Rams rally falls short against Miami 17-14
BY STEVEN WINE Associated Press
Monday, October 15, 2012
10/15/12 at 5:27 AM
MIAMI - Half an hour after Greg Zuerlein missed a 66-yard field goal attempt, he had enough leg left to be kicking himself.
"I can make that kick," the St. Louis Rams rookie said. "I just didn't come through."
The misfire came on the final play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who held on for a 17-14 win.
The Rams scored their lone touchdown with 8:30 left, then moved 49 yards to face a fourth-and-7 at the Miami 48 with 30 seconds left.
Rather than go for a first down, coach Jeff Fisher sent out Zuerlein for an attempt that would have been an NFL record by 3 yards.
"The odds were much better for him to make the kick than us going for it," Fisher said. "He's got that kind of leg."
Zuerlein has made four kicks of 54 to 60 yards this season. The record attempt appeared to have enough distance but missed wide left, leaving both teams at 3-3.
Zuerlein made his first two field goals to improve to 15-for-15 this season, then missed three times in a row, including wide left from 52 and 37 yards in the first half.
"I didn't do my job, and I cost my team the game," he said.
The Dolphins endured dysfunction that took many forms, including a backward pass by Ryan Tannehill that flew out of bounds for a 17-yard loss. His offensive linemen managed to commit four penalties in a three-play span, while defensive breakdowns and replay overrules were recurring problems.
But Tannehill threw two touchdown passes and the Dolphins won despite being outgained 462 yards to 192.
"We had a lot of opportunities to win this game, but we didn't get it done," Fisher said.
Original Print Headline: Rams fall short against Dolphins
Associated Images:
Dolphins running back Reggie Bush is upended during the second half Sunday. RHONA WISE / AP
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