MIAMI — Once again the Miami Dolphins saved their best for last.

Dan Carpenter nailed a 38-yard field goal with 38 seconds left to cap a 61-yard drive, and the Dolphins earned their fourth consecutive victory today by beating woeful Oakland 17-15.

The Dolphins have been good closers all season, outscoring opponents 59-39 in fourth quarter.

Johnnie Lee Higgins scored on a 93-yard punt with 4:30 left to give the Raiders their first lead, but Miami shook off the stunning score. Chad Pennington moved the Dolphins down the field in 10 plays, completing a 7-yard pass on fourth-and-5 to Ted Ginn Jr. to keep the drive alive.

With the win, the Dolphins (6-4) set up a showdown at home next Sunday against AFC East rival New England. Both teams trail the division-leading New York Jets by one game.

Oakland (2-8) lost its fourth in a row, and Tom Cable fell to 1-5 as interim coach. The Raiders generated only two field goals on offense, and scored two points when Jay Richardson sacked Chad Pennington for a safety.

Reinforcements failed to spark the Raiders' sputtering offense. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell returned after missing one game with a knee injury, and he went 15-for-22 for 156 yards, but Miami had five sacks. His last pass was a completion to the Oakland 30 before time ran out.

Teammate Darren McFadden, nursing a toe injury that has hampered him most of the season, played for the first time in four games as a reserve. He carried only three times for 13 yards.

Ginn had a 40-yard touchdown run on an end-around for Miami, and Ronnie Brown rushed for 101 yards in 16 carries. The Dolphins ran from the Wildcat formation 10 times for 52 yards, while Oakland didn't use the package despite the return of triggerman McFadden.

Still, the Raiders nearly pulled out a win thanks to Higgins. The Dolphins' punt coverage unit ranks second worst in the NFL, and he found a gaping crease. The closest would-be tackler was the last line of defense, punter Brandon Fields, who may have nicked Higgins' heel in an unsuccessful diving attempt to prevent the score.

The Dolphins drove 93 yards on their opening possession and scored on the run by Ginn, who broke one tackle and juked past another defender. Their other touchdown drive covered 64 yards in the third period and was capped by Patrick Cobbs' 10-yard run for a 14-5 lead.

The Raiders drove 75 yards late in the first half, but with first-and-goal at the 5, they committed two penalties, lost 5 yards on a broken play and settled for a field goal and a 7-3 halftime deficit.

Sebastian Janikowski had a chance to give Oakland an 8-7 lead in the third quarter, but his 46-yard field goal attempt deflected off the right upright. He made a 37-yarder with 8 minutes left to cut Miami's lead to 14-8.