1985 Miami Dolphins season
The 1985 Miami Dolphins season was the 20th season in franchise history. The club won their fourth consecutive AFC East championship[1] and appeared in the AFC Championship Game.
| 1985 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joe Robbie (Since 1966) |
| Head coach | Don Shula (16th season) |
| General manager | Mike Robbie (Since 1978) |
| Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won AFC Divisional Playoff (Browns) 24–21 Lost AFC Championship Game (Patriots) 14–31 |
Due to Dan Marino's offseason holdout, and an injury to receiver Mark Duper, the Dolphins were only 5–4 through Week 9, and in third place in the AFC East, behind the 7–2 Jets and 6–3 Patriots. Their 220 points scored through Week 9 were fifth in the league,[2] and 85 points fewer – 9.4 per game – than in 1984 at the same point in the season.[3]
The Dolphins righted the ship, however, and won their final seven games, including a stunning upset of the then-undefeated Chicago Bears in a Week 13 Monday Night contest. Miami won the division and defeated the AFC Central champion Cleveland Browns 24–21 in their first playoff game. Their season would end, however, with a 31–14 home loss to division rival New England in the AFC Championship Game.
Off-season
Quarterback Dan Marino, coming off a record-shattering 1984 season, held out through training camp.[4] This and an injury to wide receiver Mark Duper got the Dolphins out to a slow start.
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Lorenzo Hampton | RB | Florida | |
| 3 | 65 | George Little | DT | Iowa | |
| 83 | Alex Moyer | LB | Northwestern | ||
| 4 | 91 | Mike Smith | DB | Texas-El Paso | |
| 111 | Jeff Dellenbach | T | Wisconsin | ||
| 6 | 145 | George Shorthose | WR | Missouri | |
| 167 | Ron Davenport | FB | Louisville | ||
| 7 | 195 | Fuad Reveiz | K | Tennessee | |
| 8 | 223 | Dan Sharp | TE | Texas Christian | |
| 9 | 251 | Adam Hinds | DB | Oklahoma State | |
| 10 | 279 | Mike Pendleton | DB | Indiana | |
| 11 | 307 | Mike Jones | RB | Tulane | |
| 12 | 335 | Ray Noble | DB | California |
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8, 1985 | at Houston Oilers | L 23–26 | |
| 2 | September 15, 1985 | Indianapolis Colts | W 30–13 | |
| 3 | September 22, 1985 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 31–0 | |
| 4 | September 29, 1985 | at Denver Broncos | W 30–26 | |
| 5 | October 6, 1985 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–20 | |
| 6 | October 14, 1985 | at New York Jets | L 7–23 | |
| 7 | October 20, 1985 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 41–38 | |
| 8 | October 27, 1985 | at Detroit Lions | L 21–31 | |
| 9 | November 3, 1985 | at New England Patriots | L 13–17 | |
| 10 | November 10, 1985 | New York Jets | W 21–17 | |
| 11 | November 17, 1985 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 34–20 | |
| 12 | November 24, 1985 | at Buffalo Bills | W 23–14 | |
| 13 | December 2, 1985 | Chicago Bears | W 38–24 | |
| 14 | December 8, 1985 | at Green Bay Packers | W 34–24 | |
| 15 | December 16, 1985 | New England Patriots | W 30–27 | |
| 16 | December 22, 1985 | Buffalo Bills | W 28–0 |
Week 13
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Dolphins | 10 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
at Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida
- Date: December 2
- Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 76°F • Wind 8
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Joe Namath, OJ Simpson
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Miami finished 12–4 in 1985 and, in an epic Monday Night Football showdown on December 2, 1985, handed the previously-undefeated Chicago Bears their only defeat of the season. Several members of the 1972 Dolphins were in attendance at the game.
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After rallying from a 21–3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs to beat the Cleveland Browns 24–21, many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX. The Cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. New England forced six turnovers on the way to a 31–14 win – the Patriots' first in Miami since 1966. The Patriots had lost 18 games in a row at the Orange Bowl. In 1969, the Boston Patriots had beaten the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium.
Standings
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Miami Dolphins(2) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 428 | 320 | W7 |
| New York Jets(4) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 9–3 | 393 | 264 | W1 |
| New England Patriots(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 362 | 290 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–7 | 2–10 | 320 | 386 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 2–12 | 200 | 381 | L6 |
Final roster
Player stats
Passing
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Rating |
| Dan Marino | 567 | 336 | 4137 | 30 | 21 | 84.1 |
Playoffs
AFC Divisional Playoff
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Dolphins | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), mostly cloudy
- Game attendance: 75,128
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
AFC Championship Game
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C), rain
- Game attendance: 74,978
- Referee: Gene Barth
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
In an upset, the Patriots converted 6 Dolphins turnovers into 24 points.
Awards and honors
- Dan Marino, 1985 1st Team All-Pro and AFC Pro Bowl selection
- Mark Duper, franchise record, most receiving yards in one game, 217 yards on November 10.[5]
Notes and references
- Numbelivable!, p.105, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- Pro-Football-Reference: In a single season, in 1985, in the regular season, from team's 1st game to 9th game, sorted by descending Points For
- Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, in 1984, in the regular season, from team's 1st game to 9th game, sorted by descending Points For
- Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p.506, Martin's Press, August 1994, ISBN 0-312-11073-1
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 60