Dolphins edge Bucs 25-23
MIAMI (AP) – Chad Henne stood on the sideline stewing about the costly interception he had just thrown and rooting for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to score.
Henne wanted the ball back.
Tampa Bay obliged, taking the lead with 1:14 to go. Henne then directed a 77-yard drive, Dan Carpenter kicked a 25-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining and the Miami Dolphins beat the Bucs 25-23 Sunday.
“We had a minute left,” Henne said. “It’s your time to go out there and make a comeback.”
Henne’s heroics spoiled the Bucs’ comeback led by Josh Freeman, who rallied his team in the fourth quarter for the second time in two NFL starts. The rookie shook off an awful first half and led Tampa Bay to a pair of late touchdowns.
An ill-advised pass by Henne was intercepted to set up Tampa Bay’s go-ahead TD. With the Bucs at the Miami 1-yard line, Henne said he wanted them to score quickly to give him more time for a rally.
“It’s tough, especially when it’s your fault with that interception,” he said, “but you can’t let it bother you forever.”
Miami (4-5) won despite losing running back Ronnie Brown to a right ankle injury in the third quarter. Tampa Bay (1-8) was unable to build momentum after beating Green Bay a week earlier.
The Dolphins fell behind 23-22, then started from their own 16. Henne hit Davone Bess for gains of 25 and 16 yards, and Ricky Williams ran for 27 yards to the 7.
Carpenter came on to kick his fourth field goal, more than compensating for the extra-point attempt he had blocked in the first quarter.
Henne, a second-year pro, finished 17 for 31 for 175 yards and improved to 4-2 as a starter.
“I told him after the game in the locker room, ‘You grew up today,'” teammate Jason Taylor said. “It’s a maturation process. He’s going to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I still do after 13 years. The key is to bounce back when you do, and that’s what he did today.”