AFC Divisional: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins (Orange Bowl), with a Conference Championship spot at stake. Kickoff time: 5:00pm. Winner advances to the Conference Championship. The losing team's season is over.
The divisional round is where the bracket is supposed to take its real shape. San Diego Chargers traveling to Miami Dolphins at Orange Bowl, with the league watching to see whether the better team or the better matchup wins. Bye-week home favorites carry the weight of expectation; the visiting wild-card winner walks in with no one expecting them and nothing to lose.
The bracket has narrowed to the teams that survived the regular season. San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins are two of them; the rest of the league is in scouting mode for the offseason. What happens in Orange Bowl shifts the rest of the tree: a road favorite winning rearranges seeding expectations; a home upset shows the bracket math underweights heart.
San Diego Chargers versus Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of San Diego Chargers-Miami Dolphins cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-4-1 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 10-5-1 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-14 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | L5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-10 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-9 | L2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 24 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2424313841 |
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 017313838 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Rolf Benirschke 32 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Chargers | Wes Chandler 58 yard punt return ( Rolf Benirschke kick) | 10-0 |
| Chargers | Chuck Muncie 1 yard rush ( Rolf Benirschke kick) | 17-0 |
| Chargers | James Brooks 8 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick) | 24-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Uwe von Schamann 34 yard field goal | 24-3 |
| Dolphins | Joe Rose 1 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) | 24-10 |
| Dolphins | Tony Nathan 25 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) | 24-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Joe Rose 15 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) | 24-24 |
| Chargers | Kellen Winslow 25 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick) | 31-24 |
| Dolphins | Bruce Hardy 50 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) | 31-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | Tony Nathan 12 yard rush ( Uwe von Schamann kick) | 31-38 |
| Chargers | James Brooks 9 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick) | 38-38 |
| OT | ||
| Chargers | Rolf Benirschke 29 yard field goal | 41-38 |
| Chargers | Dolphins | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 34 | 25 |
| Total Yards | 564 | 472 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 33/54 | 31/48 |
| Pass yards | 433 | 423 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 4 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 18 | 29 |
| Net pass yards | 415 | 394 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 29 | 28 |
| Rush yards | 149 | 78 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 3 | 1 |
| Penalties | 9 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 55 | 50 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | |||||
| Dan Fouts | 33/53 | 433 | 3 | 1 | |
| Chuck Muncie | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MIA | |||||
| Don Strock | 29/43 | 403 | 4 | 1 | |
| David Woodley | 2/5 | 20 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Chuck Muncie | 24 | 120 | 1 | 18 |
| James Brooks | 3 | 19 | 0 | 14 |
| Dan Fouts | 2 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| MIA | ||||
| Tony Nathan | 14 | 48 | 1 | 12 |
| David Woodley | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Eddie Hill | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Tommy Vigorito | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Andra Franklin | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Kellen Winslow | 13 | 166 | 1 | 31 |
| Charlie Joiner | 7 | 108 | 0 | 39 |
| Wes Chandler | 6 | 106 | 0 | 47 |
| James Brooks | 4 | 31 | 2 | 9 |
| Dwight Scales | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Chuck Muncie | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| MIA | ||||
| Tony Nathan | 9 | 114 | 1 | 27 |
| Duriel Harris | 6 | 106 | 0 | 30 |
| Bruce Hardy | 5 | 89 | 1 | 50 |
| Jimmy Cefalo | 3 | 62 | 0 | 23 |
| Joe Rose | 4 | 37 | 2 | 15 |
| Tommy Vigorito | 2 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| Eddie Hill | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
San Diego Chargers defeated Miami Dolphins 41-38 at Orange Bowl in the AFC Divisional. The final scoring play was Chargers: Rolf Benirschke 29 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; San Diego Chargers won by 3. Top line of the day: Dan Fouts: 433 pass yards on 33-of-53, 3 TD, 1 INT. San Diego Chargers move on to the conference final.
San Diego Chargers walked out of Orange Bowl as the team that survived an AFC Divisional Miami Dolphins will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 41-38. The game stayed within 3 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Chargers: Rolf Benirschke 29 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. San Diego Chargers move on to a conference championship.
San Diego Chargers 41, Miami Dolphins 38.
Round: AFC Divisional. Q1: 4 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. OT: 1 scoring play.
Top performers: - Dan Fouts: 433 pass yards on 33-of-53, 3 TD, 1 INT - Chuck Muncie: 120 rush yards on 24 carries - Kellen Winslow: 13 catches for 166 yards
AFC Divisional, played at Orange Bowl. Final: San Diego Chargers 41, Miami Dolphins 38, with San Diego Chargers taking the result by 3.
**First quarter**
- Chargers: Rolf Benirschke 32 yard field goal - Chargers: Wes Chandler 58 yard punt return ( Rolf Benirschke kick) - Chargers: Chuck Muncie 1 yard rush ( Rolf Benirschke kick) - Chargers: James Brooks 8 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick)
**Second quarter**
- Dolphins: Uwe von Schamann 34 yard field goal - Dolphins: Joe Rose 1 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) - Dolphins: Tony Nathan 25 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick)
**Third quarter**
- Dolphins: Joe Rose 15 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick) - Chargers: Kellen Winslow 25 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick) - Dolphins: Bruce Hardy 50 yard pass from Don Strock ( Uwe von Schamann kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Dolphins: Tony Nathan 12 yard rush ( Uwe von Schamann kick) - Chargers: James Brooks 9 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Rolf Benirschke kick)
**Overtime**
- Chargers: Rolf Benirschke 29 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Dan Fouts: 433 pass yards on 33-of-53, 3 TD, 1 INT - Chuck Muncie: 120 rush yards on 24 carries - Kellen Winslow: 13 catches for 166 yards
A 3-point margin in AFC Divisional is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.