NFL Recap (St Louis-Miami)
Posted: Sun October 18, 1998 at 9:10 p.m. EDT
MIAMI 14, ST LOUIS 0
MIAMI (Ticker) -- Dan
Marino threw two touchdown passes and the Miami Dolphins recorded
their second shutout of the season with a 14-0 victory over the St. Louis Rams.
Miami, which on September 20th blanked the Pittsburgh Steelers,
21-0, has pitched two shutouts in a season for the first time since 1985.
It has allowed a league-low 70 points over six contests and owns
back-to-back home shutouts for the first time in its 33-year history.
Marino provided the only excitement in a lackluster first half with a
one-yard TD pass to Orlando Gadsden six seconds before the break. The play
was set up by pass interference in the end zone called three plays earlier
against Rams veteran cornerback Todd Lyght, who also was
beat for the touchdown.
"When the refs are giving teams touchdowns, you can't play above
that," Lyght said. "It was a bad call and it was a late call."
The Dolphins struck again at 4:39 of the fourth when rookie running
back John Avery caught
a 19-yard TD down the left sideline.
Marino completed 14-of-26 for 114 yards. The NFL's most prolific
passer has just eight touchdown passes in six games this season, leaving
him seven short of 400 in his career.
St. Louis, which has scored 30 or more points in three of its five
games this year, was held scoreless for the first time since September 8th,
1996 against San Francisco.
The Dolphins secondary held talented St. Louis receiver Isaac Bruce in check while
virtually shutting down the rest of the Rams' receiving corps. In the last
meeting between these clubs in 1995, Bruce had 15 catches for a league
season-high 210 yards.
"I tried to do my thing," Bruce explained. "If the referees are
watching the game like they should, I am pretty sure they would have made
some calls."
Bruce was limited to six catches for 72 yards while Tony Banks hit on 14-of-29
passes for 143 yards and his first interception in 93 attempts. Banks, who
tends to hold the ball too long, was sacked four times.
"I thought our (secondary) did a nice job," said Miami coach Jimmy
Johnson. "They have a lot of talent and a tremendous amount of speed."
Defensive end Trace
Armstrong had two sacks and middle linebacker Zach Thomas recorded a
team-high nine tackles.
"They took that one away from us," Banks said. "Their defensive
tackles did a good job of staying in front of me and knocking down some
balls."
Miami held the Rams to 76 yards on the ground while rushing for a
season-high 141 yards, much of it in the fourth quarter while using up the
clock. Amp Lee led the
Rams with just 34 yards on seven carries. Avery had 88 yards on 11 carries
and Karim Abdul-Jabbar
ran 17 times for 59 yards.
"They really took away the run and the pass," Banks observed.
Neither team was able to do much until Miami's 11-play, 46-yard drive
that netted the game's first score. It appeared the drive had stalled
after a third-down pass intended for Lamar Thomas fell
incomplete in the end zone, but Lyght's interference got the Dolphins four
more tries. After Abdul-Jabbar was stuffed for no gain and an
incompletion, Gadsden outwrestled Lyght for the ball in the corner of the
end zone.
"We called the play and I did my best to go up and get the ball,"
Gadsden said. "Dan put the ball in a good spot and I think I saw the ball
before Lyght did."
"The refs gave them everything they got," stated Lyght.
The Rams offense continued to sputter in the second half and the
Dolphins doubled their lead on the opening drive of the fourth quarter. On
the 10th play of that march, Avery, covered by linebacker Roman Phifer, caught
Marino's underthrow and tumbled into the end zone to cap the scoring.
Earlier in the drive, Lyght had been hit with another pass interference
penalty on 2nd-and-10 that netted Miami 23 yards and a first down.
"When I saw the linebacker, I mentioned to him that I hoped he had his
track shoes on him," said Avery, who scored his first career touchdown.
The Rams appeared to score when Banks hit Eddie Kennison for a
touchdown with 6 1/2 minutes to play. But the receiver was declared
ineligible on the play because he had stepped out of bounds and returned to
the field before catching the ball.
Miami has won six straight against St. Louis and leads the all-time
series, 7-1.
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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