A strong offensive display in the first half has handed the Miami Dolphins a narrow 21-17 advantage over the Denver Broncos in their clash at Sports Authority Field.
The Dolphins started the game in perfect fashion as Ryan Tannehill drove his side downfield with one big completion to Jarvis Landry and a run from Lamar Miller. The drive culminated in Daniel Thomas finding the endzone for a three-yard score.
Denver responded with a solid drive which benefited from a penalty call on Jimmy Wilson for a headbutt on Emmanuel Sanders. The Broncos were forced to settle for a field goal from Brandon McManus as Jamar Taylor decked Demaryius Thomas for a loss on third down.
Joe Philbin's men continued to dominate on the offensive side of the ball as they plowed through the middle of the Broncos' defensive line. On the goalline, Tannehill faked the handoff and ran to his right to secure his side's second touchdown of the match.
Peyton Manning hit back immediately with a solid drive aided by some good running from CJ Anderson before the quarterback found Thomas in the endzone for the touchdown.
However, the Dolphins extended their lead when Tannehill and Miller continued to find their rhythm as they moved into the redzone once again. This time the quarterback drilled a pass to Mike Wallace, who made the grab for the score.
Once again, Manning rallied his side and he managed to hit Sanders on a crucial third down and 20 play to move the Broncos into a scoring position. Then, with 12 seconds left in the half, Manning fired to Thomas in the endzone for the score.
Simon Sinclair
