1. Was field goal on third down wise?

Teddy Bridgewater's throw on second-and-goal from the Miami 1-yard line took just two seconds late in the first half. But rather than try another throw with six seconds and no timeouts left, coach Mike Zimmer opted for the 18-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead. Too conservative, Coach? "Well, I thought we had enough time to run another play, but I didn't want to take the chance of getting a tipped ball, kind of what happened when he chucked it down to [running back Matt] Asiata [in the second half]. You know, you get a tipped ball … they were blitzing. We took one shot at them and we kicked the field goal." Throwing once more was a risk, but Bridgewater is proving to be trustworthy with that throw.

2. Asiata lapse ruins good day

The tone of the first half was set by Asiata on the Vikings' first possession. He touched the ball on eight of 10 snaps, gaining 32 of 54 yards, including the 1-yard touchdown. He had two first downs, a 10-yard run and, heck, we even saw an uncharacteristic spin move for 3 yards on second-and-4 from the Dolphins 4. Asked if that was a bona fide spin move we saw, the downhill runner said, "I think so. I was just trying to get to the goal line." Unfortunately for Asiata, a mistake he made in the third quarter was pivotal in the opposite direction. The Dolphins' Derrick Shelby intercepted a ball that bounced off Asiata's hands on a short throw. Nine plays later, the Dolphins took their first lead. "I just took my eyes off the ball," Asiata said. "I tried to run before I caught it. That's it."

3. 'Bonehead decision by me'

The Vikings' eight penalties were the most they had in a game in six weeks. No penalty was more costly or more easily avoidable than the unnecessary-roughness penalty on linebacker Gerald Hodges. After pushing receiver Jarvis Landry out of bounds for a 2-yard gain on second-and-7, Hodges reacted to something Landry said and was flagged for unnecessary roughness when his helmet hit Landry. Instead of third-and-5 at the Vikings 28, the Dolphins got first-and-10 from the 14. Five plays later, they scored a touchdown to take their first lead. "Yeah, it's just a bonehead decision by me," Hodges said. "After I make the play, I just have to get up and go back to the huddle. I let my team down on that play and it shouldn't have happened. It's a personal foul."

4. Rhodes questions penalties

Officials were calling a tighter game in the second half. Between the two teams, there were a five pass interference penalties, including two offensive, and two defensive holding calls that were marked off or declined. Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes was called for defensive holding on a questionable call, and for pass interference on a critical mistake in the closing minutes. The pass interference penalty came against Mike Wallace at the Vikings 3-yard line on third-and-14 from the 18. Rhodes made contact without turning around for the ball. The Dolphins tied the score at 35 with a touchdown on the next play. "I should have just played the ball," Rhodes said. "It was uncatchable. It was a 50-50 call. The ref called it, that's what it is." As for the holding penalty earlier, Rhodes said, "That wasn't holding."

5. Rough one for Munnerlyn

We don't have to wait for Pro Football Focus to tell us that Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn had a rough outing. The Dolphins had three 80-yard touchdown drives in the second half. On two of them, half or more of the yards came on plays in which Munnerlyn was beaten. The first one was a 41-yard completion to tight end Charles Clay, who caught a ball that sailed over Munnerlyn's reach. "I'm always going to play underneath the tight end because he can out-body me for the ball," Munnerlyn said. "I tried to make a play on the ball and the ball sailed right over my hand." The second one came when he slipped on a crossing route to receiver Brandon Gibson. "Just slipped," Munnerlyn said. "You can't do that in this league."