The Miami Dolphins topped the Minnesota Vikings in somewhat rare fashion -- with the game tied at 35 and under a minute to go, the Vikings skipped a snap to the punter off the ground. Jeff Locke scooped the ball up, but Miami defensive end Terrence Fede got a hand on it:
Dolphins beat Vikings on game-winning blocked punt for safety
The rare game-winning safety ... and the second for the Dolphins in two years!
Rob Foldy/Getty Images
The ball scooted out of the back of the end zone for a safety. The Vikings tried an onside punt on the ensuing free kick, but it didn’t work out, and the Dolphins went into victory formation for a 37-35 win.
You're probably wondering when the last time a team won on a game-winning safety was, and the answer is ... last year, when the Dolphins did it! That safety was in OT against the Bengals, so it was a legit walk-off safety. That means 1/8 of the Dolphins wins over the past two seasons have been on safeties.
You could argue the Vikings' coaching staff screwed things up here -- with 51 seconds left, they called a timeout, then Teddy Bridgewater threw an incomplete pass, then a sack led to a punt. If they hadn't called the timeout and had just kneeled regulation out, they would've made it to OT. Were the odds of them driving 60 or so yards with 51 seconds left better than the odds of something getting screwed up on the punt? Probably, but we're sure Vikings fans will harp on that TO call.
Don't be too harsh on Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler on the bad snap -- he's been a consistent fixture with the squad for over a decade.
See More:
