Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins history

Two of the most prestigious NFL franchises square off on Sunday as the Miami Dolphins celebrate their 50th-year anniversary against the Washington Redskins, a matchup that fittingly has played its course in Miami Dolphin’s history.

Sunday’s matchup marks the 14th matchup between the two teams, and may not match the implications of a few games played in the past.

This first time these teams matched up was in the 1972-1973 Super Bowl, the Super Bowl that crowned the only undefeated team known to the NFL, while both teams made their first initial Super Bowl appearance.

The Dolphins entered the game with a combined 16-0 record through the regular season and post season, and were faced with their biggest matchup of the year, the 13-3 Washington Redskins.

The games started with several scores by the Dolphins, after exploiting Redskin’s quarterback Billy Kilmer for three interceptions in the game. Kilmer finished the game averaging only 3.7 yards per attempt.

Meanwhile the Dolphin’s rushing attack was dominant with the trio of Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, a trio that rushed for 184 yards in the game. The duo of Csonka and Morris was the first running back duo to both individually rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Currently, only six teams in NFL history has accomplished such feat.

As many fans may know, the Dolphins came out victorious in the first Dolphins-Redskins matchup, a matchup that resulted in the only undefeated team in NFL history. The teams would later meet again only a decade later.

The next Super Bowl matchup between these two teams came 10 years, and three matches later. In a redemption game for the Redskins, they were able to capture the franchise’s first Super Bowl (1982, 1987, 1991.) This time, the Redskins came into the fourth quarter with a 17-13 disadvantage before scoring two straight touchdowns in the final quarter at the hands of the Dolphins. This was the fourth Super Bowl appearance for the Dolphins, setting their Super Bowl record to 2-2 at the time.

Ever since these Super Bowl appearances, both teams have routinely faced off in regular season matchup, seemingly trading victories throughout. Since their most previous matchup in 2011, the Dolphins changed logos, their starting quarterback, their head coach, among a variety of other changes.

The last matchup featured a quarterback duel of Rex Grossman vs. Matt Moore, a duel that was ultimately won by Dolphin’s starter Matt Moore. Both quarterbacks compiled over 400 passing yards between the two, in what was solely a passing battle.

Among the many changes seen by both teams since their last meeting, both teams selected a quarterback with their first selection in the 2012 NFL draft (Ryan Tannehill, Robert Griffin III). Both teams respectively ended their 2011 season with losing records, with the Dolphins ending 6-10, and the Redskins finishing 5-11.

This year, both teams have high hopes for their respective teams, as the Dolphins are projected by many, as a potential playoff suitor. Meanwhile, the Redskins are hoping to climb out of the crowded NFC East division and establish a winning mentality. The Dolphins are favored in this week one matchup, by -3.5

Take a look at the complete history of the Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins matchup:

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*Table information compiled from footballdb.com