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MIAMI (Ticker) -- A change in starting quarterback did not mean a change in the result for the Miami Dolphins. Dan Marino did not start for the first time in over three years, but backup Damon Huard did just enough and received strong efforts from the running and kicking games as Miami managed another close victory, 16-13 over the Philadelphia Eagles. Cecil Collins had 26 carries for 97 yards and fellow rookie J.J. Johnson rushed for an 18-yard touchdown, helping the Dolphins improve to 5-1 and remain on top in the AFC East. "I thought we pounded on them pretty good running the football," Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said. "Cecil and J.J. both ran the ball well. We wanted to be very boring." Olindo Mare booted three more field goals and matched his career-long with a 53-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter. That kick gave him 17 in a row without a miss, breaking the club record set by Garo Yepremian in 1978. Huard completed 15-of-21 for 142 yards, but his only interception was returned 67 yards for a touchdown by safety Brian Dawkins in the third quarter. "Aside from the interception, I was OK," Huard said. "Anytime you win, you feel pretty happy about things. But there's a lot of room for improvement and it's pretty obvious. But like I said, it's a win and we're 5-1." "In this game today, he (Huard) played well," Eagles quarterback Doug Pederson said. "But the Dolphins have a fine running game, so the burden wasn't on his shoulders." Despite his miscue, Huard provided the Dolphins with just their second win in the last 11 games not started by Marino. Hampered by a shoulder problem, Marino was forced to miss a game for the first time since Miami played at Philadelphia on October 20, 1996. Huard came on for the injured Marino last week and led the Dolphins to a come-from-behind 31-30 victory over the New England Patriots. That effort came one week after Marino led Miami to a thrilling 34-31 win at Indianapolis. "It's nerve wracking. I don't even like watching it," Dolphins linebacker Zack Thomas said. "It's no fun to play in a close game like that. We didn't want it to end this way, but we're 5-1, and that's better than 4-2." Collins appeared to be successfully running out the clock in the final minutes but fumbled in Philadelphia territory, and Dawkins recovered at the 42 with 2:37 to play. Pederson led the Eagles to the Dolphins' 24, but Norm Johnson missed a potential game-tying 42-yard field goal with 52 seconds left. "I looked up and it started drifting right, which is not how it usually does for a right-footed kicker," Norm Johnson said. "I wanted another chance in overtime, but I didn't get one." Pederson finished 13-of-25 for 108 yards with an interception as the Eagles (2-5) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped. They are 0-5 all-time in Miami. "It hurts, especially the way we moved the football and hit some plays," Pederson said. "To be in that position to kick that field goal and see it sail right, it's tough." A 39-yard punt return by Allen Rossum sparked the stagnant Philadelphia offense early in the fourth quarter. Pederson followed with a 30-yard pass to Charles Johnson down the right sideline and later hit Torrance Small for 10 yards on 3rd-and-3, pushing the Eagles to the 10. But the drive stalled and Pederson was sacked on third down, leading to Johnson's 44-yard field goal with 6:08 remaining. The Dolphins chewed up over 3 1/2 minutes on their next possession and Collins had an 11-yard gain on 3rd-and-2, but he was stripped by linebacker William Thomas on the next play. Three short completions by Pederson around an eight-yard run by Duce Staley, who rushed for 73 yards, pushed the Eagles to Miami's 24. They faced 3rd-and-2 but opted to go for the end zone, and Pederson overthrew a diving Charles Johnson. The next play saw Norm Johnson miss a field goal for the fourth time this season. "We're about to turn the corner," Charles Johnson said. "It's like we're peeking around the corner. We're that close, we're right there." "Philadelphia has been playing real well the past month or so," Jimmy Johnson added. "They've got an outstanding defensive team and they hang in there and hang in there. They either beat you or give you a scare at the end. We made it a lot scarier than what it should have been." The Eagles, who had won two straight for the first time since November 1997, were seeking their second straight road victory after winning at Chicago last week to end an 18-game slide away from Veterans Stadium. Collins rushed for 33 yards on the Dolphins' first possession of the game, leading to a 37-yard field goal by Mare. After the Eagles went three-and-out, Huard hit tight end Troy Drayton for a 26-yard gain and two plays later, J.J. Johnson followed his blockers down the left sideline to the end zone for a 10-0 lead. "I think we did a great job," Collins said. "We knew we were going to come in and run the ball. Eventually, we just executed better." Philadelphia finally got on the board on its opening drive of the second quarter as David Akers kicked a 53-yard field goal. But the Eagles' next possession ended much differently, with Pederson fumbling as he was sacked and Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor recovering at Philadelphia's 27. That resulted in Mare's 37-yarder, giving Miami a 13-3 advantage with 6:26 left before halftime. Mare leads the league with 22 field goals made this season, having missed only one attempt. He has scored more points this year than the entire Cleveland Browns team.
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