The Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 91-100

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 start the countdown with games 91-100:

100. 2012 vs. Oakland — Dolphins 35, Raiders 13

We start off the countdown with Joe Philbin’s first victory as Dolphins head coach in his first game at Sun Life Stadium (you now know it as Hard Rock Stadium) after a season-opening loss at Houston. The Dolphins actually trailed 10-7 in this game midway through the third quarter before they score four touchdowns including two by Reggie Bush as part of a 172-yard rushing performance.

99. 2024 at Buffalo — Bills 30, Dolphins 27

Remember that this is a countdown about the top games and not the top Dolphins victories, so there will be losses included. This was a really good game that could have gone either way and was decided by an unfortunate roughness penalty on safety Jordan Poyer that set up an improbable 61-yard field goal by Tyler Bass.

98. 2000 vs. Seattle — Dolphins 23, Seahawks 0

The Dolphins played exactly the kind of game in Dave Wannstedt’s head-coaching debut with the team that he wanted to see on a weekly basis, headlined by a strong running game and stout defense. On this day, newcomer Lamar Smith rushed for 145 yards and the defense held Seattle to 145 total yards while picking off Jon Kitna four times (including two by Sam Madison).

97. 2011 vs. Denver — Broncos 18, Dolphins 15 (OT)

The Dolphins were 0-5 when they hosted the Broncos and Tim Tebow, making his first start of the season after taking over for Kyle Orton. The Dolphins sure looked on their way to a victory when they led 15-0 with three minutes left, but a crazy sequence of events ensued. Denver sent the game to overtime with a touchdown, successful onside kick, another touchdown and a two-point conversion, then got a strip-sack in overtime, and finally a 52-yard field goal by Matt Prater.

 96. 2011 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 19, Jets 17

The Dolphins long had been eliminated from the playoffs when they faced the Jets in the season finale, but this game was memorable nonetheless as the last one of Jason Taylor’s Hall of Fame career and because Randy Starks accomplished a rare feat for a defensive tackle with two interceptions. One of those came when Mark Sanchez tried to throw the ball while in Taylor’s grasp. As a bonus for this game, the Dolphins victory eliminated the Jets from playoff contention after they had reached the AFC Championship Game the previous two seasons.

95. 2006 vs. Minnesota — Dolphins 24, Vikings 20

This game was part of Taylor’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year season, and in this one he returned an interception for a touchdown after Renaldo Hill had returned a fumble for a score, the defense turning a 13-10 deficit into a 24-13 lead that would hold up. For good measure, Taylor also forced two fumbles, one of which was recovered by the Dolphins (not Hill’s touchdown).

94. 2004 vs. St. Louis — Dolphins 31, Rams 14

The 2004 season was a nightmare for the Dolphins, who couldn’t do anything offensively in the first month and a half after Ricky Williams abruptly retired on the eve of training camp. Things finally came together after an 0-6 start when the Dolphins topped 13 points for the first time, thanks in part to a completion off a flea-flicker from Marty Booker to fellow wide receiver Chris Chambers.

93. 2024 vs. Arizona — Cardinals 28, Dolphins 27

Tua Tagavailoa was very effective in his return from injured reserve and the Dolphins led 27-18 until the Cardinals rallied and won the game on the final play after Kyler Murray got a critical clock-killing first down on a third-down scramble.

92. 2003 vs. San Diego (at Tempe, Ariz.) — Dolphins 26, Chargers 17

This game was unique in that it was a Monday night battle that had to be moved from San Diego to Sun Devil Stadium because of wildfires in Southern California. The game itself was unremarkable against a bad Chargers team, though it did feature Brian Griese’s best performance as a Dolphins quarterback as he threw three touchdown passes. The defense, meanwhile, intercepted Drew Brees three times.

91. 2014 vs. Oakland (in London) — Dolphins 38, Raiders 14

The Dolphins haven’t had much success in their European games, but they dominated the Raiders in this Week 4 matchup. After falling behind 7-0, the Dolphins scored 38 unanswered points thanks to two Ryan Tannehill touchdown passes, two Lamar Miller runs and a 50-yard fumble return by Cortland Finnegan. The loss dropped the Raiders to 0-4 on the season and led to the firing of head coach Dennis Allen.

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