Bizarre Fake Field Goal Helpful to Bears : Interconference: Conway’s desperate pass deflects off intended receiver and turns into a touchdown in 17-14 victory over Dolphins.

Kevin Butler went from decoy to hero.

The Chicago Bears scored their first touchdown on a bizarre fake field goal, and Butler won a last-minute kicking duel with Pete Stoyanovich to give the Bears a 17-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Butler kicked a 40-yard field goal with 59 seconds to play.

Then Miami’s Dan Marino, working without any timeouts, completed two passes for 38 yards to give Stoyanovich a chance to force an overtime, but his 45-yard attempt was tipped by Chicago’s James Williams with two seconds left.

Stoyanovich failed on a game-tying or game-winning kick in the fourth quarter for only the third time in 16 attempts. He said this one would have been good if not for the 6-foot-7 Williams.

“The snap was good, the hold was good, but there was some push in the middle of the field and he was able to get a hand up,” Stoyanovich said.

AFC East leader Miami fell to 7-3. Chicago improved to 6-4, and starting quarterback Steve Walsh remained unbeaten at 5-0.

Bear receiver Chris Conway threw the game’s most memorable pass, a desperate heave on the fake field goal. His pass deflected off intended receiver Jerry Fontenot--a center-guard--to Keith Jennings, who caught the ball at the five and took it in to complete a 23-yard touchdown play.

“I wasn’t supposed to be near the play,” Jennings said. “I was just standing there watching the play and I saw him throw it to Jerry. I said, ‘I’d better get over there, because I know Jerry isn’t going to catch the ball.’ ”

“Really a fluke,” Miami Coach Don Shula said.

The playground play that gave the Bears a 7-3 lead began from a field-goal formation so strange that Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt diagramed it for the officials before the game.

Tight end Marv Cook snapped the ball and was an eligible receiver because the other offensive linemen were split several yards to his left. Butler and holder Chris Gardocki lined up behind Cook as if to try a 40-yard field goal, but the snap instead went diagonally to Conway, who was lined up behind the other linemen to Butler’s left.

The Bears tried the play, called “swinging gate,” once earlier this season. Officials called it back, ruling the ball wasn’t in play when it was snapped.

Both offenses were efficient in the fourth quarter. Walsh completed three passes for 64 yards to set up a one-yard touchdown run by Lewis Tillman, giving Chicago a 14-6 lead with 11 minutes to play.

Marino responded by directing a 69-yard touchdown drive and capped it on third down with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Keith Jackson. Aaron Craver ran for the two-point conversion to tie the score at 14-14 with 5:46 to play.

Walsh then directed a 47-yard drive to set up the winning kick.