DAVIE, Fla. (AP) The Miami Dolphins' latest victory finally followed Jimmy Johnson's favorite formula: stout defense, solid special teams and - here's the surprising part - a strong running game.

The Dolphins ran 39 times for 149 yards, both season highs, and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 16-13 Sunday. The victory suggested that Miami's chronically inconsistent ground game may be about to turn the corner.

"I wanted more of an emphasis on running the ball," a satisfied Johnson said Monday. "Even our offensive coaches wanted to open it up. But at halftime I told them, `Let's play a little boring ball. We've got a 13-3 lead. Let's just protect the ball and not turn it over."'

Miami kept the ball for all but three plays in the third quarter and finished with a 12-minute edge in time of possession. Olindo Mare went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, the defense allowed a season-low 175 yards and the Dolphins (5-1) remained in first place in the AFC East.

Miami may pursue a similar recipe for success Sunday at Oakland (4-3), especially if Dan Marino remains sidelined. He plans to see a specialist Tuesday in California for a second opinion on a bone spur in his lower neck that has hindered his throwing.

The Dolphins expect to list Marino as questionable, the same as last week, meaning there's a 50-percent chance he'll play against the Raiders.

Backup quarterback Damon Huard made his first NFL start Sunday and threw just 21 passes, a season low for Miami. He handed off 26 times to rookie Cecil Collins, who gained a season-high 97 yards.

"Cecil is going to be everything we thought he was," Johnson said.

"We did a great job," Collins said. "We've been struggling in the running game, but we felt we could go in and try to pound on those guys."

Rookie J.J. Johnson spelled Collins effectively, rushing five times for 35 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown. Jimmy Johnson said the offensive line, which he chastised last week, had its best game in several weeks.

But as guard Kevin Donnalley noted, success came against an Eagles team ranked 27th in the NFL in run defense.

"You have to take it with a little bit of a grain of salt," Donnalley said. "It was definitely a step in the right direction, but everything is not fixed yet. The true test will be this week against Oakland."

One area needing improvement is downfield blocking. Collins' longest carry Sunday was 11 yards, and his breakaway ability remains an untapped weapon.

"We watched the film today, and there were ample opportunities," Donnalley said. "We had some blocking errors that really cost us from having bigger plays. It's basically just if we had gotten one more block here and there, it could have been a 20- or 30-yard gain instead of an 8- or 10-yard gain."

Johnson anticipates Collins to get chances in the open field soon.

"As a guy starts having success, you start blocking better downfield for him," he said. "It all starts falling into place."

Turnovers and penalties also hurt the offense. The unit was penalized four times for 29 yards and committed two turnovers that could have changed the outcome.

Miami was trying to run out the clock when Collins fumbled at the Philadelphia 42 with 2:37 left. The Eagles drove 32 yards before missing a 42-yard field goal in the final minute.

"Cecil played very, very well," Johnson said. "But he's got to understand that at the end of the ballgame, when a team is desperate, everybody is going to be trying to strip the ball rather than making the tackle."

Huard's only interception was more costly. When he audibled from a run to a pass in the third quarter, Brian Dawkins anticipated the change and returned the interception 67 yards for a touchdown.

"I'm going to go to my grave one day mumbling, `Those damn audibles,"' Johnson said.

On Sunday, for once, the Dolphins were better off running the ball.