1984 Miami Dolphins season
The 1984 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 19th season, and 15th in the National Football League. It was also the 15th season with the team for head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins sought to build on a spectacular 1983 season where they went 12–4 with rookie quarterback Dan Marino.
1984 Miami Dolphins season | |
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Head coach | Don Shula |
Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
Results | |
Record | 14–2 |
Division place | 1st AFC East |
Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks) 31–10 Won AFC Championship (Steelers) 45–28 Lost Super Bowl XIX (vs. 49ers) 16–38 |
The Dolphins won the 1984 AFC Championship, and appeared in Super Bowl XIX, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 38–16. To date this is the last season the Dolphins appeared in the Super Bowl.[lower-alpha 1]
Second year quarterback Dan Marino's passing ability became the focal point of Miami's offense and in 1984 he exploded to set league records with 5,084 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. Marino's touchdown record was broken by Peyton Manning twenty years later and the yardage record was broken by Drew Brees twenty-seven years later. The Dolphins attempted early on to make a run at a perfect season twelve years after pulling off the feat, as they won their first eleven games but were upended in overtime by the San Diego Chargers. The Dolphins scored more than 500 points for the first and to date only time in their history,[lower-alpha 2] as they scored 513 points and finished 14–2, their best record since the undefeated season.
The year began on a somber note, as running back David Overstreet was killed in a traffic collision in June. The Dolphins wore helmet decals with the number 20 (his jersey number) in his memory during this season.
Offseason
Draft
1984 Miami Dolphins draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
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1 | 14 | Jackie Shipp | ILB | Oklahoma | |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Undrafted free agents
Player | Position | College |
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Al Del Greco | Kicker | Auburn |
Week 1 roster
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time(ET) | TV Announcers | Attendance |
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1 | September 2, 1984 | at Washington Redskins | W 35–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Charlie Jones & Bob Griese | |
2 | September 9, 1984 | New England Patriots | W 28–7 | NBC 1:00pm | Jay Randolph & Bob Griese | |
3 | September 17, 1984 | at Buffalo Bills | W 21–17 | ABC 9:00pm | Frank Gifford & OJ Simpson | |
4 | September 23, 1984 | Indianapolis Colts | W 44–7 | NBC 4:00pm | Charlie Jones & Bob Griese | |
5 | September 30, 1984 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 36–28 | NBC 1:00pm | Jay Randolph & Bob Griese | |
6 | October 7, 1984 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–7 | NBC 1:00pm | Jay Randolph & Bob Griese | |
7 | October 14, 1984 | Houston Oilers | W 28–10 | NBC 1:00pm | Gary Gerould & Harvey Martin | |
8 | October 21, 1984 | at New England Patriots | W 44–24 | NBC 1:00pm | Charlie Jones & Bob Griese | |
9 | October 28, 1984 | Buffalo Bills | W 38–7 | NBC 4:00pm | Charlie Jones & Bob Griese | |
10 | November 4, 1984 | at New York Jets | W 31–17 | NBC 4:00pm | Charlie Jones & Bob Griese | |
11 | November 11, 1984 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–23 | CBS 1:00pm | Frank Glieber & Jean Fugett | |
12 | November 18, 1984 | at San Diego Chargers | L 28–34 | NBC 4:00pm | Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen | |
13 | November 26, 1984 | New York Jets | W 28–17 | ABC 9:00pm | Frank Gifford, OJ Simpson & Don Meredith | |
14 | December 2, 1984 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 34–45 | NBC 4:00pm | Dick Enberg & Merlin Olsen | |
15 | December 9, 1984 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 35–17 | NBC 1:00pm | Jay Randolph & Reggie Rucker | |
16 | December 17, 1984 | Dallas Cowboys | W 28–21 | ABC 9:00pm | Frank Gifford, OJ Simpson & Don Meredith |
Week 1
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Dan Marino had one of the best passing days of his career, completing 21 of 28 passes for 311 yards with 5 TDs and no interceptions for a Passer Rating of 150.4. This game also marked the emergence of Jim "Crash" Jensen, who lined up as a receiver for the first time and caught 2 of Marino's TD passes. Until 2015, this was the Dolphins' last road win over the Redskins.
Week 2
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Dan Marino increased his two-game total of seven touchdown passes as he tossed a pair of scoring strikes to Mark Clayton within a 1:36 span in the third quarter to lead Miami to its 17th straight victory against the Patriots at The Orange Bowl. Miami intercepted four Steve Grogan passes. Mike Kozlowski returned one 26 yards, then laterred to William Judson who rambled the remaining 60 yards for a touchdown.
Week 3
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Week 4
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Week 5
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Week 6
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Week 7
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Week 8
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Week 9
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Week 10
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Week 11
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Week 12
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Week 13
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Week 14
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Week 15
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Week 16
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Playoffs
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
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Divisional | December 29, 1984 | Seattle Seahawks | W 31–10 | |
Conference Championship | January 6, 1985 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 45–28 | |
Super Bowl | January 20, 1985 | N San Francisco 49ers | L 16–38 |
Standings
AFC East | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Miami Dolphins(1) | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 8–0 | 10–2 | 513 | 298 | W2 |
New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 362 | 352 | W1 |
New York Jets | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 7–7 | 332 | 364 | L1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 239 | 414 | L5 |
Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 250 | 454 | L2 |
Player stats
Passing
Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
Dan Marino | 564 | 362 | 5084 | 48 | 17 | 108.9 |
Postseason
Divisional
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A year after being upended in the playoffs by the Seattle Seahawks the Dolphins routed Seattle 31–10. Dan Marino threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns despite being intercepted twice by Seahawks defensive back John Harris. The Dolphins rushed for 143 yards and a Tony Nathan rushing score as well.
Conference Championship
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In a shootout, quarterback Dan Marino led the Dolphins to a victory by throwing for 421 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Steelers quarterback Mark Malone recorded 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, but was intercepted three times.
Super Bowl
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Super Bowl XIX was played on January 20, 1985, and featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers won their second Super Bowl, defeating the Dolphins 38–16. Dan Marino, the Dolphins quarterback passed for one touchdown and two interceptions, while Joe Montana, the 49ers quarterback passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for another.
- MIA – FG: Uwe von Schamann 37 yards 3–0 MIA
- SF – TD: Carl Monroe 33-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) 7–3 SF
- MIA – TD: Dan Johnson 2-yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) 10–7 MIA
- SF – TD: Roger Craig 8-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) 14–10 SF
- SF – TD: Joe Montana 6-yard run (Ray Wersching kick) 21–10 SF
- SF – TD: Roger Craig 2-yard run (Ray Wersching kick) 28–10 SF
- MIA – FG: Uwe von Schamann 31 yards 28–13 SF
- MIA – FG: Uwe von Schamann 30 yards 28–16 SF
- SF – FG: Ray Wersching 27 yards 31–16 SF
- SF – TD: Roger Craig 16-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) 38–16 SF
Awards and honors
- Dan Marino, 1984 NFL MVP
- Dan Marino, 1984 PFWA MVP
- Dan Marino, 1984 NEA MVP
- Dan Marino, 1984 NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- Dan Marino, 1984 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
- Dan Marino, Bert Bell Award[19]
Final roster
Notes
- As of 2015 season
- as of 2015 season
References
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)