Dolphin Victory Ensures Playoff Spot : Pro football: Miami scores three quick touchdowns to overwhelm Kansas City, 45-28. Chiefs play without Montana.

Thanks to the nifty running of Bernie Parmalee, two wily defensive backs and even Dan Marino, the Miami Dolphins charged into the playoffs.

The Dolphins scored three touchdowns during a six-minute span Monday night to beat Kansas City, 45-28, at Joe Robbie Stadium and clinch only their third playoff berth since 1985.

First-place Miami (9-5) can win the AFC East with a victory in one of its final two games against Indianapolis and Detroit.

“We’ve clinched,” Coach Don Shula said. “Now we’re looking toward these next two games and the best possible situation we can have in the playoffs.”

Kansas City (7-7), playing without Joe Montana, was eliminated from the race for the AFC West title. The Chiefs have lost four of their last five games and could miss the playoffs for the first time since 1989, but they still have a shot at a wild-card berth.

“I think we’re probably all in shock,” said Montana’s replacement, Steve Bono, who threw a team-record 55 passes. “Nobody expected it to be this way at the start of the season.”

Miami cornerback Troy Vincent and safety Gene Atkins combined on a dazzling 76-yard interception-lateral-touchdown to help break the game open. Parmalee rushed for 127 yards and scored twice, and the gimpy Marino surprised the Chiefs on a four-yard touchdown run.

The Dolphins’ point total was their highest since 1986 and the most yielded by Kansas City since 1984.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t play better, especially defensively,” Chief Coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “It’s bewildering to all of us why we’re not playing well.”

Montana remained sidelined by a sore left foot. Bono directed touchdown drives of 83 and 81 yards on the Chiefs’ first two possessions, but those were their only offensive points until the final 3 1/2 minutes.

Shula improved to 1-0 when coaching from a golf cart. Shula, recovering from surgery last week to repair a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, kept his leg elevated as he was driven up and down the sideline by an aide.

The game turned when Miami outscored Kansas City, 21-7, during a wild stretch at the end of the third quarter to take a 35-21 lead. The sequence included Vincent’s touchdown, Jon Vaughn’s 91-yard kickoff return for Kansas City and a 47-yard touchdown run by Parmalee.

Marino threw two touchdown passes and scored his eighth career touchdown, rolling to his right and beating safety William White in a race to the pylon. Marino’s rare sprint gave Miami a 21-14 lead.

The Dolphins scored again two minutes later on the stunning interception and lateral.

Atkins stepped in front of a long pass intended for Willie Davis, made the interception at the Miami 24, barely avoided stepping out of bounds and cut back to the middle of the field. As he was being tackled at the Miami 42, Atkins lateraled the ball over the head of an official to Vincent, who broke to the sideline, eluded Bono at the Chiefs’ 30 and continued to the end zone.

Vaughn scored 17 seconds later, breaking into the clear at the 40 and scoring the first touchdown on a kickoff return against Miami since 1975. It was the first for the Chiefs since a 92-yard return by Paul Palmer in 1987.