PRO FOOTBALL : Marino No Achilles’ Heel in Leading the Dolphins Past Patriots : AFC: Quarterback throws five touchdown passes as Miami rallies to defeat New England, 39-35.

Dan Marino’s healing leg looked fine, and his arm was never better.

The Miami Dolphin quarterback made a stunning return in his comeback from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, throwing for 473 yards and five touchdowns Sunday to rally his team past New England, 39-35.

“It feels good to get back out there and play in front of a crowd,” Marino said. “You don’t want to win like that, because it kind of stops your heart to have to worry with one or two minutes left.

“I moved OK. It doesn’t feel like it did in the past, but it’s good enough.”

Marino’s performance gave him a career total of 303 touchdown passes. The only other NFL player to reach the 300 milestone was Fran Tarkenton, who threw 342 touchdown passes.

Marino topped 400 yards passing for the 11th time, extending his NFL record. His 473 yards are the second most in team history and the 13th in league history.

Marino, who missed the final 11 games of 1993 with the most serious injury of his career, completed 23 of 42 passes with one interception on a deflected pass. His yardage total was the second-highest of his 12-year career.

Marino, who has thrown five or more touchdown passes six times, silenced skeptics who suggested he wasn’t ready to start the season.

“I don’t have to prove anything to anybody,” he said. “I’ve been playing the game for 12 years.”

Said Miami Coach Don Shula: “Dan is back. All week I’ve never seen him more intense than he’s been this week. This game probably meant as much as any he has played in for a while.”

A sellout crowd of 69,613 roared as the Dolphins avenged a loss to New England that eliminated them from playoff contention in the final game of last season.

“The difference today was they had Marino back,” Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe said.

Miami receiver Irving Fryar also had a huge day, catching five passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner, a 35-yard play on fourth-and-five with about three minutes remaining.

Bledsoe threw four touchdown passes for the Patriots. He completed 32 of 51 passes for 421 yards with two interceptions.

“It’s that old NFL brand of football--just nine touchdown passes,” Shula said. “Fortunately, we had five and they had four.”

Fryar beat cornerback Rod Smith down the sideline for the winning score.

“(Marino) did a real good job,” Patriot cornerback Maurice Hurst said. “He came out and threw the ball very well. We didn’t play well in the secondary, especially late in the game.”

The Patriots’ last chance ended when they lost the ball on downs at midfield with 12 seconds left.

Fryar also caught touchdown passes of 54 and 50 yards, the latter on a flea-flicker.

Marino’s other scoring passes covered 64 yards to Mark Ingram and 26 yards to Keith Jackson.

Ray Crittenden gave New England a 35-32 lead when he made a spectacular, diving catch of Bledsoe’s 23-yard pass with 10 minutes remaining.

Bledsoe also threw touchdowns of two and 62 yards to Ben Coates and five yards to Michael Timpson.

Terry Kirby scored a vital two-point conversion on a dive play, trimming New England’s biggest lead of the game to 21-18 in the third period.

“That was important for us,” Shula said. “Because at the end of the ballgame it made for a situation where they had to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal to tie it.”