grabbed Byars and moved him and Spikes around in the backfield and placed them where he wanted them. Then, once he got the ball, he turned to his left and tossed a short pass to Irving Spikes, who was free crossing to the left just shy of the goal line. Spikes turned and dived into the endzone for the Dolphins second touchdown of the day and a 14-0 lead.
This pass was unique for 2 reasons - it tied Fran Tarkenton's completion record and it was Irving Spikes' first touchdown reception.
Stoyanovich kicked off to Warren at the 10, who managed to get out to the 19, before he was taken down by Dewayne Dotson. With 1st and 10 at their own 19, Harbaugh was forced out of the pocket and scrambled 5 yards to the 24, where, on 2d and 5, he hit his tight end Dilger with a 25 yard pass straight up the middle. It was a play that the Colts would use all day. This gave them a 1st and 10 at their own 49, where Potts ran for 2 yards up the middle on 1st down. Then, on 2d down, Potts took the handoff and rambled 35 yards to the Miami 14 on a perfectly executed draw play. With a 1st and 10, Harbaugh hit Turner at the 8 for 6 yards and a 2d and 4 as the first quarter ended with the Dolphins ahead 14-0.
The Colts opened the 2d quarter with a 2d and 4 at the Miami 8 and ran Faulk for 4 yards down to the Miami 4. From there, Potts dropped Harbaugh's pass, but it wouldn't have made any difference, because an illegal motion penalty on the Colts moved them back to the 9. With a 1st and goal, now from the 9, the Colts tossed a little dump pass to Potts, but he was ridden out at the 5. A 2d down run by Faulk got only 1 yard and on 3rd and goal, Harbaugh's pass to Dilger was overthrown, leaving the Colts with a 4th down at the 4. They elected to go for a 21 yard field goal and it was good, cutting the lead to 14-3.
The Colts kicked off for the 1st time in the game to Irving Spikes, who took the ball at the 3 and ran it out to the 29. With a 1st and 10 at the 29, Marino stepped back in the pocket and tossed a short pass to Keith Byars, who broke a couple of tackles and got 6 yards. This pass was Marino's 3,687th completion and it broke Tarkenton's record.
However, the Dolphins now had a 2d and 4 at their own 35 and a run by Kirby netted 6 more our to the 41. On this play, Keith Sims was shaken up, but he only stayed out one play. Now, with a 1st and 10 at the Miami 41, Marino hit Irving Fryar for 20 yards over the middle down to the Colt 39 yard line. From there, the Dolphins tried to run Kirby, but he only got 2 yards on 1st down, down to the 37.
On 2d and 8, a pass to Byars got 3 yards and on 3rd and 5 at the 34, Marino hit OJ McDuffie at the 27 for a 1st down. Spikes picked up 5 on the next play with a short pass from Marino and on 2d down, a pitch to Spikes netted 3 more down to the 19. With a 3rd and 2, Spikes took the handoff right up the middle for 8 yards and gave the Dolphins a 1st and 10 at the 11.
A first down pass to Byars on the right got 8 more yards down to the 3 and a 1 yard run by Kirby got the Dolphins down to the 2 on 3rd down. Byars gained 1 yard down to the 1 on a 3rd down run and the Dolphins elected to go for it on 4th down. Marino handed off to Kirby and he vaulted over the line into the endzone for a touchdown. After Stoyanovich added the extra point, it was Miami 21, Colts 3.
Stoyanovich sent the kickoff down to the goal line, where Humphrey took the ball and ran it out to the 18, where he was hit by Robert Wilson and fumbled the ball. However, the Colts' Sanders recovered the ball at their 15, where they took over.
The Colts ran Potts off left tackle for 7 yards on 1st down, but an attempted screen to Potts on 2d down was well read by the Dolphin defense and Bryan Cox nailed Potts for a 3 yard loss back to the 19. With a 3rd and 6, Harbaugh underthrew a pass to Dawkins and the Colts were forced to punt once again.
McDuffie took the punt at the 30, but was caught for a yard loss back to the 29 by Belser. The Dolphins started out with a 4 yard run by Parmalee on 1st down, but Parmalee lost it all when he was caught behind the line of scrimmage on 2d down. With a 3rd and 10 at the 29, Marino overthrew Fryar, but the Colts were called for defensive holding and the Dolphins had an automatic 1st down at the 34.
A draw play to Byars from the shotgun got 2 yards just before the 2 minute warning sounded. On the next 2 plays, 2 successive defensive holding calls gave the Dolphins 2 more first downs out to the 46. From there, Marino hit Parmalee for a 5 yard completion to the Colt 49. Then Marino hit Green for 5 more yards and a 1st down at the 44.
