My Top 3 Dolphins Games

My Top 3 Dolphins Games

Top 3 Miami Dolphins Games

This list of my top 3 Dolphins games is simply from my perspective. They are not meant to get any fellow Dolfans riled up! Yes, I know the Dolphins won two Super Bowls in the early 70s. One of those championships even capped off the only perfect season in NFL history. But, I was too young to have memories of those super years. My favorite games in Dolphins’ history are ones that I have watched and remembered.

Favorite Game #3: 12/02/1985 Monday Night Football

In 1985 the Chicago Bears were threatening to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as being perfect. Fortunately, the ’85 Bears had a date set at the Orange Bowl to face Miami led by legendary Head Coach Don Shula. Shula did not have any plans of letting the Bears leave South Florida with a perfect record. I was one of the lucky fans in attendance.

By Miami standards, it was relativity a mild 76 degrees on this Monday Night showdown. But, the Bears’ perfection melted away. The Dolphins with Dan Marino would end Chicago’s winning streak. Marino threw for 270 yards with 3 touchdown passes in the Dolphins’ 38 to 24 victory. One of the plays showed there was a little magic in the air from the 1972 Dolphins. A Marino pass was deflected, but found its way to Mark Clayton who took it to the house for a TD! Nat Moore had the other two TD receptions. Mark Duper had over 100 receiving yards. The Dolphins’ defense recorded 6 sacks.

On this special night at the Orange Bowl, the Dolphins were honoring the perfect team. Many members of the 1972 team were there to watch the Bears walk away as defeated. The Bears would go on to win the big game that year. Miami lost to New England in the 1985 AFC Championship Game, I still believe Miami would have given the Bears a tougher contest as the Bears easily crushed New England in the Super Bowl. I’m just happy that Chicago had that date in Miami. If not, we might have two teams in Perfectville. However, there is still only one!

Favorite Game #2: 01/23/1983 1982 AFC Championship Game

Eddie Rabbitt use to sing, “I Love a Rainy Night.” Let me tell you, Rabbitt would have been loving the weather leading up to the 1982 AFC Championship Game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins at the Orange Bowl to determine which team would advance to the Super Bowl. Many people to this day refer to this game as the Mud Bowl. Dolphins fans believe Mother Nature was on our side that day. However, Jets fans feel like there were some questionable groundskeeping procedures leading up to the game. The conditions helped slow the faster Jets team, so that advantage was “watered down.”

I simply call this the AJ Duhe Game! Duhe having played 6 NFL seasons had a total of 2 interceptions entering the game. In this game, he would have 3 interceptions. One of the interceptions was returned for a touchdown. The pick-six put Miami ahead 14 to 0. That would be the final score.

The sloppy field caused most of the players to be covered in mud. Duhe’s #77 as he returned the interception for the touchdown could barely be seen. If you have never seen video highlights of this game, my words cannot do it justice. If you get a chance, you should look it up. There was no real offense to speak of in this game. Woody Bennett scored the lone offensive touchdown. However, Joe Rose, of South Florida local radio fame, had one reception for 20 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Killer B’s shut down the Jets. Glenn Blackwood and Gerald Small each had an interception to go along with the 3 by Duhe. In addition to the 5 interceptions, the Killer B’s combined for 4 sacks.

My Top 3 Favorite Dolphins Game Winner! 01/06/1985 1984 AFC Championship Game

My Top 3 Favorite Dolphins Game Champ!

To start, I will tell you that the 1984 season still ranks as the most exciting in my book. However, Miami losing to the 49ers still stings to this day. So, my favorite top 3 Dolphins Games winner is the 1984 AFC Championship Game. The Dolphins led by Dan Marino shredded the Pittsburg Steelers defense for 45 points. So, if you like a passing attack this game is for you! The Steelers put up good offensive numbers as well. Yet, they were no match for the high-flying Dolphins’ offense on this day. Marino threw for over 400 yards to go along with touchdown passes of 41,40,36 and 6 yards. Now, I get to tell you that Mark “Super” Duper had touchdown receptions of 41 and 36 yards. Also, Mark Clayton had a touchdown grab of 41 yards and Nat Moore had a 6-yard TD catch.

I know you are thinking, how about the other 2 touchdowns? Well, they were two short rushing ones. One by Tony Nathan as well as one by Woody Bennett. Uwe Von Schamann added a 26 yard fieldgoal. Unlike the 1982 AFC Championship Game, the weather was perfect for this AFC Championship Game. In summary, the dangerous passing attack of the Miami Dolphins was just too much for the Pittsburgh Steelers to handle. Until Miami wins a Super Bowl for my memory bank, this game will be hard to replace as #1 in my top 3 Dolphins games.

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Resources for this article: pro-football-reference.com

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