Had to read about the game....it sounds like I missed a thriller! Gee, sorry I missed that one!
Week 6 Review: Getting a kick out of Dolphins-Broncos
Oct. 14, 2002
By Pete Prisco
They come along once, maybe twice, perhaps three times in a season. They are games we will talk about late in December, as playoff jockeying is taking place.
They are games that will dominate the water-cooler talk this Monday.
Jason Elam thought he won it, but the emotional roller-coaster would hit bottom for the Broncos on Sunday night.(Getty Images)
One such game came Sunday night in Denver when the Miami Dolphins came away with a dramatic 24-22 victory over the Broncos to up their record to 5-1. The game had everything.
It had big plays, loads of drama, big hits, a long field goal to go ahead, a long one to win it and 26 fourth-quarter points.
In a word, this was special.
Miami’s Olindo Mare drilled a 53-yard field goal to win it with six seconds left after Denver's Jason Elam made a 55-yard field goal with 45 seconds left to give the Broncos a 22-21 lead.
The Dolphins got a sensational job by their corners to take a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. Sam Madison intercepted a pass to set up one touchdown and then Patrick Surtain returned another interception for a score.
Denver looked done. But Brian Griese drove them to one touchdown and then moved them into position for Elam's 55-yard field goal. At that point, it appeared Mike Shanahan had finally beaten the Dolphins in the regular season.
As it turned out, he still hasn't. A pass that went through the arms of Broncos linebacker John Mobley into the arms of Miami receiver Dedric Ward set up Mare's game-winner.
That missed interception could very well lead to the AFC Championship Game being played in Miami instead of the cold of Denver. Both these teams proved Sunday night they are that good.
If defenses truly do win titles, both Miami and Denver have legitimate shots to win it all. Their defenses can be stifling up front, creating havoc for opposing passers.
For most of three quarters, the two defensive teams kept coming up with big play after big play. In the end, they gave a little, which led to the amazing finish. When you get lead changes on two field goals over 50 yards in the final minute, that's a definition of exciting.
That's why in December, Sunday night's game will be one we're still discussing.
And if Denver plays in Miami for a chance to go to the Super Bowl, Mobley just might have wished he sprayed something sticky on those hands Sunday night.
To call the Denver-Miami game an epic would be too much. But for a Week 6 game, it was darn close.
It certainly is now the game of the year so far. Of course by next week that can all change in this wild and wacky NFL. |
