The Dolphins seek their first road postseason victory since winning the Super Bowl at Houston in January 1974. Their most recent playoff win on an opponent's field came in December 1972 against Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game.

What does such a lengthy drought mean?

"Nothing," defensive end Trace Armstrong said. "In 1972, a lot of our guys weren't even born."

Still, the pattern is tough to ignore, especially since the Dolphins will be on the road the rest of the season. If they win Sunday's first-round wild-card game, they play next week at Jacksonville.

Miami has lost nine consecutive road postseason games, including two Super Bowls.

"We're about to change that," quarterback Dan Marino pledged.

It's well known that Marino has never won a Super Bowl. He also has never won a road postseason game, going 0-7.

The primary culprit is not the quarterback, but a chronically poor ground game that makes it difficult to control the ball, quiet the crowd and win in cold weather. In the seven losses with Marino, the Dolphins have averaged just 59 yards rushing per game.

They've lost from coast to coast -- at New England, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Denver, San Diego and Oakland. This weekend's trip will be the longest yet -- 3,000 miles for the first playoff game in the Kingdome since 1984.

"Anytime you have to travel across the country to play, it's definitely an advantage to the home team," Marino said. "But we've done it before and won, so it's not like it's impossible."

The Dolphins have won regular-season games each of the past three years at Oakland. Miami won its first four road games this season, including the opener against the Denver Broncos when they still had Terrell Davis.

But the Dolphins' late-season collapse included four consecutive road losses by a combined score of 92-33.

"That's why everyone strives for the home-field advantage _ it's extremely difficult to win on the road," guard Kevin Donnalley said. "The noise, the fans, the weather _ they're such a factor and tough to overcome, especially when things get tight.

"We're looking at what we did against Denver. We try not to focus on the distractions, like having 70,000 people cheering against you."

Only three current Miami players -- Marino, tackle Richmond Webb and linebacker Dwight Hollier -- were with the Dolphins the last time they played at the Kingdome in 1992. The stadium is regarded as perhaps the NFL's loudest.

"If I had my preference, I'd be right here at Pro Player Stadium at 1 o'clock every week," Miami coach Jimmy Johnson said. "There are some disadvantages obviously _ the crowd noise, the artificial surface, the six-and-a-half-hour flight.