Overtime thriller: Dolphins get FG to beat the Chicago Bears

This game was amazing. It went back and forth several times and then went into overtime.

And it was crazy in overtime, with the Dolphins having the football at the Chicago 1-yard line before Kenyan Drake fumbled it away. And Chicago then missing a potential game winning 53-yard field goal by Cody Parkey.

This game was the kind of action the NFL loves. And a disinterested fan loves.

And Dolphins fans love, too.

Because Jason Sanders connected on a 47-yard field goal as the overtime period ended

Dolphins 31.

Bears 28.

Wow!

And now the coming week is going to be interesting, folks.

Because despite all the action on the field, and the post-game celebration, the issue that lingers is that the Dolphins have an unsettled quarterback situation.

The team lost starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill before this game as he apparently re-injured his right shoulder against Cincinnati last week. And although he practiced full on Wednesday and Thursday, he got worse (obviously didn’t get better) by Friday as he had in previous weeks.

So the Dolphins, amid much secrecy, held out their starting quarterback from Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

Out with Tannehill. In with the Brock Osweiler.

And Osweiler, a journeyman who has played in Denver, Houston and Cleveland before coming to Miami, played great.

Well, the two interceptions weren’t great.

But he was otherwise great. He threw three touchdown passes -- two to Albert Wilson and one to tight end Nick O’Leary.

And one of those passes to Wilson was a 75-yarder with three minutes to play to help tie the game at 28. Osweiler completed 28 of 44 passes for 380 yards with three touchdowns and the two picks.

It should be said here Osweiler has thrown more touchdown passes in his one start than Tannehill threw in the previous two games at Cincinnati and New England (1).

So we’ve got a full-blown quarterback controversy, right?

Um, that’s what we’ve got to see be decided. That’s what is going to make the week that looms so interesting.

Regardless of what is decided, the Dolphins have a halftime adjustment issue. Because for the second week in a row the team took a first half lead into the locker room. And for the second week in a row that lead evaporated.

Last week the Dolphins gave up a 17-3 halftime lead.

This game the Dolphins led 7-0 at the half but by the time 6;50 was left to play in the third quarter, the Bears had scored three touchdowns and held a 21-10 lead.

The issue hurt the Dolphins against the Bengals. They overcame it against the Bears.

Thanks in no small part to their new quarterback.

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 4:45 PM.