Dolphins Steal Chargers' Electricity

On a sunny afternoon in Miami, Florida on Oct. 5, 2008, the Miami Dolphins faced the San Diego Chargers after a bye week. It was a day to see if the Miami Dolphins are for real or if we'll have to wait for another season.

The Dolphins started this game with a record of 1-2, including a win against the New England Patriots. The Chargers had two losses (the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos) and two wins (the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders).

Miami made history by defeating the Patriots and the Chargers back to back.

The game belonged to the Dolphins almost from start to finish. They were able to prove that they were a team and played in an organized and disciplined fashion. Dan Carpenter started the first quarter with a 47-yard field goal. It was a drive of nine plays and 44 yards that gave the Dolphins a slight advantage.

The Chargers fought back so Nate Kaeding broke the tie with a 34-yard field goal with a drive of 14 plays and 61 yards.

The second quarter belonged to the Miami Dolphins as Carpenter kicked the ball and running back Ronnie Brown ran for a five-yard touchdown to break the tie with a drive of 11 plays and 79 yards. Quarterback Chad Pennington threw a 17-yard pass to Greg Caramillo (after another Carpenter kick) to score another touchdown for the Miami Dolphins. The first half ended with the Fins up 17-3.

The second half started with the Miami Dolphins attempting to maintain dominance. The San Diego Chargers received their window of opportunity when Phillip Rivers threw a 17-yard pass to former Dolphin Chris Chambers to score a touchdown with a drive of seven plays and 68 yards.

The rest of the third and fourth quarters were characterized by fatigue setting in as the Chargers attempted to score and the Dolphins tried to maintain the lead. It was not easy, but they were able to use the clock to maintain their lead until the end.

Both teams played well, but the Dolphins have been able to prove that they are still a team that cannot be written off. Whether Miami will be in the playoffs or maybe the Super Bowl remains to be seen.

My congratulations to the Miami Dolphins, especially Pennington, Fasano, Brown, Williams, Carpenter, Caramillo, and Ginn.

I would like to remind people that Ginn should not be underestimated. In my article about Ted Ginn, Jr. I  stated my reasons as to why this is the case. His participation in this very important game reinforces what has been discussed. My best wishes are extended to him. 

The San Diego Chargers did not have enough electricity and what little they had was wasted.

Miami's next game is against Houston.