What do you think of when you think of the Miami Dolphins? The perfect season? Bob Griese? Dan Marino? Jason Taylor and Zack Thomas?
Whatever you think about, Miami Dolphins lore is full of history, incredible coaches, players, and – let’s not forget – games.
That’s why we’ve rounded up the top four Miami Dolphins games of all time:
December 2, 1985 – Dolphins 38, Bears 24
The Chicago Bears turned up at Miami Dolphins’ home turf on the verge of winning a perfect season, like the Dolphins had done 13 years previously. Sitting at 12-0 entering the game, the storied ‘85 Bears defense slipped and stumbled against Dan Marino and the Dolphins, allowing the most points and yardage to an opponent all season long. This was the Bears’ sole loss that year.
Just like that, the chances of a perfect season for the Bears went up in smoke.
Marino completed 14-of-27 passes for 271 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception while Tony Nathan led the charge on the ground, racking up 74 yards on 15 carries.
December, 25, 1971- Dolphins 27, Chiefs 24
A standard regulation NFL football game is supposed to take 60 minutes. On Christmas Day 1971, the Dolphins and Chiefs fought for victory for over 82 minutes.
The Dolphins ruined the last game at Municipal Stadium for the Chiefs when Garo Yepremian scored a game-winning field goal in double overtime. There were a total of 13 future Hall of Famers in the game, including Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese, who went 20-for-35 for 263 yards with one touchdown and two picks during the game.
The win sent the Dolphins to the AFC Championship Game, where the Dolphins would shut out the Baltimore Ravens before ultimately falling to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.
January 2, 1982 – Chargers 41, Dolphins 38
One of the best Miami Dolphins games of all-time isn’t even a Dolphins win. When the game between the Chargers and Dolphins finally ended in the first week of 1982, both teams admitted they might have just played the best game of all time.
San Diego got out to a 24-0 lead in the first quarter thanks in part to the team’s newfound air attack with Dan Fouts at the helm. But Miami would claw back, tying the game at 24-24 and ultimately taking the lead at 38-31 late in the fourth quarter.
Fouts orchestrated a comeback, tying the game in the final minutes before taking the lead for good with a game-winning field goal in the overtime period.
Dolphins quarterback Don Strock threw for 403 yards and four touchdown passes in the game that is considered the most significant victory in San Diego Chargers history.
Super Bowl VII, January 14, 1973 – Dolphins 14, Redskins 7
The perfect Miami Dolphins season happened in 1972. The only time, before or since, that a team has won all their games in a season. It concluded with a seven-point win over the Washington Redskins.
Super Bowl VII is renowned for finishing a remarkable 17-0; Griese led the Dolphins throughout the season, making this the Super Bowl one of the lowest-scoring affairs in Super Bowl history, mainly due to the stout defenses on both sides of the ball.
Griese tallied 88 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 8-of-11 passing, while Larry Csonka toted the ball 15 times for 112 yards on the ground.
Perfection completed.
