Regular Season Game #15

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

Miami

10

14

7

7

38

Kansas City

7

21

3

0

31

Pennington, Dolphins Stay in Playoff Hunt by Beating Chiefs

Regular Season Game #15

NFL.com l Video Highlights

Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen is tackled by a group of Dolphins.

Dec. 21- In the coldest game they ever played, the Miami Dolphins stayed hot.

Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes as the Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 on Sunday, continuing one of the most remarkable comeback seasons in NFL history in temperatures that plunged into single digits.

With their fourth victory in a row and eighth in their last nine games, the Dolphins (10-5) can clinch the AFC East title next week just one year after finishing a league-worst 1-15. All they'll have to do is beat the New York Jets at the Meadowlands.

Sunday, the temperature at kickoff was 10, with a wind chill of minus-12. Previously, the coldest game the Dolphins had ever played was 14 degrees in Foxborough, Mass., on Dec. 11, 1977.

It was the second-coldest game ever played at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs (2-13) concluded the home portion of what's certain to be the worst season in the franchise's 49-year history.

The loss, coming six days after the abrupt resignation of general manager Carl Peterson, would seem to cast the future of head coach Herm Edwards in even greater doubt.

A Miami defense that hadn't yielded a touchdown in three weeks gave up four TDs and a season-high 492 yards to the Chiefs, who have lost eight games by seven points or fewer and finish their miserable season next week at Cincinnati.

Pennington, the longtime Jet who was acquired by the Dolphins in the offseason, was 26-of-34 passing in the brutal cold, including two touchdown tosses to Anthony Fasano.

After Connor Barth's 24-yard field goal put the Chiefs on top 31-24 in the third quarter, Ricky Williams' 4-yard touchdown run tied it at 31. Then Pennington engineered a 13-play, 85-yard drive capped by a 14-yard pass to Fasano with 4:08 to go.

Tyler Thigpen was 21-of-40 passing for 320 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City, but he also had three throws intercepted.

The Dolphins got their first touchdown on their first play from scrimmage and scored on four of their first five possessions -- but still trailed 28-24 at halftime.

After Patrick Cobbs returned the opening kickoff 60 yards, Ted Ginn Jr. went 31 yards on an end-around on the first play, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead that went to 10-0 on Dan Carpenter's 34-yard field goal following Andre Goodman's interception.

About 90 seconds later, Thigpen hit Devard Darling with a 31-yard touchdown pass for the first TD the Dolphins had allowed since Nov. 23 against New England. Less than one minute into the second quarter, Tony Gonzalez caught Thigpen's 8-yard pass at the goal line and fought his way into the end zone for a touchdown and a 14-10 Chiefs lead.

Pennington hit two more touchdown passes in the first half -- 11 yards to David Martin and 14 to Fasano -- but the Chiefs quickly responded each time.

Larry Johnson scored from the 2 following Thigpen's screen pass to Jamaal Charles that went 75 yards, after right tackle Damion McIntosh took out two tacklers at the point of attack.

After the Dolphins were stopped on fourth-and-one from the Kansas City 5, the Chiefs went on a 95-yard touchdown march, capped by Thigpen's 8-yard run on a quarterback draw.

Individual Statistics

Kansas City Passing:

Tyler Thigpen 20 of 41 for 320 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions

Miami Passing:

Chad Pennington 26 of 34 for 235 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception

Kansas City Rushing:

Larry Johnson 12 carries for 108 yards and 1 touchdown

Tyler Thigpen 6 carries for 57 yards and 1 touchdown

Jamaal Charles 3 carries for 15 yards

Miami Rushing:

Patrick Cobbs 2 carries for 44 yards

Ricky Williams 12 carries for 34 yards and 1 touchdown

Ronnie Brown 8 carries for 32 yards

Ted Ginn 1 carry for 31 yards and 1 touchdown

Lousaka Polite 5 carries for 29 yards

Chad Pennington 2 carries for -2 yards

Kansas City Receiving:

Jamaal Charles 3 receptions for 102 yards

Devard Darling 3 receptions for 69 yards and 1 touchdown

Tony Gonzalez 7 receptions for 64 yards and 1 touchdown

Mark Bradley 4 receptions for 57 yards

Dwayne Bowe 3 receptions for 28 yards

Miami Receiving:

Davone Bess 6 receptions for 57 yards

Ricky Williams 6 receptions for 50 yards

Anthony Fasano 3 receptions for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns

Ted Ginn 4 receptions for 44 yards

Ronnie Brown 5 receptions for 21 yards

David Martin 1 reception for 11 yards and 1 touchdown

Patrick Cobbs 1 reception for 5 yards

Kansas City Tackles-Assists-Sacks:

Bernard Pollard 8-0-0, Jarrad Page 7-2-0, Rocky Boiman 6-0-0, Brandon Flowers 6-1-0, Derrick Johnson 5-2-0, Demorrio Williams 5-1-0, Tamba Hali 3-0-0, Jason Babin 2-1-0, Brandon Carr 2-0-0, Jon McGraw 2-0-0, Glenn Dorsey 1-0-0, Patrick Surtain 1-0-0, Tank Tyler 1-0-0

Miami Tackles-Assists-Sacks:

Yeremiah Bell 9-0-0, Tyrone Culver 6-0-0, Nate Jones 4-0-1, Matt Roth 4-0-1, Renaldo Hill 3-0-0, Akin Ayodele 2-1-0, Andre' Goodman 2-0-0, Kendall Langford 2-0-0, Phillip Merling 2-0-1, Jason Ferguson 1-0-0, Vonnie Holliday 1-0-0, Reggie Torbor 1-0-0, Charlie Anderson 0-1-0

Kansas City Fumble Recoveries:

Demorrio Williams 1 for 0 yards

Miami Fumble Recoveries:

Joey Thomas 1 for 0 yards

Kansas City Interceptions:

Jarrad Page 1 for 0 yards

Miami Interceptions:

Andre' Goodman 1 for 55 yards

Renaldo Hill 1 for 16 yards

Nate Jones 1 for 0 yards

Coast to Coast Tickets
Choose your NFL game tickets at CTS for hot NFL events such as Kansas City Chiefs football tickets, Denver Broncos tickets, Oakland Raiders tickets and San Diego Chargers tickets. We also carry Kansas City Royals tickets, NCAA football tickets, golf tickets and concert tickets.
AllianceTickets.com
Looking for Sports Tickets? AllianceTickets.com is your source for all your Denver Broncos Tickets and Seattle Seahawks Tickets needs. They also have a great selection of Colorado Rockies Tickets and Seattle Mariners Tickets available at discounted prices.
Football Schedule
Football Schedule is your source for the latest Chiefs Schedule information as well as keeping up with division rivals including Raiders Schedule, Chargers Schedule and Broncos Schedule.