Miami Dolphins Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 61-70
Here’s our countdown of the top 100 Miami Dolphins games of the first 25 seasons of the new century.
For ground rules, the plays were picked on the basis of historical significance, impact on a game or season, and uniqueness.
We continue the countdown with games 61-70:
You’ll have to forgive me, but I’m a sucker for a good old-fashioned shootout, and this is what this game was. The frustrating part is that while Peyton Manning did have four touchdown passes on this day, it was the inability to stop C.J. Anderson on the ground that doomed the Dolphins and ultimately spelled defeat after they had an 11-point lead three different times. The big play of the game came on the final snap of the third quarter with the Dolphins leading 28-17 and Denver facing a fourth-and-2 from the Miami 41 and Anderson not only got the first down but gained 20 yards. Ryan Tannehill had a good outing for the Dolphins, but his interception after Denver took a 32-28 lead pretty much sealed the outcome.
Yes, we have both Buffalo losses from the 2022 season on the countdown (and maybe later on the win against the Bills) simply because those were two good games. And, truth be told, while the stakes weren’t as high, the Saturday night matchup at Highmark Stadium featured better quality football. The Dolphins got a 67-yard run by Raheem Mostert and a 67-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle and led 29-21 before Josh Allen took over the game, including converting three third-down situations on the game-winning drive when the Bills got out of a second-and-18 predicament.
You’ll notice on this countdown several games agains the Patriots because, well, any win against New England in the 2000s is a good win, right? New England was 10-2 and on its way to the second of three consecutive Super Bowl appearances coming into this Monday night December game in Miami. With Jay Cutler at quarterback, the 5-7 Dolphins upset Tom Brady and company on the strength of two Xavien Howard interceptions and Jakeem Grant’s clutch catch in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown that gave Miami a 20-10 lead.
This game in the middle of the season was supposed to be a tough matchup, what with Philip Rivers and the Chargers coming to Miami with a 5-3 record, but it turned into one of the biggest Miami blowouts of the 2000s. Everybody had a hand in this spanking, with Ryan Tannehill throwing three touchdown passes to three different receivers, Brent Grimes coming up with two picks and the defense coming up with four sacks. The only bummer, really, was Caleb Sturgis missing a 45-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the first half — when Miami already was up 20-0.
After they made the playoffs in 2008, the Dolphins were given a brutal start to their 2009 schedule and the second game was a Monday night matchup against Peyton Manning and the Colts. And the Dolphins ended up playing a very good game, though they came up short in the end. Thanks to their running game, the Dolphins had the ball for a whopping 45:07, but were done in by three long completions by Manning, including an 80-yard touchdown to tight end Dallas Clark on the first play from scrimmage and a 48-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon in the fourth quarter.
Adam Gase’s first season as Dolphins head coach started with closer-than-expected losses at Seattle and New England before the home opener against the 0-2 Browns. Little did anyone know when Jay Ajayi scored in overtime to give the Dolphins the victory it would be the first of many close victories that would pave the way to a playoff berth. This was a game the Dolphins frankly were lucky to win because Cody Parkey, who would kick so well for them the following season, missed three field goal attempts, including one from 46 yards out on the final play of regulation.
Yes, this is another Dolphins loss, but this also was a really entertaining game. The Dolphins jumped out on top 14-6 after touchdown passes of 53 and 80 yards from Chad Pennington to Patrick Cobbs, the first coming off a double reverse after Ronnie Brown took the snap in the Wildcat formation and gave the ball to Ricky Williams. After Brown gave the Dolphins a 28-23 lead with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter, Houston answered by converting a fourth-and-10 (23-yard pass to Andre Johnson) and a fourth-and-2 when Matt Schaub scored on a 3-yard touchdown run on a QB draw with three seconds left.
This game featured the first-ever NFL matchup between former Alabama teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones and also was Tua’s first season opener. What this game lacked in aesthetics, it made up for with late drama. Cornerback Xavien Howard saved the day for Miami by forcing and recovering a late Damien Harris fumble inside the 10-yard line. Tagovailoa, whose 3-yard touchdown to Jaylen Waddle gave Miami a 17-10 lead in the third quarter before New England got two field goals, helped the Dolphins run out the clock with a clutch 13-yard completion to DeVante Parker that was followed by a game-clinching 1-yard sneak by Jacoby Brissett on a third-and-1 just outside the two-minute warning.
A week after winning 38-10 at Tennessee in Dan Campbell’s debut as interim head coach, the Dolphins were back in Miami and put together maybe the craziest, most dominating first-half performance in franchise history. And don’t let the final score fool you because it was 41-0 at halftime. We got there thanks to four offensive touchdowns of 50 yards or more (highlighted by Lamar Miller’s 85-yard run) along with a 23-yard pick-six by safety Reshad Jones. Jarvis Landry had two touchdowns in that first half, including a highlight-reel 50-yard zig-zag job in the first quarter.
2016 was the season of finding a way to win for the Dolphins, and against the Jets in Week 9, it came in the form of rookie Kenyan Drake returning a kickoff 96 yards for the winning score — after the Jets were flagged for offside on the first kickoff, returned 22 yards by Jakeem Grant. Drake earlier had wiped out a Grant punt return for a touchdown with a penalty at a time the Dolphins were leading 14-13. Drake’s touchdown came after Ryan Fitzpatrick — yes, that one, the guy who went to Harvard — gave the Jets a 23-20 lead with a touchdown pass to Jalin Marshall.