A deep pass to Randal Hill on the next play went just over Hill's fingertips, and on 2d down and 10 from the Colt 44, Ron Heller was penalized for a false start, pushing the Dolphins back to the 49. However, a dump pass to Kirby on 2d and 15 netted 16 yards down to the Colt 33. However, two incompletions and a batted pass left the Dolphins with a 4th and 10 at the 33 and the Dolphins elected to try a 51 yard field goal. The kick was very low, but did just clear the upright to give the Dolphins a 24-3 lead.
With less than 20 seconds remaining, Stoyanovich hit a little squib kick to the Colt 27, where Morrison picked it up, but was smothered immediately by Dewayne Dotson. With 12 seconds left, the Colts ran a draw play to Faulk from their 27 out to the 41, where Harbaugh tried the Hail Mary pass down the right sideline on the last play of the half. As with most Hail Marys, this one was batted around in the air, but eventually fell incomplete.
The Colts started the 3rd quarter by kicking off to Irving Spikes at the 9, who returned the ball to the 22. On 1st down, Marino's pass to Eric Green was dropped. On 2d down, an attempted draw to Kirby lost 2 yards, when McCoy beat his block and caught Kirby in the backfield.
Then, on 3rd down, Marino stepped back in the shotgun and his pass to Fryar was overthrown. A blitzing Derwin Gray caught Marino just after he let go of the ball and slammed him into the turf. This precipitated a fight, after Ron Heller took exception to Grays hit and got into it with Tony McCoy. Heller began to shove McCoy and McCoy was penalized and ejected for throwing a punch.
Also, Gray was penalized 15 yards for roughing the passer. Since it was obvious that Gray couldn't stop from hitting Marino, he must have been penalized for slamming Marino down so hard. Marino also got a slight hip-pointer from being slammed into the ground and had to sit out for a few plays.
With Kosar in and the Dolphins having a 1st and 10 at the 35, Kirby ran for 5 yards on 1st down. Then, he ran for 3 more on 2d to the 43, but a great tackle of Bernie Parmalee on 3rd down after he took a short pass from Kosar left the Dolphins with a 4th and 1 at their own 44 and Kidd punted the ball down the 10, where Bronson took the ball and returned it to the 15, before Jeff Kopp stopped him.
The Colts started with Faulk, rushing him for 3 yards, then 6 yards and then 1 more yard to give them a 4th and inches at their own 25. However, a great effort by Faulk on 4th down gave the Colts a 1st down at their 25. Then Warren ran off left guard to the 32 and Harbaugh hit Dawkins for 14 more yards out to the 46.
There, with a 1st and 10 at their own 46, Harbaugh hit Dilger over the middle again for 38 yards down to the Miami 16 yard line. From there, Potts ran for 3 yards to the 13 and Faulk ran for no gain. With a 3rd and 7 at the 13, Harbaugh hit Turner for 8 yards to the 5 and gave the Colts a 1st and goal.
From there, the Colts tried running Marshall Faulk, but Cox and Singleton stuffed him for a 1 yard loss. A short dump pass to Potts on 2d and goal only got 2 yards as Stewart pushed Potts out of bounds. On 3rd down and goal from the 4, Harbaugh tried a quarterback draw, but Frankie Smith saw it coming and nailed Harbaugh with a great tackle at the line of scrimmage.
However, faced with a 4th and goal and down by 3 touchdowns, the Colts elected to go for the touchdown. Harbaugh dropped back in the pocket and hit Floyd Turner on a short out at the goal line for a touchdown. The extra point made it 24-10.
The Colts kicked off to Spikes at the 4, but he could only get back to the 14 before he was taken down. Then an illegal block penalty was called on Sean Hill and the Dolphins were forced to start out at their own 7 yard line. On 1st and 10 from the 7, Kirby ran behind Chris Gray for 2 yards and then again for 5 more yards, also behind the right guard. With a 3rd and 3 at the 14, Marino hit Byars for an 11 yard pass to the 25 and a 1st down. After Kirby picked up 6 yards on a run around the left on 1st down, Spikes got 12 more yards on a sweep around the right end out to the 43. At this point, the 3rd quarter ended with the Dolphins ahead 24-10.
The Dolphins opened the 4th quarter with a 6 yard run by Kirby out to the 49. Then two successive runs by Parmalee of 2 yards and 3 yards gave the Dolphins a 1st and 10 at the Colt 46. From there, Kirby ran 2 yards to the 44 where, on 2d and 8, Marino hit a wide open Parmalee who was streaking down the right sideline. Parmalee was knocked out at the Colts 9, giving the Dolphins a 1st and goal at the 9. However, an illegal motion penalty on Keith Byars moved Miami back to the 14.
