Rams 14 - 17 Dolphins
Final
  for this game

Dolphins hang on to edge Rams

Oct 15, 2012 - 1:19 AM Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Rookie Ryan Tannehill had two touchdown passes, and the Miami Dolphins withstood a late St. Louis rally to emerge with a 17-14 win over the Rams on Sunday.

The visiting Rams trimmed Miami's lead to three when quarterback Sam Bradford stretched the ball across the goal line and completed a pass to Steven Jackson for the 2-point conversion with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

With the help of a fake punt, the Dolphins chewed up a significant portion of the clock. St. Louis got the ball back at its own 3-yard line with 1:41 to play and a nifty one-handed grab by Brandon Gibson set the Rams up near midfield.

On 3rd-and-4 from the Miami 45, Olivier Vernon sacked Bradford for a 3-yard loss, and the Dolphins (3-3) prevailed when Greg Zuerlein missed a 66-yard field goal.

Tannehill completed 21-of-29 throws for 185 yards in Miami's second straight win.

"It was a grind-it-out game," Miami coach Joe Philbin said. "I got to hand it to our guys for hanging in there and making plays when we had to."

Bradford had 315 yards on 26-of-39 passing for St. Louis (3-3), which outgained Miami 462-192 but squandered opportunities for points and struggled to reach the end zone.

The Rams' first two drives featured big plays that led to Zuerlein field goals.

Daryl Richardson scampered 44 yards on the second play of the game to set up the first, and Bradford found Chris Givens for a 65-yard completion to put Zuerlein in position for the second.

However in the second quarter, after connecting from 48 and 32 yards, Zuerlein missed a 52-yard try. The rookie out of Missouri Western State had converted each of his first 15 career attempts.

The ensuing drive didn't start well for the Dolphins, with Tannehill being sacked for a 7-yard loss. But Davone Bess moved the chains with a 6-yard reception on 3rd-and-4 and an uncovered Marlon Moore hauled in a 29-yard touchdown.

Prior to the scoring drive, Miami had only registered one first down.

St. Louis then lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Its defense, however, held the Dolphins to a 42-yard Dan Carpenter field goal with 4:19 remaining in the first half.

The Rams looked to counter before halftime, marching to the red zone. Zuerlein, though, began a new streak with his second consecutive miss, this time from 37 yards.

"Any time you are able to move the ball like we did and accumulate that many yards and only score six points, it's probably one of the most frustrating things there is," Bradford said.

Following the break, Miami's offense was on the move and a defensive pass interference penalty placed the ball at the St. Louis 19. The Dolphins' first possession of the second half ended with Anthony Fasano catching a 1-yard touchdown.

Game Notes

Former Dolphins Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas were inducted into the club's Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony ... The Rams were aiming for their first three-game winning streak since the last three games of the 2006 season ... St. Louis suffered its sixth straight road loss ... The Rams limited Miami running back Reggie Bush to 17 yards on 12 carries.






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