Dolphins Stop Sanders, Clinch Division Title : Interconference: Miami limits Detroit running back to 52 yards in his quest for 2,000 and wins AFC East with 27-20 victory.

The Miami Dolphins wrapped up Detroit’s Barry Sanders and the AFC East title--and gave scooter-bound Coach Don Shula another milestone victory.

Regular-season victory No. 319, surpassing the mark held by the late George Halas, was achieved as Dan Marino threw for 285 yards and Bernie Parmalee scored three touchdowns in a 27-20 victory over Detroit.

Shula, still wearing a cast following Achilles’ tendon surgery, presided over the victory while roaming the sidelines on a motorized scooter. He’d used a golf cart the previous two weeks, but this time went with the scooter because it gave him more mobility.

The Dolphins teetered on blowing a 17-point first half lead until an interception of Dave Krieg’s pass with 3:41 left.

Miami held Sanders, the NFL’s leading rusher, to 52 yards in 12 carries. Sanders needed 169 yards to become the third 2,000-yard rusher in NFL history.

Miami (10-6) shared first place in the AFC East with New England but got the division title by virtue of beating the Patriots twice during the season.

It also gives the Dolphins some badly needed momentum going into the playoffs. The Dolphins had lost four of six going into Sunday night.

Miami will play host to Kansas City for the second time this year at Joe Robbie Stadium in the first round of the playoffs next weekend. The Dolphins defeated the Chiefs, 45-28, on Dec. 12 in a game that Kansas City quarterback Joe Montana sat out because of injury.

The Lions (9-7), who had won four in a row, missed a chance to win the NFC Central. They now must await the outcome of the Minnesota-San Francisco game tonight to see who they will play in the first round of the playoffs.

A Viking victory means the Lions will travel to Green Bay next weekend. A Minnesota loss means Detroit will visit the Vikings.

“Either place we don’t want to go to especially after our performance today,” Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said.

Leading, 7-3, Miami scored 20 points in the second quarter, sparked by a swarming defense that notched five sacks in the game.

Miami led at intermission, 27-10, on the strength of Parmalee’s touchdown runs of one, one and six yards.

Marino passed for 222 yards in the half, spreading the ball around to eight receivers. He completed 26 of 35 passes for the game.

The Lions’ first touchdown came in the second quarter when Johnnie Morton returned a kickoff 93 yards to cut Miami’s lead to 24-10. It was the third touchdown Miami’s special teams have allowed in as many games.

It seemed as if it might be the only touchdown Detroit would muster until Krieg started moving the Lions in the fourth quarter.

Krieg, limited to five passing yards in the first half, led the Lions on an 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter. He connected with Aubrey Matthews on five-yard pass play with 5:46 left in the game to cut Miami’s lead to 27-20.

The Lions got the ball back with four minutes left, but Krieg’s pass was picked off when Gene Atkins tipped a ball intended for Morton into the hands of Michael Stewart. The Dolphins ran out the clock.

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Run to Glory

Detroit Lion running back Barry Sanders, with 52 yards rushing against the Miami Dolphins Sunday night, moved to the No. 4 spot on the NFL’s all-time season rushing list:

Player Year Car Yds Avg TD Eric Dickerson 1984 379 2,105 5.6 14 *O.J. Simpson 1973 332 2,003 6.0 12 Earl Campbell 1980 373 1,934 5.2 13 Barry Sanders 1994 331 1,883 5.7 7 *Jim Brown 1963 291 1,863 6.4 12 *Walter Payton 1977 339 1,852 5.5 14 Eric Dickerson 1986 404 1,821 4,5 11 *O.J. Simpson 1975 329 1,817 5.5 16 Eric Dickerson 1983 390 1,808 4.6 18 Marcus Allen 1985 390 1,759 4.6 11

* 14-game schedule