Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
MIAMI MIRACLE
The Hook and Double Lateral that saved a day, a Dolphins season — maybe a regime
Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake celebrates in the end zone after scoring a touchdown on the final play of the game to defeat the New England Patriots Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Drake took the end of a double lateral 53 yards as time expired to keep the Dolphins' slim playoff hopes alive, and keep New England from clinching the AFC East division title.
MIAMI GARDENS — When the miracle was over, when the celebration finished, when they were so exhausted from Sunday’s finish quarterback Ryan Tannehill just wanted to collapse at his locker, receiver Kenny Stills still had a question.
He found the one man in the Dolphins locker room he thought could put what just happened in perspective.
“Have you seen anything like that against the Patriots?” Stills asked Dan Marino, the Dolphins legend who now is around the team in an advisory capacity.
“I’ve never seen anything like that against anyone,” Marino said.
The Hook and Lateral in a playoff game in the 1981 season might top Dolphins lore for singular plays.
Now came the Hook and Double Lateral with double the degree of difficulty to beat mighty New England, 34-33.
“Run ‘Boise,’ ” coach Adam Gase told Tannehill on the sideline, giving the official name of the play that was stolen from Boise State’s 2007 Fiesta Bowl appearance.
With 16 seconds left, New England kicked a point-blank field goal and the Dolphins trailed, 33-28. The game looked done, Miami’s season basically over at 6-7. Ugliness would begin. Would this regime survive? They weren’t any closer to beating the Patriots, who surely were on the edge of their 15th AFC East title in 16 years.
Instead, a miracle was on the menu.
“Get downfield to help,” Tannehill told teammates before they went to the line at their 31-yard line.
The Dolphins had just practiced “Boise,” on Saturday, as they often do on that relaxed day. At least they practiced it as much as they ever do. No defense. Not even linemen in the play.
It’s just Tannehill throwing 15 yards downfield to Stills, as he did to start Sunday’s play against the Patriots.
“I’ve sometimes thought, ‘Why are we even practicing this? When are we ever going to use it?’ ” Stills said at his locker after. “Now I know why we practice it.”
A few minutes before the play, Stills sat on the bench, praying, knowing his mistake might cost the Dolphins the day. On a second-and-16 play in the fourth quarter, he caught a pass and slid after 15 yards.
Tannehill was sacked on the next play. The Dolphins punted. Patriots got the first of their field goals in the final minutes to go ahead, 30-28.
“I thought I had the first down when I slid,” Stills said, grabbing his phone to read a few of the dozens of text messages.
“What a finish … “Bad-ass ending … “Unbelievable …”
Stills turned after he caught the pass at the Dolphins’ 46-yard line, took a few steps and lateraled a few yards to receiver DeVante Parker.
“I caught it and looked for Kenyan [Drake] — that’s the play,” Parker said.
Parker, at midfield, lateraled to Drake, who was running up the Patriots sideline. He was nearly tripped from behind by Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy. He cut inside. He found some room.
At the 30-yard line, Drake picked up a crucial block from guard Ted Larsen, who had thought he might get a lateral. Instead, his block of Patriots safety Patrick Chung gave Drake a lane to the end zone.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Drake said.
The last line of defense for the Patriots was tight end Rob Gronkowski at the 20-yard line. Gronk, a clunky 6-7, was in for the Patriots defense against a “Hail Mary” pass. Their best tackler, safety Devin McCourty, was on the sideline.
This, of course, adds to the maelstrom of this miracle. Even the best of coaches, Bill Belichick, made a fundamental mistake. McCourty would have caught Parker against the sideline.
“Gronk had no chance,” Tannehill said.
When Drake reached the end zone, he heaved the football into the stands. Larsen threw off his helmet. Tannehill collapsed backwards on the field, like a snow angel. Defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick ran from the sidelines, “with chills running up my spine.”
There was a lot of talk in the Dolphins locker room about playing to the final play, of a never-die attitude, of this showing the “character” of this team.” But let’s be serious. This was about why you watch sports — because you never know what will happen.
For the second straight Sunday, the Dolphins won a game they should have lost. It was lucky when Buffalo’s Charles Clay dropped a pass in the end zone last Sunday. Luck is just a starting point for the insanity that happened this time.
Stills found Marino afterward to drop some perspective. But watching the play in the suite with other Dolphins alumni at Hard Rock Stadium was someone with an even better view of history.
Tony Nathan watched the hook and double lateral with the same surprise as everyone. Nathan, back in the 1981 season, caught the lateral from Duriel Harris and sprinted into the end zone as the clock expired.
“That was halftime,” Nathan said. “This was to end the game. That makes this one even more unbelievable.”
He chuckled. “I was yelling and cheering and got so worked up afterward I had to tell [former Dolphins great] Mark Duper, ‘I’ve got to sit down. I’m getting too old for endings like this.”
This Hook and Double Lateral was, no doubt, double the exhausting fun.