Miami Dolphins Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 51-60
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 51-60:
This first matchup between the Dolphins and their former interim head coach Dan Campbell figured to be a tough one despite the Lions’ 1-5 record because Campbell had his team playing hard. And it was just that, with the Dolphins having to come back from an early 14-0 deficit and later trailing 27-17 at halftime. Tua Tagovailoa had a huge game with 382 yards passing with three touchdowns, with Jaylen Waddle (8-106-2) and Tyreek Hill (12-188-0) doing most of the damage in the passing game. The Dolphins defense had one big stop on a fourth-and-1 from the Miami 35 with 3 minutes left, after which the Dolphins clinched the win with three first downs, the last coming on an 8-yard completion from Tua to Hill on third-and-8.
This was one of the most shocking victories of the millennium for the Dolphins. They came into this matchup at Arrowhead Stadium with an odious 0-7 record to face the 4-3 Chiefs. But after K.C. took a quick 3-0 lead after the opening drive, it was all Dolphins behind QB Matt Moore, who passed for three touchdowns, including two to tight end Anthony Fasano.
The 2011 season wasn’t a lot of fun for Dolphins fans, who saw the team get off to a miserable 0-7 start followed by the firing of head coach Tony Sparano after a loss to Philadelphia in Week 14 dropped the team’s record to 4-9. But the biggest highlight of the season came in Todd Bowles’ debut as interim head coach on Reggie Bush’s most memorable performance as a member of the Dolphins. Bush capped a 203-yard rushing day with a 76-yard touchdown that gave Miami a 30-13 lead with 5:52 left in regulation. Only a late touchdown and field goal, sandwiched around a successful onside kick, made the final score more respectable for the Bills, whose head coach that day was former and future Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and whose quarterback was Ryan Fitzpatrick.
We had the previous game at Detroit on the countdown earlier, but this one ranked slightly higher because it featured a great QB battle between Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields. Each QB threw three touchdown passes, but while Tua had a big edge in passing yards (302-123), Fields compensated by rushing for 178 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown. The Dolphins never trailed after Tua’s 3-yard touchdown pass followed by Andrew Van Ginkel’s touchdown off Jaelan Phillips’ punt block gave them a 21-10 lead, but the Bears kept coming back. The Dolphins escaped Soldier Field with the victory after the Bears turned the ball over on downs on their final drive, and they likely got away with a DPI on the last third-and-10 that would have put the ball at the Miami 22.
The finale of the disappointing 2015 season for the Dolphins truly was bizarre, but it also was oh-so satisfying because it robbed the Patriots of the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. After fighting their way to a 5-7 record under interim head coach Dan Campbell, the Dolphins had lost three in a row heading into this finale in Miami but shockingly manhandled the Patriots, outgaining them 438-196. New England mysteriously stuck to its ground game in this one, with 27 carries compared to 25 pass attempts between Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo (he came in after the two-minute warning). It was a big day for rookie first-round pick DeVante Parker, who had the first 100-yard performance of his NFL career.
Stopping Peyton Manning and the Colts offense never was an easy task, but the Dolphins had some success doing it at times, this Week 2 game being a good example. The defense picked off Manning three times in the first half — Derrick Rodgers, Jamar Fletcher and Patrick Surtain got the picks — and the offense scored on three of its first four possessions for a 21-3 halftime lead. The Dolphins made it hold up with two defensive stands — Tommy Hendricks dropped Edgerrin James for a loss on a fourth-and-goal from the 1, and the defense forced two incompletions on the final two plays of the game from the Miami 6-yard line.
This particular part of the countdown is going to be heavy with games under Nick Saban during his two seasons as Dolphins head coach, and this first one was a defensive masterpiece against Tom Brady. The numbers that stand out are Brady throwing for only 90 yards on 14-of-28 passing, five overall sacks, three fumble recoveries. The Dolphins completed the shutout with strip-sacks on New England’s final two possessions, one against Brady and the other against Matt Cassel. This game marked the only time between 2003 and 2021 that a Brady-led team was shut out.
While things didn’t pan out for the Dolphins with their hiring of Saban, there certainly was a lot of excitement and optimism after his first game, the 24-point blowout of the Broncos at home. The Dolphins were in control pretty much the whole way in this game, slamming the door with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Gus Frerotte to Marty Booker on the first play from scrimmage after Denver had cut Miami’s lead to 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter. As a finishing touch, Jason Taylor returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown after he strip-sacked Jake Plummer on the final play of the game.
As with Saban’s arrival, there were high expectations for Ricky Williams after the Dolphins sent two first-round picks to New Orleans to get him in a trade and his debut didn’t disappoint. Williams rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns to lead the rout in what was Miami’s 11th consecutive victory in season openers. As a feel-good bonus in this game, running back Robert Edwards scored two second-half touchdowns for the Dolphins in his first NFL game back after he blew out his knee in a beach rookie flag football game at the Pro Bowl.
While the Dolphins didn’t make the playoffs in Nick Saban’s first season, they did finish with six consecutive victories for a final 9-7 record and none was more impressive than defeating a San Diego team coming in on a five-game winning streak and with an 8-4 record. Chris Chambers had another big outing as part of his breakout 2005 season with eight catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns and Marty Booker added a 56-yard reception, but it was the defense that came up with the big play. With the Dolphins leading 20-14 and the Chargers with a first-and-10 at their 36 with 2:37 left, Yeremiah Bell sacked Drew Brees and forced a fumble that Kevin Carter recovered.
