vikings/nfl

Final Score: Miami 20, Washington 9

Miami, FL (Sports Network) - After earning their first win of the season last week, the Miami Dolphins finally gave their home fans something to cheer about on Sunday.

Reggie Bush ran for a pair of touchdowns and the Miami defense kept Washington out of the end zone, as the Dolphins snapped a seven-game home losing streak with a 20-9 victory over the skidding Redskins.

The Dolphins (2-7) were coming off a 31-3 rout at Kansas City last week, halting a 10-game skid that dated back to last December. Sunday's win was the first for the team in Miami in nearly a full year, as the Dolphins last won at Sun Life Stadium last November 14 against Tennessee.

"I was really happy for the home fans, really happy to get a win here. Mostly happy for the players in the locker room," said Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. "It was nice to get that out of the way."

Washington (3-6), meanwhile, has lost five in a row for the first time in more than 10 years and a change to Rex Grossman at quarterback didn't help a sagging offense.

Grossman started the first five games of the season for Washington, then was replaced by former Dolphin John Beck, who had thrown four interceptions with a pair of touchdowns in his three starts. In his return Sunday, Grossman threw for 215 yards and was intercepted twice.

The second interception was the most costly.

Washington trailed 13-9 but was moving toward a go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter after a 22-yard pass to Leonard Hankerson on 3rd-and-10 set up a first down at the Miami 10. Grossman, though, was picked off by linebacker Karlos Dansby on the next play.

The Dolphins took over at their own 19 and proceeded to put the game away with an 81-yard touchdown drive. Matt Moore completed each of his five passes for 60 yards during the march, including a key 11-yard strike to tight end Anthony Fasano on 3rd-and-8, and Bush finished the 10-play set with an 18-yard touchdown run to give Miami an 11-point advantage with 6:07 remaining.

Leads in the fourth quarter haven't been easy for Miami, especially at home. The Dolphins' last game in south Florida resulted in Tim Tebow's epic comeback for Denver in an 18-15 overtime loss.

The Redskins were in position to pull within eight on their next series, but Graham Gano pulled a 49-yard field goal attempt wide left with 2:51 to play and the Dolphins ran off all but the last 14 seconds.

"We moved the ball pretty well, we didn't get it in the end zone. I thought our offensive line played well," Grossman said. "We just didn't get it done and it's frustrating because I think we should have."

Bush finished with 47 yards on 14 carries and rookie Daniel Thomas added 42 yards on 17 attempts, as Miami racked up 103 yards on the ground. Moore connected on 20-of-29 passes for 209 yards with an interception.

The Dolphins forced a Washington punt from deep in its own territory after the game's first series, then marched 45 yards for a touchdown. Moore converted a pair of third downs and Bush completed the eight-play set with a one-yard touchdown run.

Washington's ensuing series ended in a 50-yard field goal miss by Gano, but the Redskins got the ball right back when Kevin Barnes picked off a Moore pass and returned the interception to the Miami five-yard line. Ryan Torain reached the end zone on a third-down run, but the touchdown was negated by a holding penalty and Washington was forced to settle for a 26-yard Gano field goal.

The Dolphins answered with a 13-play, 82-yard march, but stalled inside the five and Dan Carpenter made it 10-3 early in the second quarter with a 21-yard kick. Carpenter then missed from 49 yards away after Vontae Davis picked off Grossman.

Washington followed the Carpenter miss with a drive inside the Miami 30, and Gano drilled a 47-yard field goal for a 10-6 game with just over a minute to play in the half.

Moore fumbled while being sacked by Ryan Kerrigan on the second play after the second-half kickoff, giving Washington possession at the Miami 24. The Redskins were unable to take full advantage and Gano's 23-yard field goal made it a one-point game.

The Dolphins responded with a 70-yard drive that featured a pair of third-down conversion passes from Moore, but the march again came up short in the red zone and Carpenter kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Miami a 13-9 edge with just under five minutes left in the third quarter.

Game Notes

Washington, which fell to 1-4 on the road, hadn't lost five straight since September 9-October 15, 2001...Dansby finished with 10 tackles and a sack to go along with his interception...Hankerson had a solid day in defeat with eight receptions for 106 yards...The Redskins managed just 61 yards rushing, led by Roy Helu's 41 yards...Miami's Brandon Marshall had seven catches for 98 yards...The Dolphins improved to 5-0 all-time at home against the Redskins.