The Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 71-80

Here's our countdown of the top 100 Miami Dolphins games of the first 25 seasons of the new century.

For ground rules, the plays were picked on the basis of historical significance, impact on a game or season, and uniqueness.

We continue the countdown with games 71-80:

80. 2002 vs. Chicago — Dolphins 27, Bears 9

This was a Monday night game when the Dolphins wore all-aqua uniforms (big thumbs up from here) and Larry Csonka had his jersey retired at halftime, but it was all about Ricky Williams. He rushed for 216 yards that night, helping him join O.J. Simpson and Earl Campbell as the only running backs with three 200-yard performances in the same season. He also had the longest run of his NFL career to that point with a 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

79. 2018 vs. Oakland — Dolphins 28, Raiders 20

The Dolphins started the season 3-0 in 2018 and they got there in spectacular fashion with their Week 3 victory. The Dolphins got touchdowns on two shovel passes from Ryan Tannehill, including one that Albert Wilson took 74 yards and capped by a high five to teammate Jakeem Grant at the 5-yard line. There also was a 52-yard TD pass from Wilson to fellow wide receiver Jakeem Grant and a brilliant 34-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills while Tannehill was getting nailed around the legs. Oh, and Xavien Howard also had two picks.

78. 2023 vs. Tennessee — Titans 28, Dolphins 27

Remember that this countdown will include some losses, and this one is included because it featured a wild fourth quarter — even though it didn’t work out very well for the Dolphins. After a lackluster game where both offenses struggled, the Dolphins quickly turned a 13-13 game into a 27-13 lead after two takeaways deep in Tennessee territory. But rookie QB Will Levis brought the Titans with two quick touchdown drives, the first one capped by a two-point conversion that put them in position to win with a touchdown and an extra point. On the flip side, the Dolphins offense failed to move the ball on its two final possession and it didn’t help that center Connor Williams was out of the game by then with a season-ending knee injury.

77. 2001 at Buffalo — Dolphins 34, Bills 27

On their way to the playoffs, the Dolphins had to take care of a bad Buffalo team (came in at 1-8), but needed a great fourth-quarter comeback to get it done. The Dolphins trailed 27-17 before Jay Fiedler converted a fourth-and-14 with a completion to Dedric Ward before throwing a TD pass to Chris Chambers. After a three-and-out, the Dolphins tied the score with a field goal, then got a fumble recovery by Patrick Surtain on the ensuing kickoff, setting the stage for a game-winning 32-yard TD pass to Chambers.

76. 2024 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 32, Jets 26 (OT)

As they tried to work their way back into the playoff picture after starting 2-6, the 2024 Dolphins pulled off a minor miracle against the Jets, who took a late three-point lead but mismanaged the clock while doing so. A long kickoff return by rookie Malik Washington allowed Tua Tagovailoa to get the Dolphins into field goal position and they took the opening possession of overtime all the way to the end zone for the winning score, Tagovailoa and Jonnu Smith doing most of the damage on the drive.

75. 2016 vs. San Francisco — Dolphins 31, 49ers 24

The 2016 season was one where the Dolphins found a whole bunch of different ways to win at the end, and this time it was a defensive stand — more precisely, a stop near the goal line on the final play of the game. Ryan Tannehill threw three touchdown passes for the Dolphins, but the defense had problems with Colin Kaepernick, who also threw for three touchdowns along with rushing for 113 yards. The game came down to one final play from the Miami 6-yard line, but Kaepernick was stopped at the 2 by Ndamukong Suh and Kiko Alonso.

74. 2010 at Minnesota — Dolphins 14, Vikings 10

The Dolphins got the better of Brett Favre to clinch the AFC East title in 2008 and they did it again in the next meeting, coming up with three sacks and three interceptions in this Week 2 game in Minnesota. The Dolphins defense got a touchdown on a Koa Misi fumble recovery in the end zone, had a goal-line stand by stuffing Adrian Peterson on a fourth-down run, then finished it off with another stand on a fourth-down Favre incompletion.

73. 2002 at New England — Patriots 27, Dolphins 24 (OT)

The Dolphins’ 2002 team ranks among their best non-playoff groups, though it also has to be considered for biggest choke jobs. Needing a win at New England in the season finale to make the playoffs, the Dolphins appeared in good shape leading 24-13 with 5:03 left after an Olindo Mare field goal — thanks in large part to Ricky Williams’ 177 rushing yards at the time. But then Murphy’s Law hit. The Dolphins allowed a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 24-21 with 2:46 left, then prepared for an onside kick only to have Adam Vinatieri kick deep, have the ball bounce backward just short of the goal line and see Travis Minor tackled at the 4. With New England expecting Williams runs, the Dolphins instead attempted to throw but two incompletions stopped the clock before Jay Fiedler was stopped short of the first down on a third-down scramble. Mark Royals then shanked the punt to give New England great field position, Vinatieri kicked the game-tying field goal, then Olindo Mare put the overtime kickoff out of bounds, giving the Patriots the ball at their 40. Two first downs later, Vinatieri kicked the Dolphins out of the playoffs.

72. 2022 playoffs at Buffalo — Bills 34, Dolphins 31

The Dolphins were heavy underdogs entering this game with rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson at quarterback, but they clearly had their chances. While the game was no work of art, it was very entertaining and competitive to the end, mostly because the Dolphins defense forced three turnovers, including Zach Sieler's fumble return for a touchdown.

71. 2012 at Arizona — Cardinals 31, Dolphins 24 (OT)

After failing to pass for more than 219 yards in his first three NFL games, rookie first-round pick Ryan Tannehill had his first big outing, thanks in large part to Brian Hartline. The wide receiver set a franchise record with 253 yards on a day when Tannehill passed for 431 and the two hooked up for an 80-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Miami a 21-14 lead. But Miami allowed Arizona to come back after Tannehill fumbled while being sacked and Kevin Kolb threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Andre Roberts on fourth-and-10 in the waning seconds. Arizona won on a field goal in overtime after Kerry Rhodes intercepted Tannehill on a pass intended for Hartline.

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