Rookie J.J. Johnson ran for 86 yards on 27 carries, including the winning touchdown on this 2-yard plunge.

There was no sign of the simmering discord between quarterback and coach. They agreed upon the conservative offensive approach that Johnson has long touted and Marino has long resisted, and the result was the Miami Dolphins' first road playoff victory since 1972.

The most prolific passer in NFL history handed off more than he threw, and he had no complaints following Miami's 20-17 wild-card victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

"We talked about running the ball, and we ran it a lot," Marino said. "We wanted to play good defense, not turn it over and have a chance to win at the end. It worked out perfect."

Miami waited until the final 10 minutes to rely on Marino's magic. With the Dolphins trailing 17-13, he went 4-for-7 for 84 yards on a drive that produced the decisive touchdown.

Defense took over from there. Miami gave up only 32 yards in the second half, and the Dolphins advanced to the second round of the playoffs. They'll play Saturday at Jacksonville.

Marino and Johnson have clashed this season over the quarterback's play, fueling speculation that both will retire after this season.

"It's not an easy relationship," said Marino's agent, Marvin Demoff, while watching the game from the press box. "But they can work together without being best friends."

They proved it Sunday. Johnson has been especially frustrated by Marino's 17 interceptions this season, but the Dolphins had no turnovers against Seattle. Miami ran for 108 yards and controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes.

Marino finished 17-for-30 for a modest 196 yards.

"I know Dan probably wants to hang back there and wing it a little more, but it helps to run for 100 yards," Johnson said. "Dan did a great job of executing the plan. He did a great job of throwing the ball."

Marino completed his first pass for 17 yards, but the Dolphins netted just six yards through the air the rest of the first half. Miami even ran on third-and-6 at midfield.

The conservative strategy produced five first downs in the opening half and a 10-3 deficit for the Dolphins.

"There were some situations where we could have thrown it more," Marino said. "But we wanted to wait."

"We knew we were going to pound and pound," receiver Oronde Gadsden said. "Then the safeties come up and you get one-on-one coverage, and that plays into Dan's hands."

Marino began throwing more on the opening series of the second half, and a 60-yard drive ended with his 1-yard touchdown pass to Gadsden, tying the score at 10-10. Seattle regained the lead when Charlie Rogers returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.

With 8:26 left and the Dolphins trailing 17-13, Marino faced a third-and-17 at his own 8. He hit Tony Martin for 23 yards to start the winning drive, then later hit Gadsden on third-and-10 for 23 yards to set up the final touchdown.

Marino said he never considered the possibility that the possession could be the last of his career if the Dolphins were stopped.

"There's so much going on, with crowd noise and everything, I'm not that smart," he said. "I'm worried about just trying to win."

Mission accomplished.