Grogan Passes for 2 Touchdowns as Patriots Beat Dolphins, 24-10

Steve Grogan threw for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns as the New England Patriots, eliminated from the National Football League playoffs a day earlier, beat the Miami Dolphins, 24-10, Monday night in the final game of the 1987 regular season.

Grogan, playing with a broken bone in his left hand, passed 3 yards to Irving Fryar for a touchdown and connected on a 34-yard scoring play to Stephen Starring. Grogan completed 21 of 32 attempts.

Both New England and Miami finished 8-7, one game behind AFC East champion Indianapolis Colts. The victory was the Patriots’ third straight this season and fifth in a row against the Dolphins.

Tony Collins ran 5 yards for the final New England touchdown, and Tony Franklin kicked a 31-yard field goal.

Miami’s Dan Marino threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to James Pruitt, and Fuad Reveiz kicked a 47-yard field goal.

An obscure rule cost the Patriots a touchdown. With Miami in shotgun formation, Jeff Dellenbach centered the ball out of the reach of Marino. The Patriots’ Andre Tippett scooped up the ball at the Miami 38 and broke four tackles in running into the end zone.

The touchdown was disallowed, however, when officials ruled that no Miami player had touched the snap before it was advanced by Tippett. New England was given the ball at the 38 and moved to the Miami 14 before Franklin kicked his field goal.