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Dolphins win first game of season

Dec 16, 2007 - 11:33 PM MIAMI (Ticker) -- The Miami Dolphins no longer have to worry about becoming the NFL's first 0-16 team.

Cleo Lemon threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Greg Camarillo with 8:14 remaining in overtime as the Dolphins finally won their first game of the season with a 22-16 victory over the reeling Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

While it took until Week 15, the Dolphins (1-13) avoided joining the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the only teams in league history to start a season with 14 straight losses.

"All that talk about 0-16 and a winless season has come to an end," Camarillo said.

"It feels like we won the Super Bowl," Dolphins defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday said.

More importantly, the Dolphins put an end to any talk that they could be the first team in league history to go winless in a 16-game schedule. The 1976 Bucs, who went 0-14, remain the NFL's only winless team.

"It seemed like everyone wanted us to go 0-16. ... That's history you do not want," Lemon said.

Just over a minute after the normally reliable Matt Stover missed a 44-yard field goal which would have given the Ravens the win, the Dolphins finally had reason to rejoice.

"My toe came around a little too quick and the ball pulled left on me right from the beginning," Stover said. "I envision those kicks each and every week and be able to go in there and win the ballgame. It just didn't happen today."

On 3rd-and-8, Lemon drilled a pass over the middle to Camarillo, who raced untouched to the end zone, setting off a wild celebration that included Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hugging numerous people in his suite.

"It was a short post route, both of the balls I caught before were the same route," Camarillo said. "This time I had a different defender on me. I tried to sell out and come back in and it worked perfectly. I think the defender was caught off-guard, the whole defense was caught off-guard. Cleo put the ball in the perfect spot and I grabbed it and kept going."

"The first thing I did was look for a flag because that's the kind of season we've been having," Lemon said. "Every time we have a big play, I'm looking for a flag."

Miami snapped a 16-game losing streak that dated to last season, and finally gave coach Cam Cameron his first victory.

The Dolphins' win added to the frustrations of the Ravens (4-10), who now own the NFL's longest losing streak at eight games.

"If you don't put a team away in this league, you give them an opportunity," Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "You give them breath or life. They're going to come back." Ravens coach Brian Billick had a chance of having the game avoid reaching overtime.

Trailing, 16-13, with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, the Ravens had the ball inside the Dolphins 1 without a timeout on fourth down. However, Billick opted for Stover's 18-yard field goal.

On an afternoon featuring a pair of awful teams, there were plenty of twist and turns.

After losing their last two games by a combined 78-30, the Dolphins actually showed some fight, erasing a 13-3 halftime deficit.

Jay Feely, who had kicked a 22-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, converted from 29 yards with 1:56 remaining, giving the Dolphins a 16-13 lead.

However, Feely promptly booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, giving the Ravens good field position.

Rookie Troy Smith, who had replaced Kyle Boller (concussion) earlier in the fourth, coolly led the Ravens to the tying score without the benefit of a timeout. He started the march with completions of 13 and 15 yards to Mark Clayton.

On the Ravens' final drive of regulation, Willis McGahee also had a 12-yard run on a 3rd-and-10 play. The former University of Miami product rushed for 104 yards on 29 carries.

While the Ravens had success running the ball, the Dolphins were able to move the ball through the air with Lemon, who completed 23-of-39 passes for 315 yards. His favorite target was Marty Booker, who hauled in eight passes for 88 yards.

Stover opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 27-yard field goal before connecting from 39 yards early in the second, giving the Ravens a 6-0 lead.

After Feely connected from 23 yards, Boller threw a 17-yard touchdown to Mason with 47 seconds left in the half for a 13-3 lead.

Boller completed 10-of-19 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Samkon Gado scored on a 7-yard run with 6:51 left in the third quarter, pulling the Dolphins within 13-10.