Dolphins used daring to escape with victory in first playoff game.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

MIAMI _ It's the rough equivalent of being on the edge of a cliff, with the wind at your back and deciding to inch a little farther out.

That is the kind of daring Dolphins defensive coordinator Jim Bates and offensive counterpart Chan Gailey used in beating Indianapolis on Saturday. The kind of daring they likely will have to repeat at some point if they are to win Saturday in Oakland.

On five crucial plays in the fourth quarter and overtime, Bates and Gailey put much of the Dolphins' season on the line, either daring the Colts to go after them with a big play or going to a relatively unknown player for a key gain.

In each case, it was great anticipation of what the Colts might do, of making critical decisions on the fly.

``There are times when every yard counts,'' said Bates, who in overtime pulled out all the stops to keep the Colts from gaining any ground.

In Gailey's case, he called plays that resulted in backup players such as Jeff Ogden and Jed Weaver having to make critical catches.

``You have to trust your players,'' Gailey said with a sly grin.