Miami Dolphins at 50: Top 10 Games
By Dan Heaning
No. 6 – Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears Dec. 2, 1985
Before the Chicago Bears did the Super Bowl Shuffle in 1985, they were threatening the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ status as the only undefeated team in NFL history.
However, if the Bears wanted to go unblemished during the season, they would have to through Miami to face Dan Marino and the Dolphins.
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Bears QB Jim McMahon was injured prior to the game so Steve Fuller got the nod for the fourth straight week after beating Detroit, Dallas, and Atlanta by a combined scored of 104-3.
In just a matter of minutes, the Dolphins scored more points than all three of those teams.
On their opening drive, Miami was facing a third and 18. Marino scrambled out of the pocket and found Mark Duper, who came back from his deep route when he saw his quarterback in trouble. One play later, Marino threw a short pass to Nat Moore and he took it 33 yards for the first score of the game.
The Bears tied it on the very next drive after taking their sweet time because the Orange Bowl crowd was too loud for Chicago to call plays. Marino then put Miami in field goal position and Fuad Reiz hit a 47 yarder to give Miami the 10-7 lead.
After Bob Brudzinski picked off Fuller, things began to get testy as Bears tight end Emery Moorehead and center Jay Hilgenberg got into a scrape with free safety Bud Brown. The game was getting nasty, and you’d think that would favor the Bears.
It seemed the Chicago defense was going to bail Fuller out, but Marino continued to convert long third downs. The Miami quarterback got the Dolphins to the Bears’ one yard line by the end of the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, Miami scored almost immediately. This set up a pair of game breaking periods for the Dolphins.
Ron Davenport rushed for two separate one yard scores and Marino found Moore again for a six yard touchdown reception to make it 31-10 at the half.
From there, the Bears would tack on two touchdowns to close the gap, but Marino found Mark Clayton for a 43-yard score that would give Miami some breathing room in the third. No one would score in the final frame.
The Bears went on to win the Super Bowl with this game as their only defeat while the Dolphins fell to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.
It would have been an interesting Super Bowl had Marino and the Dolphins been able to defeat the Patriots and face the Bears for a second time. Perhaps Marino was the only one who could have stopped the Bears in the championship game.