Dolphins' Wake records safety in OT win over Bengals

MIAMI -- Cameron Wake's drought ended in a big way.

After going without a sack since the season opener, the Miami Dolphins defensive end was back on track Thursday night.

Wake recorded three sacks, including the game-winning safety in overtime, as the Dolphins beat the Cincinnati Bengals 22-20 at Sun Life Stadium.

It was the third game in NFL history to be decided in overtime by a safety.

The Dolphins (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak, and they did it in dramatic fashion as Wake sacked Andy Dalton with 6:38 left in the extra period for the winning points.

"I don't know if I could go one more series," Wake said of his exhaustion. "The engine light was on, and I was just fortunate enough to make an inside move and get to the quarterback."

Wake, who had 15 sacks last season, now has 5.5 this season, including the 2.5 he got in the opener against the Browns.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis seemed to dispute the safety call.

"In my opinion, the quarterback wasn't ... the ball was out of the end zone," he said. "I don't know. That was a quick look at the board. (The officials) have a little better resolution to look at than I do."

The Bengals (6-3) four-game winning streak was stopped and they lost star defensive tackle Geno Atkins to an ACL injury. He is reportedly out for the season.

As for losing the game, the Bengals can blame their four turnovers. One of those came with 7:37 left in the third quarter. That's when Miami cornerback Brent Grimes intercepted a Dalton sideline pass and raced 94 yards for a touchdown, giving the Dolphins a 17-3 lead.

It was Grimes' first career touchdown and the fourth-longest interception return in Dolphins history.

Earlier on the Bengals' drive, Dalton had thrown a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones, but it was called back because of a holding penalty on tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Cincinnati got back in the game at 17-10 on a 12-play, 80-yard third-quarter drive that was capped by Gio Bernard's 3-yard touchdown run. All but 18 yards on the drive were on the ground.

The Bengals tied the score at 17 on a spectacular 35-yard run by Bernard, a hometown hero who played high school ball at nearby St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

Bernard started to his right and was seemingly trapped for a 5-yard loss by Grimes and Olivier Vernon. But he broke those tackles, ran to his left and then all the way back to the right before somersaulting into the end zone.

"It was a big-time play by Gio," Lewis said of Bernard, who later left the game with bruised ribs. "He reversed field and made something out of nothing there."

The game went to overtime after the teams traded field goals in the final two minutes. Cincinnati's Mike Nugent connected from 54 yards with 1:29 left and Miami's Caleb Sturgis was good from 44 yards with 16 seconds remaining.

"I don't profess to be a kicking guru," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said. "But we just told him to trust his fundamentals and do what he has done hundreds of times."

The Dolphins first scoring opportunity came when Wake beat Bengals right tackle Andre Smith for a strip sack on Dalton.

Wake recovered the fumble at the Bengals' 25-yard line, but the Dolphins failed to get a first down and Sturgis missed a 34-yard field goal attempt wide left.

The Bengals scored on their next possession, getting a 31-yard field goal by Nugent with 11:56 left in the half. That capped a 14-play, 63-yard drive that might have continued if not for a third-down sack by Wake.

Miami made another big mistake when Lamar Miller broke free for a 41-yard run before he was stripped from behind by a diving Carlos Dunlap. The Bengals' Adam Jones recovered in the end zone and returned it 43 yards.

The Dolphins, though, went up 7-3 with 2:39 left in the half on a 1-yard sneak by quarterback Ryan Tannehill. That capped a 10-play, 93-yard drive highlighted by a 40-yard completion to Mike Wallace.

Miami took a 10-3 lead into halftime on a 36-yard field goal by Sturgis with six seconds left. The field goal was set up by Dimitri Patterson's interception at the Cincinnati 39.

NOTES: Dolphins G Richie Incognito (neck) left the game in the second quarter and did not return. ... Dolphins DB Nolan Carroll (concussion) was injured in the second quarter and did not return. ... Bengals LB James Harrison suffered a thumb injury but returned. ... Dolphins OT Jonathan Martin was on the active list after he left the team on Monday, reportedly after he was pranked by teammates. ... The Bengals were without five injured players who were placed on the inactive list: LBs Rey Maualuga (concussion, knee) and Michael Boley (hamstring), DL Devon Still (elbow), RB Rex Burkhead (hamstring) and OT Andrew Whitworth (knee). ... Next for the Bengals is a Nov. 10 AFC North game at the 3-4 Baltimore Ravens. ... Next for the Dolphins is a Nov. 11 in-state game at the 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.