Top Five Dolphins Moments vs. Oakland Raiders

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The Miami Dolphins aim for a 3-0 start on Sunday afternoon as they play host to the 0-2 Oakland Raiders. Miami and Oakland have rich football histories, although neither have been great for more than a decade with a playoff season mixed in here and there.

Sunday's contest at Hard Rock Stadium will give the Dolphins the opportunity to start 3-0 for the first time since 2013. Oakland on the other hand, looks to avoid starting 0-3 for the first time since 2014.

As is customary, we'll count down the top five moments for the Dolphins in the history of the series with the Raiders:

Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders
All-Time Series: Oakland leads 20-17-1
All-Time Series in Miami: Miami leads 10-9-1
Last Meeting: Oakland won 27-24 (Nov. 5, 2017)
Last Meeting in Miami: Oakland won 27-24 (Nov. 5, 2017)

TOP 5 MOMENTS 

5. Stoyanovich's Overtime Game-Winner
Los Angeles Raiders 17, Miami Dolphins 20 (OT)
Oct. 16, 1994
In what was a game that many thought the Dolphins should win midway through the 1994 season, Miami never led in the contest with the 2-3 Los Angeles Raiders. The Raiders raced to a 10-0 lead and held a 17-10 advantage heading to the fourth quarter. That was erased less than three minutes in as Keith Byars scored on the receiving end of an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dan Marino. The contest would go to overtime and the Dolphins would need just one possession. After Marino marched the team into the red zone, Pete Stoyanovich connected on a 29-yard field goal to win the contest.

4. Tannehill's First Win as Starting QB
Oakland Raiders 13, Miami Dolphins 35
Sept. 16, 2012
It had been 29 years since the Dolphins had drafted a quarterback in the first round until they selected Ryan Tannehill eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Dolphins had lost the season-opener in Houston that year, but against the Oakland Raiders in his home debut, Tannehill earned his first win as starting quarterback. The ground game, led by Reggie Bush's 172 yards and two touchdowns, carried the way for Miami, but Tannehill was efficient in his home debut. Tannehill went 18-for-30 passing for 200 yards with both his first passing and rushing touchdown in the win.

3. Fiedler Plunges to Cap Game-Winning TD Drive
Oakland Raiders 15, Miami Dolphins 18
Sept. 23, 2001
In what would be the home opener for the Miami Dolphins in 2001, things looked bleak. With 1:40 to play in the contest, the Dolphins trailed 15-10 and were starting at their own 20-yard-line with no timeouts. To that point in the contest, quarterback Jay Fiedler had been less than spectacular, but with the game on the line, Fiedler found his zone. On the final drive of the contest, Fiedler connected on five of his seven throws for 70 yards, including a fourth down conversion completion to Dedric Ward. With time ticking away however, it wasn't Fiedler's arm that would decide the outcome, but his legs. Facing 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard-line, the Miami quarterback eluded tacklers before diving into the end zone with five seconds remaining for his second rushing touchdown of the day in an 18-15 win.

2. Marino Makes NFL Debut
Miami Dolphins 14, Los Angeles Raiders 27
Sept. 19, 1983
It's hard to imagine a loss making the list, but Week 3 of the 1983 season proved that Miami had something special. Trailing 27-0 in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins were looking for a spark and replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino. The former Pittsburgh star wasn't able to complete a comeback for the ages, but went 11-for-17 passing with 90 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Of his six misfires, four came on drops. Marino would slowly work his way into the starting role as a rookie and remain in that role for the next 16 seasons. Marino retired after the 1999 season as the NFL's all-time leader in pass attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns.

1. Dolphins 3-Peat as AFC Champs
Oakland Raiders 10, Miami Dolphins 27
Dec. 30, 1973
All that stood between the world champion Miami Dolphins and a third straight appearance in the Super Bowl was the Oakland Raiders in late December 1973. The Raiders were one of just two teams to beat Miami in 1973, but at the Orange Bowl in late December, the silver and black were no match. The rushing duo of Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris combined to go for over 200 on the ground for Miami. The workhorse Csonka carried the ball 29 times for 117 yards and all three Miami touchdowns. Oakland managed to cut a 14-0 Miami lead to seven after three quarters, but Garo Yepremian's second field goal and Csonka's third touchdown iced the contest. Bob Matheson's 29-yard return of a Ken Stabler interception highlighted the day for a Miami defense that held Oakland to just 236 yards. Miami would go on to beat the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII, 24-7, to become the first AFC team to win consecutive Super Bowls. 
 
Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

10-Year Phiniversary: Dolphins Introduce Wildcat to Trounce Patriots

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The New England Patriots were without Tom Brady after a season-ending injury in a 2008 season-opening victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, but more of the same was expected as the Miami Dolphins visited Foxborough on Sept. 21, 2008.

Although Brady was gone, New England had won 21 straight regular season games. The visiting Dolphins on the other hand were just 1-20 in its previous 21 games. On this day 10 years ago however, Miami introduce the "wildcat" and smashed the Patriots 38-13 to spark a 10-win turnaround and an AFC division title run.

Most know what the wildcat is 10 years later, but in 2008, it was a fairly new experiment, especially in the NFL. Rather than snapping the ball to the quarterback, running back Ronnie Brown took a number of shotgun snaps for Miami. On that day, Brown did just about everything for the Dolphins except drive the bus home, although he did drive the Patriots mad.

Brown would end up finishing the day with 113 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Brown also completed his only pass attempt for a 19-yard score to tight end Anthony Fasano.

After a slow start, Brown got the scoring started with 2:29 to play in the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run. His second score came midway through the second quarter from 15 yards out to make it 14-3. After a second field goal from New England's Stephen Gostowski cut the lead to 14-6, Brown scored on a 5-yard run in the final minute of the first half to give the Dolphins a 21-6 advantage at the break.

The aforementioned touchdown pass from Brown came with less than six minutes to play in the third quarter, but was followed by New England's only touchdown of the day as quarterback Matt Cassel hit Jabar Gaffney for the 5-yard score.

The final quarter began with the Patriots down just two scores, but Brown wasted no time delivering the knockout punch. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brown put the final nail in the New England coffin by rushing for a 62-yard touchdown and over a New England defender in the process. Dan Carpenter capped the scoring with a field goal for Miami.
Brown's big day at New England in 2008 is probably the fondest memory for Dolphins fans when it came to the former No. 2 overall pick, but the 25-point beatdown of New England was hardly a 1-man show. Ricky Williams narrowly missed hitting the century mark rushing, going for 98 yards on 16 carries.

Miami quarterback Chad Pennington was also stellar, going 17-for-20 passing for 226 yards. Fasano led all pass-catchers with 66 yards receiving. The victory would be the first for Tony Sparano as Miami head coach.

The Miami defense was outstanding as well, holding New England to 215 yards while forcing two turnovers. Linebacker Joey Porter had four sacks for the Dolphins while defensive tackle Randy Starks came down with an interception.

After a 1-15 finish in 2007 and an 0-2 start to 2008, the Dolphins would win 11 of their final 14 games to tie for the greatest turnaround in NFL history. The win over New England in Foxborough would serve as the tiebreaker as the Dolphins claimed the division title and waltzed into the playoffs. That victory happened on this day 10 years ago.  

Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

35-Year Phiniversary: Marino Makes NFL Debut

The Miami Dolphins are hoping to improve to 3-0 on Sunday as they play host to the Oakland Raiders. On this day 35 years ago however, another significant moment in franchise history took place and it also happened against the Raiders.

With the Monday Night Football contest on Sept. 19, 1983 virtually already decided, the Dolphins looked to provide a spark against the Los Angeles Raiders in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Miami trailed 27-0 in the fourth quarter and were ineffective on offense with David Woodley under center.

The move that head coach Don Shula would make down four scores that night would change the fate of the franchise for nearly two decades and arguably forever. Rather than leaving Woodley, who helped the team reach the Super Bowl the year prior, in the game, Shula turned to the rookie from Pittsburgh named Dan Marino.

Marino's first regular season action in the NFL wasn't enough to spark a comeback for the ages. What it did do however, was let the fans in South Florida know that they had something special.

The Raiders would go on to win the game, 27-14, but in limited action, Marino went 11-for-17 passing for 90 yards and tossed his first two career touchdown passes to tight end Joe Rose and wide receiver Mark Duper.
With the loss, Miami fell to 1-2, but the Dolphins would lose just twice for the remainder of the regular season. Shula was hesitant to turn over the reigns to the young Marino, but the Pittsburgh rookie wound up starting nine games in 1983 and appearing in 11 total.

The following season would watch Marino obliterate the single-season NFL record books and earn league MVP by throwing for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns -- 12 more than the previous record. Over his 17-year career in Miami, Marino would break every major passing record before ultimately retiring following the 1999 season.

In 17 years with Marino at the helm, the Dolphins suffered just one losing season and the rifle-armed Marino would cement his place at the greatest player in the history of the franchise. Marino's statue stands outside Hard Rock Stadium, where Miami plays its home games. The boulevard leading to the stadium bears his name. Dan Marino's first NFL appearance came on this day in 1983 -- 35 years ago.

Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

Top Five Dolphins Road Moments vs. New York Jets

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Sunday's contest in the Meadowlands will be a match-up of 1-0 teams as the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets each scored victories in Week 1. The Dolphins held off the Tennessee Titans, 27-20, while the Jets shocked a lot of people with a 48-17 victory on Monday night over the Detroit Lions.

Having shared a division since the Dolphins' inauguration in 1966, Miami and the Jets are no stranger to one another. Traditionally, the games and the series have been very close.

Since the Dolphins and Jets play twice this season, we'll put together two separate pieces. With Sunday's contest on the road, we'll look at the five best memories for the Dolphins while visiting the Jets.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
All-Time Series: Jets lead 54-50-1
All-Time Series in New York: Jets lead 29-23
Last Meeting: Miami won 31-28 at home (Oct. 22, 2017)
Last Meeting in New York: Jets won 20-6 (Sept. 24, 2017)

TOP 5 MOMENTS 

5. Dolphins Rally to Start 10-0
Miami Dolphins 31, New York Jets 17
Nov. 4, 1984
The Miami Dolphins arrived in the Meadowlands to kick off the month of November in 1984 with a perfect 9-0 record. That perfect record looked to be in jeopardy with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter after running back Freeman McNeil scored from six yards out to give the Jets a 17-14 lead. Over the game's final 7:45 however, the Jets had no answer for Dan Marino and the Miami offense as they closed the game with 17 straight points. Marino's 47-yard touchdown pass to Mark Clayton midway through the period put the Dolphins ahead for good before Pete Johnson put the exclamation point on the win with a 2-yard touchdown with 1:57 to play.

4. Ginn Returns Two Kickoffs 100-Plus Yards for Scores
Miami Dolphins 30, New York Jets 25
Nov. 1, 2009
It had been 32 years since an NFL player had returned two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same quarter. That changed as the calendar turned to November in 2009 and Ted Ginn set his sights on the Meadowlands. On a day where the Dolphins managed just 104 yards of offense, they found a way to beat the Jets, thanks to three non-offensive touchdowns and two from Ginn. Ginn became the first Miami player ever to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game. Ginn gave the Dolphins the lead midway through the third quarter with a 100-yard kickoff return for a score. The next time he touched the football later in the quarter, he outdid himself, going 101 yards. Jason Taylor also returned a fumble for a score in the victory, but it was Ginn who stole the show.

3. Dolphins Hand Jets Worst Shutout Home Loss Ever
Miami Dolphins 43, New York Jets 0
Oct. 19, 1975
It's been more than 40 years since the date, but no team has ever handed the New York Jets a worse shutout loss at home than the Miami Dolphins did in 1975. Bob Griese passed for three touchdowns and ran for another for the Miami offense while Mercury Morris added 114 yards rushing and a score on the ground. The story for the Dolphins however, was the defense. As a unit, Miami held the Jets to just 176 yards of offense and forced eight turnovers. The Dolphins intercepted future Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath six times. Safety Curtis Johnson was responsible for three of those.

2. Dolphins Go Worst to First, Clinch AFC East
Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 17
Dec. 28, 2008
After going just 1-15 in 2007, the Miami Dolphins arrived in East Rutherford for the 2008 regular season finale needing only a victory to finish 11-5, win the AFC East and tie the greatest single-season turnaround in league history. In what would be quarterback Brett Favre's final game as a New York Jet, the Dolphins intercepted the Hall of Famer three times. Andre' Goodman was responsible for two of them while defensive end Phillip Merling returned his 25 yards for a touchdown. Still midway through the third quarter, Miami was on the short end of a 17-14 score. That's when Miami quarterback and longtime Jet, Chad Pennington looked to the end zone and found tight end Anthony Fasano for 20 yards and what would be the game's final touchdown. Pennington passed for 200 yards and a pair of scores while the defense did the rest as Miami claimed its first division title in eight years and the only one since.

1. The Fake Spike
Miami Dolphins 28, New York Jets 24
Nov. 27, 1994
Legendary Miami quarterback Dan Marino was in the process of leading one of his memorable comebacks in late November 1994. A 24-6 lead for the New York Jets had been whittled to three and after a first down completion inside the 10-yard-line with less than a minute to play, Marino motioned to his team that he had planned on spiking the ball and stopping the clock. But with 22 seconds left and the New York defense's guard down, Marino took the snap and instead looked to the corner of the end zone where he found Mark Ingram for the fourth touchdown connection between the two on the day and the game-winning score. Marino finished the day with 359 yards passing while Ingram finished with 117 yards receiving and four scores. The victory would be enormous as Miami went on to win the AFC East. That particular play continues to live in Dolphins lore.

Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.

Top Five Dolphins Moments vs. Tennessee Titans

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The NFL season gets underway on Sunday and the Miami Dolphins will look to start 1-0 for a second straight season. Miami looks to bounce back from a disappointing 6-10 season in 2017.

Things begin at home for the Dolphins against a playoff team from last season in the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee finished 9-7 and ultimately topped the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round before falling to the New England Patriots in the Divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

In what we intend to be a weekly series, we'll be looking at the Dolphins' five best moments all-time against the Titans' franchise. This includes contests against the Houston and Tennessee Oilers.

Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans
All-Time Series: Miami leads 20-17
All-Time Series in Miami: Miami leads 12-9
Last Meeting: Miami won 16-10 (Oct. 8, 2017)
Last Meeting in Miami: Miami won 16-10 (Oct. 8, 2017)

TOP 5 MOMENTS 

5. Nedney Knocks Through Game-Winner
Miami Dolphins 23, Houston Oilers 20
Nov. 17, 1996
The final meeting between the teams in Houston wasn't decided until the clock hit triple zeroes. The Houston Oilers raced to a 14-0 lead in the 1996 contest and looked to be in control. Miami was able to chip away and took its first lead on a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown by Zach Thomas with 11:42 remaining in the game. Al Del Greco's 34-yard field goal with 3:20 to play evened the game, but quarterback Dan Marino, who finished with 237 yards passing, was able to move Miami into field goal range for a short field goal. Rookie Joe Nedney's 29-yard kick split the uprights as time expired.

4. Del Greco Misses, Mare Makes
Tennessee Oilers 13, Miami Dolphins 16 (OT)
Sept. 7, 1997
The Dolphins looked destined for a Week 2 loss early on in 1997. With time ticking away, the Tennessee Oilers moved into field goal range and sent out kicker Al Del Greco for a potential game-winning field goal with the score knotted at 13. Fortunately for Miami, Del Greco's kick sailed wide and the contest went into overtime. Tennessee would never see the football again as Miami reached field goal range. For the second year in a row, it would be a rookie kicker who did in the Oilers as Olindo Mare connected on a 29-yard field goal to seal the victory. The Oilers had led most of the way until Miami finally found the end zone to knot the game up on a 2-yard touchdown run by Irving Spikes early in the final quarter.

3. Stoyanovich Connects From Deep
Houston Oilers 16, Miami Dolphins 19
Nov. 22, 1992
For a third straight contest on the list, a made kick for the Dolphins was the difference. In a 1992 contest with serious playoff implications, the Dolphins fell behind 10-0 before rallying to get back into the game. After kicker Pete Stoyanovich knotted the game 16-16 earlier in the fourth quarter, the reliable right-footed kicker was sent on with just seconds remaining to try a 52-yard field goal. Stoyanovich's kick split the uprights with two seconds left as Miami improved to 8-3 and would go on to clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs.

2. First-Ever Road Win
Miami Dolphins 20, Houston Oilers 13
Oct. 23, 1966
One week after beating the Denver Broncos for their first-ever win as franchise, the Dolphins headed to Houston looking to do something they had never done before -- win on the road. George Wilson's 80-yard touchdown strike to Bo Roberson set the tone for Miami. Wilson would finish 4-for-4 passing for 88 yards and the score while Rick Norton and Cookie Gilchrist also hooked up for a touchdown. Kicker Gene Mingo connected on kicks of 43 and 42 yards in the second half for Miami. The Dolphins' defense intercepted Houston quarterback George Blanda four times with three of those landing in the arms of defensive back Willie West. It would be nearly two years later before the Dolphins won another road game. That one also came in Houston.

1. Marino Leads First-Ever Fourth Quarter Comeback
Miami Dolphins 24, Houston Oilers 17
Dec. 4, 1983
As a rookie in 1983, quarterback Dan Marino was starting to turn heads across the NFL, but until the first Sunday in December, the Pittsburgh rookie had never led the Dolphins to a victory when trailing in the fourth quarter. Against a lowly 1-12 Oilers team, that would change. Miami trailed 14-0 early, but had drawn to within a touchdown entering the final quarter. With 11:46 to play, Marino fired his only touchdown pass of the game on a 28-yard strike to Nat Moore to even the game, 17-17. A 5-yard touchdown run by Tony Nathan with 3:51 to play would be the game-winner for Miami as Marino engineered his first fourth quarter comeback. Over the next 16 years, Marino would do it 35 more times.  

Mike Ferguson is the founder of Days of Dolphins Past. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson.