The closer the Miami Dolphins get to the playoffs, the better they seem to play.
Miami posted its highest point total since 1988 to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 37-13 Monday night. Dan Marino threw three touchdown passes and the Dolphins pulled away by scoring the game's final 17 points in the fourth quarter.With their fifth win in the past six games, the Dolphins improved to 8-6. They'll clinch an AFC wild-card playoff berth Sunday if they win at San Diego and the New York Jets (7-7) lose to New England.
Otherwise, Miami's regular-season finale against the Jets on Dec. 22 will determine which team makes the playoffs.
"We know where we are and what we have to get done," coach Don Shula said.
Miami has taken advantage of weak opposition - Cincinnati and Tampa Bay - to win its past two games by a combined 70-27.
"We're on the right path," said running back Mark Higgs, who gained 88 yards against the Bengals in 21 carries.
Cincinnati fell to 2-12, tying the team record for losses set in 1978 and 1979.
"Right now we're just trying to hold it together," quarterback Boomer Esaison said.
Marino threw for 281 yards, including scoring passes of 43 yards to Mark Duper and 18 and 16 yards to Mark Clayton. Marino reached 20 TDs for an NFL-record ninth season and also moved into fifth place on the league's career yardage list.
"It's nice to have individual statistics, but the key thing is that we're doing it while playing winning football," Marino said.
Duper caught seven passes for 134 yards.
"The offensive line played good, the backs ran well, the receivers caught the ball," Duper said. "All the parts worked.
"It's Monday night, prime time. What do you expect? It's supposed to work."
The Bengals closed to 20-13 early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run by Ickey Woods, but Miami scored two touchdowns 87 seconds apart to clinch the win.
"I was very pleased with the way this one went," Shula said, "because when we had to have it in the fourth quarter and Cincinnati looked like they were back into the game and playing well, we came up with the plays."
After Woods' touchdown, Miami mounted a 65-yard drive capped by Higgs' 3-yard scoring run. Two plays later, the Dolphins' Louis Oliver recovered a fumble by Harold Green at the Cincinnati 17-yard line, and on second down, Marino combined with Clayton for their second TD of the night and a 34-13 lead with 8:29 left.
"I'm sorry the score is going to look more lopsided than the ballgame," Cincinnati coach Sam Wyche said. "It was a pretty darn good game for the first three quarters."
In the fourth period, Miami played with an intensity that was most evident when tempers flared on a kickoff. A block by Cincinnati's Alex Gordon left kicker Pete Stoyanovich shaken up, and when the Bengals acted amused about the injury, Dolphins linebacker Bryan Cox headed for their bench and appeared ready to take on the entire team.
"He's pretty tough to tie down," Shula said, "and we're not making much of an effort to tie him down."
Order was restored without any punches being thrown.