The Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 81-90

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 81-90:

90. 2001 vs. Indianapolis — Dolphins 41, Colts 6

This was the final matchup between the teams and the Dolphins made Peyton Manning happy in this Monday night game he was leaving the AFC East. This was a butt whooping and the last time a Manning-quarterback team would be held to so few points in the regular season. While Manning was picked off three times and had a 35.0 passer rating, Jay Fiedler passed for three touchdowns and ran for another for Miami.

89. 2011 vs. New England — Patriots 38, Dolphins 24

For those who like offense, this was a fun Monday night season opener. The teams combined for — get this — 1,110 yards of offense, highlighted by a 99-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to former Dolphins wide receiver and future assistant coach Wes Welker. For the Dolphins, this game might have been the best of Chad Henne’s time in Miami as he passed for 416 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards and another score.

88. 2021 vs. New England — Dolphins 33, Patriots 24

This was a bittersweet game for the Dolphins, whose playoff hopes had disappeared the previous week at Tennessee, but at least they closed out the season in style. The Dolphins defeated the playoff-bound Patriots thanks in part to a pick-six by Xavien Howard and a touchdown by Sam Eguavoen off a blocked punt on the final play of the game.

87. 2006 at Pittsburgh — Steelers 28, Dolphins 17

This is the only time the Dolphins have appeared in the NFL kickoff game, and they had the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers in trouble midway through the fourth quarter until things quickly unraveled. Remember, this was the year the Dolphins were predicted by some to win the Super Bowl after they had acquired Daunte Culpepper to become their quarterback. But Culpepper threw two interceptions in his Miami debut, the second a 42-yard pick-six by future Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter for the final points after tight end Heath Miller had given the Steeelers with an 87-yard touchdown.

86. 2000 at Detroit — Dolphins 23, Lions 8

The Dolphins made quick work of the Lions in this one with one of the greatest starts ever to a game. And it went like this: 55-yard kickoff return by Autry Denson, 46-yard touchdown run by Lamar Smith, recovery of a surprise onside kick followed by a touchdown drive for a quick 14-0 lead.

85. 2005 vs. Carolina — Dolphins 27, Panthers 24

Nick Saban's tenure with the Dolphins got off a pretty good start (first game will come later in the countdown) with two victories in the first three games. This Week 3 home win showcased the big-play ability of rookie second overall pick Ronnie Brown, who had a 58-yard run on his way to a 132-yard outing. After Steve Smith's third touchdown reception tied the score 24-24, the Dolphins won on a last-second field goal by Olindo Mare after an interception and 37-yard return by veteran safety Lance Schulters.

84. 2009 vs. New Orleans — Saints 46, Dolphins 34

This late-afternoon shootout in Miami saw the Dolphins squander leads against a Saints team that came in with a 5-0 record and eventually would win the Super Bowl that season. The Dolphins led 24-3 late in the second quarter and 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t overcome two pick-sixes, including the game-clincher by Tracy Porter on a fourth-and-13 right after the two-minute warning.

83. 2010 vs. Pittsburgh — Steelers 23, Dolphins 22

Let’s call this one the “Ben fumble” game. The Dolphins were clinging to a 22-20 lead with under 3 minutes left in regulation when Ben Roethlisberger ran up the middle and got to the goal line before he fumble. The initial ruling was a touchdown, but it was reversed upon review. But the Dolphins’ apparent fumble recovery by Chris Clemons was nullified because, according to the official gamebook, “2nd part of review was not able to determine who recovered the ball.” The Steelers then kicked a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and Chad Henne was intercepted on fourth down, and it was game over.

82. 2021 at Las Vegas — Raiders 31, Dolphins 28 (OT)

Things really didn’t go well for the Dolphins after Tua Tagovailoa was knocked out with a rib injury in Week 2 in 2021, but they almost and maybe should have pulled out a victory the following week against a Raiders team that wound up making the playoffs. The Dolphins did blow a 14-0 lead, highlighted by Elandon Roberts’ 85-yard pick-six, but sent the game to overtime after Jacoby Brissett’s spectacular fourth-and-20 completion to Mike Gesicki, then had their changes in overtime. The first came on a deep incompletion to Will Fuller in the end zone where there was enough contact to have warranted a pass interference and that was followed by Brian Flores’ too-conservative decision to kick a game-tying 50-yard field goal on fourth-and-2 from the Raiders 32 instead of going for the first down and trying to extend a potential game-winning drive.

81. 2004 at San Francisco — Dolphins 24, 49ers 17

The 2004 season was the second-worst of the 2000s for the Dolphins, ahead only of the 1-15 disaster of 2007, but props must be given to interim head coach Jim Bates for having his team play hard to the end despite taking over a team that was 1-8. After a loss at Seattle in his interim debut, Bates got his first victory when Jason Taylor led a strong defensive effort with three sacks, the last of which forced a fumble that Derrick Pope recovered for a touchdown.

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