From there, Marino hit Green in the hands with a pass, but Green dropped it and Marino's next pass to Clark only got them back to the 9. The 3rd down pass from the 9 towards Clark was deflected by Buchanan and that left the Dolphins with a 4th and goal at the 9. However, when Stoyanovich attempted the short 27 yard field goal, he shanked it wide right, leaving the Dolphins ahead 24-10.
The Colts took over at their 20 with 9:56 remaining. A 15 yard pass to Dilger took the Colts out to their 35. Then, the Colts tried to run Faulk off left tackle, but Emtman knocked him back for minus two yards and a 2d and 12 at their 33. Harbaugh was hit as he released the ball on the next play and the pass fell incomplete, but on 3rd and 12, Harbaugh hit Dawkins for 16 yards and an apparent 1st down, but an offensive holding penalty on Mathews moved the Colts back to their 23.
With a 3rd and 22 from their 23, Harbaugh first hit Dawkins for 16 yards to the 39 and, on 4th and 6 from the 39, Harbaugh again hit Dawkins for 14 more yards and a 1st down at the Miami 47. On the next play, Harbaugh went back to pass and saw Floyd Turner, who had gotten behind Terrell Buckley down the left side. He hit Turner with a perfect pass over Buckley's head and Turner ran untouched into the endzone for a 47 yard touchdown reception. The extra point made it 24-17 with 6:37 remaining.
The Dolphins took the kickoff at the 10 and McDuffie ran it back to the 34. After a Colts penalty for an Illegal cut block was added, the Dolphins started with a 1st and 10 at their own 49. Kirby took the handoff and went up the middle for 9 yards on 1st down and then around right end for 1 yard on 2d down. This gave the Dolphins a 1st and 10 at the Colts 42.
Kirby ran for 3 yards on 1st down and Spikes ran for 3 yards on 2d down, but on a 3rd and 4, Marino's pass to Fryar was incomplete and almost intercepted by Jason Belser. With a 4th and 4, the Dolphins punted and Buchanan signaled a fair catch at his 9, but Sean Hill ran into him and drew a 15 yard penalty.
With 3:50 remaining and a 1st and 10 at their own 24, Harbaugh hit Dawkins who ran out of bounds at the 32. On 2d and 3rd down, Harbaugh threw incompletions at Stablein, but on 4th and 2, Harbaugh scrambled 4 yards to the 36 for a 1st down.
On a 1st and 10 at their 36, Harbaugh was forced to scramble up the middle for a 2d and 6 at the 40. From there, Harbaugh hit Bailey at the Colt 48 for a 1st down, then hit Faulk for 8 more yards and after a 2d and 2 pass at the Miami 44 fell incomplete, the two minute warning sounded.
With a 3rd and 2 at the Miami 44, Harbaugh hit Turner for 9 yards to the 35. With 1:15 remaining, Harbaugh hit Bailey for 19 yards to the 16, but with a first and 10 at the 16, Cox came around the Colts right side and sacked Harbaugh for a 5 yard loss back to the 21.
There was 1:17 remaining and it was 2d and 15 from the 21 when Harbaugh hit Bailey in the back corner of the endzone for a 21 yard touchdown pass behind Troy Vincent. The extra point tied up the game with 1:-9 left.
The Colt's kickoff was taken by McDuffie at the goal line and returned to the 21 yard line. Marino's first pass from the 21 went to Irving Fryar, who went out of bounds for a 1st down at the 37. Then Marino went back to Fryar on the next play for 18 more yards on the left side, but he didn't get out of bounds.
With :45 seconds remaining, Marino's pass to Clark was incomplete, but a quick pass to Kirby netted 6 yards. However, he didn't get out of bounds and on 3rd and 4 with time running down, Marino hit McDuffie for 8 yards to the Colt 31. At this point, with a 1st and 10 at the 31 and :12 seconds remaining, Stoyanovich came in to try a 49 yard field goal. However, he overcorrected from the previous try and the ball sailed wide left. Harbaugh then knelt down, ending regular time with the score tied 24-24.
The Colts won the toss and elected to receive the kickoff, which Stoyanovich hit to the Colt 8, where Warren took it out to the 33. On 1st and 10 from their 33, Harbaugh hit Faulk for a 9 yard pass and on 2d and 1 from the 42, Faulk picked up 2 yards and a 1st down at the Colt 44.
Harbaugh then hit Dilger again over the middle for 14 yards to the Miami 42 and hit Dawkins for 11 more yards down to the Miami 31. Harbaugh hit Dawkins again for 6 more yards to the 25 and on 2d and 4, hit Dawkins one more time for 8 yards down to the 17. The Faulk ran twice for 2 yards and 5 more yards down to the Miami 10, where Cary Blanchard hit the 27 yard field goal for the Colts as the Colts won the game 27-24.