Miami Wins by Foot Over Houston, 19-16 : AFC: Stoyanovich kicks fourth field goal, a 52-yarder, with two seconds to play after Del Greco misses.

Dan Marino had his problems, so the Miami Dolphins turned to Pete Stoyanovich.

Stoyanovich kicked his fourth field goal, a 52-yarder with two seconds to play, to give Miami a 19-16 victory Sunday over the Houston Oilers.

Al Del Greco kicked three field goals for the Oilers (6-5) but was wide to the right on a 41-yarder with 1:54 to play as Houston lost for the third time in four games.

“I feel sorry for him, but it happens,” Stoyanovich said. “I told all the linemen I was going to make the (last) kick--for everyone to do the job, and we’d go home. That’s what happened.”

Marino’s first six passes were incomplete, and the Oilers sacked him three times before he threw his first completion with 2:45 to play in the first half.

Bothered for the second consecutive game by a fierce pass rush, Marino recovered to complete 19 of 40 passes for 237 yards. The Oilers’ four sacks matched the most ever against Marino, and they harried the left side of Miami’s line into seven penalties.

“The important thing is that we moved the ball when we had to at the end,” Miami Coach Don Shula said.

The Dolphins (8-3) took over at their 23-yard line with 1:49 to play and moved 42 yards in seven plays before Stoyanovich kicked the game-winning field goal. Marino completed all five passes on the drive, rallying Miami to victory in the final quarter for the fourth time this season.

Houston’s Cody Carlson, making his first start in two seasons as a replacement for the injured Warren Moon, completed 22 of 35 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown.

“We knew we had to win the game to stay in the hunt for the (home-field advantage in the) playoffs,” said Miami’s Fred Banks, who had four receptions for 85 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown pass from Marino that got the Dolphins to within three, 13-10, at halftime.

Stoyanovich made kicks of 38, 40 and 29 yards before the game-winner. His third field goal tied the game, 16-16, with 11:25 to play.

It marked the sixth time in his four-year career that Stoyanovich has won a game in the final quarter.

“The guy has been doing this since he’s been with us, hitting the pressure kicks,” Shula said.

Houston failed in the clutch. On third down with two minutes to play, Leonard Harris let a 23-yard pass slip off his fingers in the end zone, and one play later, Del Greco missed.

“I hit what I thought was a perfect kick,” Del Greco said. “I kept my head down nice. I looked up, and it was going right.”

Del Greco made field goals from 24, 41 and 23 yards earlier in the game. He missed a last-minute, 39-yarder in a 21-20 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 1.