The Top 100 Plays of the First Quarter of the Century: 21-25

Here's our countdown of the top 100 Miami Dolphins plays 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 plays 21-25:

25 — Olindo Mare’s onside kick at Detroit in 2000

Setting the stage: Earlier in the countdown, we chronicled Lamar Smith’s 46-yard touchdown against the Lions in Detroit (play 58) on the first snap after a long kickoff return by Autry Denson had set Miami up in plus-territory, but what happened immediately after even beat that.

The play: The Dolphins, who came in with a 7-2 record against the 5-3 Lions, clearly wanted to deliver an early knockout punch. So head coach Dave Wannstedt had Olindo Mare go for an onside kick after the opening touchdown and it was done well enough that the TV cameras were fooled and Terrence Shaw was able to corral the bouncing ball with little resistance. So the Dolphins began their second drive at their own 41 already up 7-0 with only 25 seconds expired. They would score another touchdown on this drive to make it 14-0 and that’s all they would need in a 23-8 victory.

24. Greg Camarillo’s OT touchdown vs. Baltimore in 2007

Setting the stage: The 2007 season easily was the worst in Dolphins history and it seemed the Dolphins might be headed for a winless year — to go along with their perfect season — when they prepared to face the Baltimore Ravens in Miami in Week 15. The Dolphins were 0-13 and going up against a Baltimore team on a seven-game losing streak that had turned a 4-2 start into a 4-9 nightmare. The Dolphins came oh-so-close to losing this game twice, first when Baltimore had a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the final minute but chose to kick a game-tying field goal instead of trying for a touchdown and the win, and then when Matt Stover lined up for a 44-yard field goal attempt in overtime, only to miss it wide left.

The play: The Dolphins did get their first — and only — win of that season shortly after the Stover miss and it was both sudden and spectacular. After Lorenzo Booker was dropped for a 3-yard loss and Cleo Lemon scrambled for 5 yards, the Dolphins were left with a third-and-8 from their 36. Greg Camarillo was lined up in the slot to the left of Lemon, matched up one-on-one with backup defensive back Jamaine Winborn. Camarillo ran a simple route up the middle with a quick inside move short of midfield and caught Lemon's pass in stride as he was running away from Winborn. It really was no contest from there as Camarillo raced to the end zone with members of the 1972 Dolphins on the sidelines watching and cheering.

23. Tua’s third-down completion to Tyreek Hill at L.A. Chargers in 2023

Setting the stage: Tagovailoa put up bigger numbers in the Week 2 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in 2022, but an argument could be made that the 2023 opener against the Los Angeles Chargers was his best performance in the NFL. The Dolphins were involved in a shootout that day in a battle of teams coming off playoff appearances and they found themselves down 34-30 and facing a critical third-and-10 from their 25 with just under four minutes left.

The play: For all the stats he’s compiled since Mike McDaniel became head coach in 2022, Tagovailoa has made most of his plays on schedule. This was different and what made the play stand out. He got some pressure from the outside, stepped up in the pocket and threw deep down the right sideline without really setting his feet. What he delivered was a perfect throw to Tyreek Hill down the right side good for a 47-yard completion. Five plays later, the two connected again for a 4-yard touchdown that proved the winning margin in the 36-34 thriller.

22. Patrick Surtain’s INT vs. Oakland in 2002

Setting the stage: The 2002 season may have been the most frustrating of the 2000s for the Dolphins because of their potential and what might have been if not for an injury to starting quarterback Jay Fiedler and the 2-4 record with him out of the lineup. But at their best, the Dolphins could compete with anybody — at least in the AFC — as they showed in this December matchup against the eventual conference champion Oakland Raiders.

The play: The Dolphins defense made life difficult for NFL MVP Rich Gannon on this day, with cornerback Patrick Surtain providing the final blow. After an Olindo Mare field goal made it 23-17, the Raiders began their final drive at their 20 and quickly got a 14-yard gain. On second-and-10, Gannon tried to go deep down the middle of the field to Jerry Rice, but Surtain had great coverage and safety Brock Marion was coming over to help. Surtain played the ball the whole way, ultimately reaching out behind him with his right arm to snag the ball with one hand. One Ricky Williams first down later, the Dolphins had secured a victory to move to 9-5 on the season, though they would lose their final two games and miss the playoffs.

21. Phillip Merling’s pick-six at N.Y. Jets in 2008

Setting the stage: The 2008 season was one of the most remarkable in franchise history because of the history-making turnaround engineered by Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano. After going 1-15 in Cam Cameron's first and only season as Dolphins head coach in 2007, the Dolphins rebounded from a 2-4 start in 2008 to win eight of their next nine games and put themselves in position to clinch the AFC East title with a victory against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium.

The play: The Dolphins trailed 6-0 late in the second quarter before they turned the game around dramatically on two plays from scrimmage. After Chad Pennington threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. to put the Dolphins ahead, rookie defensive end Phillip Merling got into the passing lane on an intended screen pass and Brett Favre pretty much threw the ball directly to him. After making the interception, Merling rumbled 25 yards for a touchdown and the Dolphins had themselves a 14-6 lead on their way to a division-clinching 24-17 victory.

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