DAVIE, Fla. -- Dan Marino watches from the sideline and the Miami Dolphins keep winning, thanks to ball-control offense and championship-caliber defense.

	Cornerback Terrell Buckley and the Dolphins defense kept the ball away from the Raiders on Sunday.

In 11 quarters since Marino left the lineup because of a pinched nerve in his neck, the defense has allowed just one touchdown. As a result, Miami (6-1) has three consecutive victories with quarterback Damon Huard, including Sunday's 16-9 win at Oakland.

"You can win a lot of games with a defensive-oriented team by playing field position and protecting the ball," Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said.

That will most likely be the approach again in Sunday night's showdown against the Tennessee Titans (6-1) because Marino will remain out for at least another week. The Dolphins, off to their best start in four seasons under Johnson, are tied with the Titans, St. Louis Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars for the best record in the NFL.

Miami's success starts with a dominating defense that ranks third in the NFL in yardage allowed. The Raiders came into Sunday's game leading the AFC in offense and managed just 187 yards, half their average. Rich Gannon completed only seven passes and was sacked five times.

"We were dominating," Johnson said.

"This defense has been strong," safety Brock Marion said. "We try to shut people out every week."

The Dolphins can't claim any shutouts, but the defense hasn't given up a touchdown in 10 quarters. Miami has scored just a pair of touchdowns in Huard's two starts but won both games.

Because of the defense and an improved ground attack, Miami leads the NFL in time of possession, with an advantage averaging 8½ minutes a game. In each of the past six games, the Dolphins had the ball longer than the opposition.

At Oakland, Miami took a 13-9 lead into the fourth quarter. The Raiders ran eight plays the rest of the game, netting 1 yard.

"When your opponent has the ball for 2½ minutes in the fourth quarter, it's easy to play defense," Johnson said.

As the defense becomes more dominant, the offense becomes more conservative, especially in Marino's absence. In the past two weeks the ratio of runs to passes has been 81 to 53. Taking few chances, the offense committed no turnovers at Oakland.

"You play to the strength of your team," Johnson said. "The strength of our team is defense."

An improved running game provides a nice compliment. With rookies Cecil Collins and J.J. Johnson sharing time at running back, the Dolphins have gained 149 and 141 yards rushing the past two weeks, their highest totals of the season.

The conservative run-oriented attack has kept games close, but the Dolphins are winning them. Their past five victories have been by a total of 17 points.

Miami is 4-0 on the road, where defense can make a big difference. The last time the Dolphins won four road games in one season was during the era of the famed Killer B's in 1984, the last time Miami reached the Super Bowl.

History can be a poor predictor, however. The last time the Dolphins started 6-1 was in 1993, when they failed to make the playoffs. And Johnson noted that the New York Jets are the only remaining opponent on this year's schedule with a losing record.

"There's very little room for error," he said.

For the Dolphins and their defense, the toughest part of the season is yet to come.