Top 5 best Miami Dolphins teams of all time
By Nick Belotto
With the 2020 season finally on the horizon, let’s take some time to look back at some of the best Miami Dolphins teams of all time.
Since their inception in 1966, the Miami Dolphins have experienced all-time highs and all times lows in their existence. They’ve experienced down years, stellar quarterback play, incredible defensive seasons, and, of course, the lone perfect season ever achieved by any NFL team.
As we go into 2020 with high hopes for the future, now is as good a time as any to go over some of the best teams the Miami Dolphins organization has put together. I will try my best to include one from each decade of the Dolphins’ existence if it’s a worthy candidate (sorry 2010s). All stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.
Here we go!
Number 5: 2008
Ok, I know that there are other teams in Dolphins history that were statistically better or went deeper into the playoffs. Like I said in the beginning, I wanted to try and get a team from each decade in the picture, and this was the only one that really stood out since we started the 21st century (that’s going to change, I can feel it!). It also was a really fun season to watch, especially when you consider what was going on around it.
This was the year we unveiled the Wildcat offense at the expense of the New England Patriots, who looked as though they were playing pee-wee football for one game while Miami ran all over them.
This was the year that Chad Pennington, ex-Jet turned Dolphins hero, turned around a 1-15 team to go 11-5 and make the playoffs, knocking of the Brett Favre led Jets in the final game of the season.
As a younger fan at the time, this was, by far, one of the more exciting Dolphins seasons I was able to watch. Even though we got smacked by the Ravens in the playoffs that year, it was still worth it to watch Miami show the potential they had and to finally make it back to the playoffs after arguably the worst season in team history.
Number 4: 1992
This is one that is probably going to get a lot of push back.
I know that there were better teams with better seasons that this organization has put on the field. I could have gone a lot of directions with this pick (1982, 1985, 1994, 1973). But, I wanted to try and find a top team in each decade and I didn’t want to leave the 90s out.
From a statistical perspective, this was not the most dominating season for guys like Marino or Mark Duper or Clayton. Marino had just over 4,000 yards and neither of the “Marks Brothers” ended up over 1,000 yards.
But, and most importantly, this team won football games. They finished 11-5, good for 1st in the division and made it to the AFC conference championship game. This was a quality season by any measurements and stands out as the best of the 90s.
Number 3: 1984
This was the year that Dan Marino changed football.
In this season, Marino threw for what was then a record 5048 yards and 48 touchdowns. We are a little less impressed with these numbers nowadays since the NFL has switched to a pass-happy league. But, back then, these numbers were unheard of throughout the league.
NFL teams still focused on building stud teams around a quality running game and strong defensive play. Don Shula and Dan Marino changed that and, in my opinion, began that revolution that we see playing out in the game today.
With the “Marks” Brothers helping him out and Doug Betters sacking opposing quarterbacks at will, Dan Marino led this team to a 14-2 record, dominating throughout the playoffs. Their hot streak didn’t end until the Super Bowl, where they lost to the San Fransisco 49ers.
It’s unfortunate that Marino wasn’t able to get the team to the promised land. But, changing the way the NFL game was played is a pretty amazing secondary prize.
Number 2: 1973
We all know what number 1 is on this list, but the second-best team might be better than the first, with the exception of the whole perfection thing.
The Dolphins went 12-2 in 1973, steamrolling opponents into the Super Bowl game where Larry Csonka took home MVP honors with a 145 yard and 2 touchdown performance.
Over the course of the entire season, the running game that became legendary the year-earlier continued to be dominant and with Bob Griese healthy for the whole season, there wasn’t a lot that could be done to stop this team.
When you get a chance, take a look at this roster and then compare that to PhinPhanatic’s draft of all-time Miami Dolphins. There is a reason that there are so many similarities.
Number 1: 1972
The team that takes the top position shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. The 1972 season saw perfection for the first and only time in NFL history and resulted in the first championship for this franchise.
This team boasted some names that are forever etched in Dolphins history. Coached by the greatest of all time, Don Shula, guys like Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick, Bob Griese, Larry Little, Jim Mandich, Paul Warfield, Jake Scott, Dick Anderson and of course, Earl Morrall, guided this team to something that has never been achieved since.
This team is even more impressive when you consider that the Hall of Fame quarterback, Griese, didn’t play most of the regular season due to an injury sustained against the then-San Diego Chargers in week 5. They made it through the regular season with their backup quarterback and a running game that was one of the most dominant in NFL history.
Without a doubt, the 1972 perfect season will always remain legendary in NFL and Dolphins’ history.