On a sleepy Sunday, in a quiet dome, where the electricity of the St. Louis crowd would have struggled to keep even a nightlight glowing, the Dolphins did something that nobody could have realized at the time.

Get this: Because of a wacky day in the AFC East, a lethargic 16-12 win against the dismal Rams has actually set up the Dolphins to control their own playoff quest. If they win their final four games, they will be crowned champions of the division.

''We've got to lick our wounds, circle the wagon and get ready again,'' nose tackle Jason Ferguson said after Sunday's win. ``It's a new season again.''

At the time of those comments, Ferguson did not yet know that the Jets, Patriots and Bills would all lose Sunday, making his sentiment about it being ''a new season'' far more prophetic than even he could have then known.

This, no doubt, is the start of a new season indeed.

Not even a 4-0 finish by the Patriots or a 3-1 finish by the Jets (since the Dolphins would need to beat New York in the season finale) would be enough to push either of those two teams ahead. Instead, a seven-step tiebreaker would put Miami on top.

Now for the sobering dose of reality: If the Dolphins play as they did Sunday, this newfound control of their own playoff fate won't be easy to maintain. A performance similar to Sunday's victory isn't likely to be enough to win out.

''I'd still rather win and learn from my mistakes than lose and learn from my mistakes,'' said quarterback Chad Pennington, who completed 13 of 23 passes for 166 yards.

It was actually the mistakes Pennington didn't make (he didn't throw any interceptions, while Rams quarterback Marc Bulger threw three) that likely preserved the Dolphins' victory.

After all, had Pennington turned over the ball even once, the rest of Miami's flaws might have been far more exposed. Consider the issues: The Dolphins committed 10 penalties, a season high; they converted only 33 percent of their third-down attempts; and they even lost the time-of-possession battle by more than three minutes.

Those are the types of problems that far more often result in losses rather than wins.

''I think we still had a hold on the game,'' said running back Ricky Williams, who contributed 12 carries and 54 yards to the team's combined 149 rushing yards. ``We didn't run away with it, but we kept them at enough distance. There were times we could have put them away, but we didn't capitalize.''

Instead, the Rams and Dolphins often settled for field goals. Aside from a 3-yard run by running back Ronnie Brown in the second quarter, all of the game's points from each side were the result of seven combined field goals.

That might be a knock on the Dolphins' red-zone offense -- but it's also a reason to praise the Dolphins' red-zone defense. Along with stopping the Rams on both trips inside the 20-yard line, Miami also made three crucial interceptions at other times.

TURNOVERS ARE KEY

Those important plays, including cornerback Andre' Goodman's interception during the Rams' final two-minute desperation drive, helped the unit make up for allowing St. Louis running back Stephen Jackson to go 94 yards on 21 carries.

''I don't think we did a great job against the run,'' Goodman said. ``I think we were very opportunistic on defense with the turnovers. At the end of the day, we won. But we're going to criticize ourselves [Monday].''

As has been the case much of this season, the Dolphins seemed to again play to the level of their opponent. This time, they also seemed to match the energy level of a bland Edward Jones Dome.

The loudest reception from the crowd of 61,046 came in the form of boos for Bulger, who stumbled his way to 16 completions on 35 attempts for 149 yards and a quarterback rating of 22.2.

Ferguson said he felt like the Dolphins fell into the trap of lethargy.

''The whole arena was dead,'' Ferguson said. ``We were all hyped and everybody was ready to play, then all of a sudden, it was like a dead zone: Can you hear me now? That's the way it felt.

``When we started making plays, when the offense started making some plays, it helped.''

A WIN IS A WIN

Regardless of the lagging energy and the occasionally sloppy play, the Dolphins can quickly put Sunday's game behind them with a sudden realization that will certainly put a new level of fuel into this team's tank.

Yes, four games now separate the Dolphins from the playoffs. And Sunday's win -- however ugly it might have been -- helped to put them here.

''It's hard to win,'' Ferguson said. ``You can call it ugly. When you make a lot of mistakes and you have a lot of penalties, it's an ugly win. But at the end, it still looks so pretty.''

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