Miami Dolphins' gamble pays off with game-winning drive in final minutes

Source: The Palm Beach Post, Fla.迷你倉最平Dec. 16--MIAMI GARDENS -- Before Ryan Tannehill threw his third touchdown pass of the game and Marcus Thigpen scored on the go-ahead play, the Dolphins had to make a crucial decision.Down 20-17 with 2:41 remaining, they could go for it on fourth-and-5 from their own 45-yard line or punt and hope the defense could stop New England's Tom Brady and get the ball back with enough time left to mount one more drive.With a playoff berth potentially at stake, coach Joe Philbin decided to go for it.His decision paid off. Tannehill hit tight end Charles Clay for a 6-yard gain, and Miami stayed alive. It was the only catch Sunday for Clay, who had averaged seven receptions and nearly 90 yards in his two previous games."I knew coming in we would go for it in that situation," Clay said. "You just kind of got a sense of how the game was going. I felt like in that situation our coaches would be aggressive."Clay knew what was at stake. After making the catch, he got past a pair of defenders to get the last vital couple of yards."Ryan did a great job. He had someone in his face," Clay said. "When I caught that ball all I could think was, 'Just find a way to get this first down.' "On the next play, Tannehill found receiver Rishard Matthews for a 3-yard gain and then receiver Brian Hartline had an 8-yard catch. That gave the Dolphins a first down from New England's 38-yard line.Tannehill then went to Matthews again. He gained 24 yards on a sideline catch as he was falling out of bounds. That gave Miami another first down, this time at the New England 14.After an incomplete pass to Hartline, Thigpen scored on a 14-yard reception. It was the second catch of the game for Thigpen, who primarily serves as Miami's return man. And it was easily the biggest catch of his two-year NFL career."It's a great feeling," Thigpen said. "It was a play that was designed for 迷你倉e. The way it played out I didn't think I was going to have a chance for it. I just tried to make the best of it. I went inside and made a move, came back and Tannehill had enough trust in me, threw it up and gave me a chance."Tannehill said he couldn't even see Thigpen when he threw."He had outside leverage and we expected inside, but he found a way to win," Tannehill said. "I couldn't really see him at all behind Big Mac (left tackle Bryant McKinnie). I trusted him, threw it out there and he made the adjustment and got into the end zone."Thigpen called it "a blessing" for the team to rely on him in such a critical situation.While everyone from Thigpen to Matthews to Mike Wallace (six receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown) got involved Sunday, the common denominator was Tannehill.He went 25-of-37 for 312 yards, three touchdowns and a 120.6 passer rating. He was at his best on the final drive, which began on the Dolphins' 40 after the Patriots kicked out of bounds.The final drive covered 60 yards on nine plays in 2:52. Tannehill completed six of eight passes."It was phenomenal, that's what I told him," Clay said. "That's a big drive and it goes to show the growth and improvement that he makes every week."He's poised -- you put him in that situation and he doesn't flinch at all. He just goes out and plays ball."Kudos to him. He played his tail off."Tannehill said he feels "great" when he has the ball in a crucial situation at the end of a half."We expect to score to some extent, either a field goal or touchdown, every time we get into a two-minute situation," he said. "To have the confidence of the guys around me, the offensive line protecting, it's a lot of fun to have those drives."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) Visit The Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, Fla.) at .palmbeachpost.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage