MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin got the game ball — a much-deserved honor, according to his players.

Paul E. Philbin, 93, died on Friday night, and his son, after missing two days of practice to be with his family, was back coaching the Dolphins on Sunday as they routed the San Diego Chargers 37-0 at Sun Life Stadium.

“Seeing how much he loves his team, to come back so quick, you can’t help but play for a guy like that,” Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace said. “He deserved the game ball.”

The Dolphins (5-3) won their third straight game and moved into a tie for second place with the idle Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

It was the Dolphins’ biggest margin of victory since Sept. 3, 1993 when they beat the New York Jets 52-14. It was Miami’s first shutout since Dec. 10, 2006 when they beat the New England Patriots 21-0.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill outplayed Chargers counterpart Philip Rivers — and it wasn’t close. Tannehill completed 24 of 34 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Tannehill’s passer rating of 125.6 represents a career high.

“We finally put a full game together,” Tannehill said.

Rivers, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, completed 12 of 23 passes for 138 yards. He was intercepted three times, lost a fumble and was benched in the third quarter with Miami leading 37-0. His passer rating of 31.0 was his worst since 2007.

Chargers Coach Mike McCoy said Rivers got “dinged” on his hand, but that was not why he took him out.

“He was coming out anyway,” McCoy said. “We have a great quarterback. He just had a bad day.”

San Diego (5-4) lost its third straight game and fell behind the Kansas City Chiefs to third place in the AFC West. San Diego has lost eight straight games in South Florida and has not beaten the Dolphins here since 1982.

It was also the first time the Chargers were shut out since 1999.

What the Dolphins said:

“The closest thing to this was in London (a 38-14 win over the Raiders). This was a big win. We were focused.” — WR Mike Wallace, on the completeness of the Dolphins’ win.

What the Chargers said:

“We’ll get it fixed. We’ll get it back on track — I promise you.” — coach Mike McCoy, on his team’s third straight loss.

What we learned about the Dolphins:

1. At 5-3, the Dolphins have thrust themselves into playoff contention. But the schedule is about to stiffen. Over the next three weeks, the Dolphins visit the Detroit Lions, play host to the Buffalo Bills and visit the Denver Broncos. The Lions and Broncos are in first place, and the Bills have beaten the Dolphins three straight times.

2. Reshad Jones is backing up his bold talk. Prior to Sunday’s game, Jones said he is the NFL’s best safety. On Sunday, he had an interception that he returned 16 yards and a tackle for loss that turned the ball over on downs. Two weeks ago, he had an interception he returned for 50 yards. He has played just four games this season, but he is making an impact. Averaging eight tackles per game, including five stops on Sunday.

–QB Ryan Tannehill made the 40th start of his career and played exceptionally well. Only three other QBs in Dolphins history have started as many as 40 games — Dan Marino, Bob Griese and Jay Fiedler. On Sunday, Tannehill completed 24 of 34 passes for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Tannehill’s passer rating of 125.6 represents a career high.

–S Reshad Jones on Sunday had an interception that he returned 16 yards and a tackle for loss that turned the ball over on downs. Two weeks ago, he had an interception he returned for 50 yards. He has played just four games this season, but he is making an impact. Averaging eight tackles per game, and had five stops on Sunday.

–CB Brent Grimes got two interceptions on Sunday, his third and fourth of the season. He has 21 for his career. After each interception, including the ones on Sunday, Grimes keeps the ball, finds his wife in the stands and flips it to her for safe keeping.

–RB Lamar Miller left Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to a shoulder injury. Miller carried 11 times for 49 yards and one touchdown. Miller’s injury was not serious, according to coach Joe Philbin.

What we learned about the Chargers:

1. After throwing three interceptions on Sunday, QB Philip Rivers has officially cooled off. After tossing 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions in his first seven games this season — five of them wins — Rivers has become turnover prone. In his past two games, Rivers has three touchdown passes and five interceptions. He was benched Sunday after San Diego fell behind 37-0 in the third quarter.

2. The Chargers are not very good on fourth down. On their first drive of the game, they went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Dolphins 23 and failed when RB Branden Oliver was stuffed for a loss. On the season, the Chargers have converted just once on four fourth-down tries.

–QB Philip Rivers, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, completed just 12 of 23 passes for 138 yards on Sunday against the Dolphins. He was intercepted three times, lost a fumble and was benched in the third quarter with Miami leading 37-0. Chargers Coach Mike McCoy said Rivers got “dinged” on his hand, but that was not why he took him out. “He was coming out anyway,” McCoy said. “We have a great quarterback. He just had a bad day.”

–RB Branden Oliver was shut down on Sunday against the Dolphins, carrying 13 times for 19 yards and a season-low 1.5 average. He also caught one pass for seven yards. For the season, he has a 4.1 average, so Sunday’s effort was out of the ordinary for Oliver, who has had to fill in for injured starter Ryan Mathews.

–TE Antonio Gates was held to three catches for 28 yards on Sunday in a 37-0 loss to the Dolphins. It was his worst game since Sept. 12 against the Oakland Raiders, when he was held to three catches and 27 yards. Gates was only targeted five times on Sunday, and with the struggles of quarterback Philip Rivers and the entire offense, his lack of production was part of a team-wide problem.

–ILB Andrew Gachkar was perhaps the lone bright spot in the Chargers’ 37-0 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. He led the team with three tackles for losses. Gachkar, a seventh-round pick out of Missouri in 2011, has been pressed into action due to the injury of Manti Te’o. Gachkar has never missed a game in a career that has seen him play mostly on special teams.