Miami Dolphins “What If” #4: What if Miami beats New England in the 1985 playoffs?
The 1985 season was one of the best and most memorable ones in Dolphins franchise history, and it could have been a close second to the historic 1972 season had they been able to defeat their division foes in the AFC Championship Game.
Miami was the defending conference champion, a season removed from Dan Marino’s historic season and the disappointing Super Bowl loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They began their quest to get back to the big game by starting out with a disappointing 5-4 record. But they would turn things around, and the Dolphins would win seven straight to end the year, winning the division crown and qualifying for a first-round playoff bye.
One of the biggest victories of the season (and in team history) came in a historic Monday Night Football game against the then-undefeated Chicago Bears. The Dolphins defended the honor of the 1972 team by upending Chicago that night, which remains one of the more memorable games in league history.
They almost got the chance to do it again.
After beating the Browns in the Divisional Round, Miami had a date with the New England Patriots with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The Dolphins fell flat, and were defeated 31-14 as the Patriots amassed 255 rushing yards on a hapless Miami defense.
But what if the Dolphins won?
Their reward would have been a rematch. The Bears had done their job, securing their Super Bowl spot with dominant playoff victories over the Rams and Giants. They awaited the winner of the contest between the Dolphins and the Patriots and ultimately ended up playing against what was likely the lesser talented of the two in the big game.
Had Super Bowl Sunday been a rematch of one of the most talked-about regular-season games in NFL history, and if the Dolphins were able to be victorious, it would have been one of the best storylines in the league has ever seen.