This time, the Indianapolis Colts refused to be burned by Dan Marino's fourth-quarter heroics.
Marino was poised for the 30th fourth-quarter comeback victory of his career Sunday, but the Colts' defense denied Miami on six consecutive plays inside the 5-yard line, producing a 10-6 victory that prevented the Dolphins (9-6) from clinching the AFC East title."It's tough stopping Marino," said Indianapolis defensive back Ashley Ambrose, who broke up Miami's last two passes of the game on plays from the 2-yard line. "You should feel good if your defense can go out and stop a Miami offense in that situation. Don Shula's a great coach and Marino makes them a great team."
The ending was the opposite of the Nov. 6 game between the teams. In that game, Marino completed 13-of-16 passes for 123 yards in the fourth quarter to spark a 22-21 Miami triumph after Indianapolis led 21-12 with 7:32 to play.
On Sunday, Dewell Brewer returned a punt 75 yards in the first quarter for the game's only touchdown. The Colts defense consistently came up with key plays to deny Miami from reaching the end zone for the first time in 34 games since Dec. 6, 1992.
"I think that was probably the best defensive game that we played all year," Ambrose said. Despite the victory, Indianapolis (7-8) was eliminated from playoff contention.
"We weren't going to be denied," Indianapolis cornerback Ray Buchanan said. "We've been through this (Marino comebacks) several times. We know what it's like, and we weren't shocked that he got the ball down there. We know what Dan is capable of, and we knew what we had to do."