Carpenter FG in OT lifts Dolphins past Pack 23-20

[October 18, 2010]  GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- The Miami Dolphins pounced on the injury-riddled Green Bay Packers, wearing out a patchwork defense before Dan Carpenter kicked a 44-yard game-winning field goal for a 23-20 overtime victory on Sunday.

It was the second straight overtime loss for the Packers (3-3), who lost at Washington last week.

And it was a special teams-driven victory for the Dolphins (3-2), who had an off week to think about a mistake-filled loss to New England that resulted in the firing of their special teams coach.

Aaron Rodgers started for Green Bay one week after sustaining a concussion, and scored on a quarterback sneak with 13 seconds left in regulation. The Packers tied the game with the extra point and forced overtime, but a strong Dolphins running game made the difference in the extra period.

Rodgers, who missed some time in practice this week while he recovered from the concussion, was 18 of 33 for 313 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

His biggest play of the day came on fourth-and-goal at the Dolphins 1-yard line, when he ran a quarterback sneak from a spread formation to put the Packers in position to tie the game at 20 with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Each team came up empty handed on its first possession in overtime, and a subpar punt by Green Bay's Tim Masthay gave the ball back to the Dolphins near midfield.

The Dolphins took it right at the heart of the Packers' defense from there, getting hard runs by Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins' drive stalled and they kicked on third down, and Carpenter -- who kicked a 53-yarder earlier in the day -- gave them the win.

Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne was 23 of 39 for 231 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He found his favorite target, Brandon Marshall, 10 times for 127 yards.

Cameron Wake had three sacks for the Dolphins.

Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings had 6 catches for 133 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown.

With Miami leading 13-10 after a 41-yard field goal by Carpenter, the Dolphins' defense put a steady pass rush on Rodgers -- then Jason Allen came up with an interception midway through the third quarter.

But the Packers' defense came up with a critical fourth-down stop deep in their own territory, a play that was upheld on a replay review. Rodgers then directed a long drive that stalled near the goal line, and the Packers settled for a tying 26-yard field goal by Mason Crosby.

The Dolphins have been plagued by special teams problems but benefited from a Packers penalty on a punt.

The Packers appeared to stop a Dolphins drive midway through the fourth quarter. But after forcing the Dolphins to punt, officials waited several minutes before calling an illegal formation penalty on the Packers to give the Dolphins a first down.

The call appeared to be correct, but the late timing of the flag elicited complaints from Packers coach Mike McCarthy.

Facing first-and-10 at the Packers 22, Henne felt pressure from a pair of pass rushers to his left -- then lobbed the ball right over them to a wide-open Anthony Fasano, who ran in for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:20 remaining.

Rodgers answered with a drive to force overtime, but it wasn't enough for the Packers.

Green Bay was missing several key players because of injuries, and it showed.

The Packers began the season with cornerback Al Harris and safety Atari Bigby on the physically unable to perform list, then lost running back Ryan Grant and safety Morgan Burnett to season-ending injuries. This week, they lost linebacker Nick Barnett for the season with a wrist injury and playmaking tight end Jermichael Finley is out indefinitely after knee surgery.

The Packers also played Sunday without sacks leader Clay Matthews, right tackle Mark Tauscher and defensive ends Ryan Pickett and Mike Neal because of injuries.

[Associated Press; By CHRIS JENKINS]

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