Marino

"Dan's strength in his arm is fine this morning, but there are some symptoms and we'll have to closely monitor that," Johnson said Friday.

Johnson refused to elaborate on the symptoms, saying only that they were "nothing major."

Marino, playing Thursday for the first start since he left a game in New England on Oct. 17 because of a pinched nerve in his neck, was rusty.

He completed 15 of 36 passes for 178 yards and threw five interceptions, his most in a game since 1988. Dallas won 20-0, handing Miami its first shutout in nearly two years.

"I didn't have the feel in the pocket," Marino said after the loss. "I was just missing guys because my timing was off."

The Dolphins (8-3) have three days off and will not practice until Monday, giving Marino and several others time to recover from injuries.

Receiver O.J. McDuffie (ankle) missed the game, and offensive tackle James Brown, backup quarterback Damon Huard and running back J.J. Johnson suffered sprained ankles against the Cowboys. Brown was in a cast Friday, but Jimmy Johnson said they should be ready for Indianapolis on Dec. 5.

He has similar expectations for Marino.

"I talked to Dan a long time about it this morning and he feels bad, and I told him, 'Don't be too hard on yourself,"' Johnson said. "He was off for six weeks and he wasn't sharp, but with work, getting ready for Indianapolis, I'm sure he'll get better."

Marino will need to play better if the Dolphins are going to win the AFC East. They could get closer with a win over the division-leading Colts (8-2), who had been the last team to shut out Miami with a 41-0 win in 1997.

Marino torched the Colts earlier this season, throwing for 393 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Dolphins to a 34-31 win. He was injured the following week.

He had hoped to return against New England last Sunday, but team doctors held him out one more week.

"The biggest thing they're worried about is having a setback, because if I have any type of setback then it might be a lot longer before I can come back," Marino said earlier this week.