The 1984 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 19th season, and 15th in the National Football League (NFL). 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 .
The Dolphins playing against the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX. 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.[a]
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,[b]
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.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Movers, Shakers and Record Breakers ; it was narrated by Brad Crandall.
After the season, the last remaining Dolphin from their Super Bowl VIII team, longtime offensive lineman Ed Newman , retired, ending a 12-year era for the team. He holds the unique distinction as being the only man to make it to Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl XIX as a member of the Dolphins, as well as Super Bowl XVII in between.
1 Offseason 2 Week 1 roster 3 Regular season 3.1 Schedule 3.2 Season summary 3.2.1 Week 1 (Sunday, September 2, 1984): at Washington Redskins 3.2.2 Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1984): vs. New England Patriots 3.2.3 Week 3 (Monday, September 17, 1984): at Buffalo Bills 3.2.4 Week 4 3.2.5 Week 5 3.2.6 Week 6 3.2.7 Week 7 3.2.8 Week 8 (Sunday, October 21, 1984): at New England Patriots 3.2.9 Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1984): vs. Buffalo Bills 3.2.10 Week 10 3.2.11 Week 11 3.2.12 Week 12 3.2.13 Week 13 3.2.14 Week 14 3.2.15 Week 15 3.2.16 Week 16 3.3 Playoffs 3.4 Standings 4 Player stats 5 Postseason 6 Awards and honors 7 Final roster 8 Notes 9 References
Undrafted free agents edit
Miami Dolphins roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics updated {{{Date}}}
49 active, 6 inactive, 0 practice squad, {{{unsigned}}} unsigned
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AFC rosters →
NFC rosters
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 2 at Washington Redskins W 35–171–0 RFK Stadium 52,683 2 September 9 New England Patriots W 28–72–0 Miami Orange Bowl 66,083 3 at Buffalo Bills W 21–173–0 Rich Stadium 65,455 4 September 23 Indianapolis Colts W 44–74–0 Miami Orange Bowl 55,415 5 September 30 at St. Louis Cardinals W 36–285–0 Busch Memorial Stadium 46,991 6 October 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 31–76–0 Three Rivers Stadium 59,103 7 October 14 Houston Oilers W 28–107–0 Miami Orange Bowl 54,080 8 October 21 at New England Patriots W 44–248–0 Sullivan Stadium 60,711 9 October 28 Buffalo Bills W 38–79–0 Miami Orange Bowl 58,824 10 November 4 at New York Jets W 31–1710–0 Giants Stadium 72,655 11 November 11 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–2311–0 Miami Orange Bowl 70,227 12 November 18 at San Diego Chargers L 28–34 (OT) 11–1 Jack Murphy Stadium 53,041 13 New York Jets W 28–1712–1 Miami Orange Bowl 74,884 14 December 2 Los Angeles Raiders L 34–4512–2 Miami Orange Bowl 71,222 15 December 9 at Indianapolis Colts W 35–1713–2 Hoosier Dome 60,411 16 Dallas Cowboys W 28–2114–2 Miami Orange Bowl 74,139
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
[1]
Week 1: Miami Dolphins at Washington Redskins
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins (1–0) 7 7 21 0 35 Redskins (0–1) 0 10 0 7 17
at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.
Date : September 2, 1984Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDT Game weather : 76 °F (24 °C); relative humidity 62%; wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)Game attendance : 52,683Referee : Bob McElwee TV announcers (NBC ) : Charlie Jones (play-by-play) and Bob Griese (color commentator)[2]
Team Category Player Statistics MIA Passing Dan Marino 21/28, 311 YDS, 5 TDs Rushing Andra Franklin 13 CAR, 48 YDS Receiving Mark Duper 6 REC, 178 YDS, 2 TDs WSH Passing Joe Theismann 21/36, 204 YDS, 2 INTs Rushing John Riggins 15 CAR, 98 YDS, 1 TD Receiving Charlie Brown 6 REC, 60 YDS
Point spread :Over/Under: 46.0 (over) Time of Game: 2 hours, 45 minutes Dolphins Game Statistics Redskins 18 First downs 23 30–86 Rushes–yards 29–156 311 Passing yards 204 21–28–0 Passes 21–36–2 0–0 Sacked–yards 2–11 311 Net passing yards 193 397 Total yards 349 152 Return yards 148 5–45.8 Punts 4–43.8 0–0 Fumbles–lost 1–1 4–45 Penalties–yards 3–20 28:48 Time of Possession 31:12
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.
[3]
Week 2: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Patriots (1–1) 0 7 0 0 7 Dolphins (2–0) 0 7 14 7 28
at Miami Orange Bowl • Miami, Florida
Date : September 9, 1984Game time : 1:02 p.m. EDT Game weather : 79 °F (26 °C); relative humidity 65%; wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)Game attendance : 66,083Referee : Chuck Heberling TV announcers (NBC ) : Jay Randolph (play-by-play) and Bob Griese (color commentator)[4]
Team Category Player Statistics NE Passing Steve Grogan 20/42, 217 YDS, 1 TD, 4 INTs Rushing Tony Collins 20 CAR, 87 YDS Receiving Derrick Ramsey 5 REC, 70 YDS MIA Passing Dan Marino 17/28, 269 YDS, 3 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing Tony Nathan 10 CAR, 36 YDS Receiving Mark Clayton 5 REC, 75 YDS, 2 TDs
Point spread :Over/Under: 43.0 (under) Time of Game: 3 hours, 3 minutes Patriots Game Statistics Dolphins 18 First downs 17 28–127 Rushes–yards 30–74 217 Passing yards 269 20–42–4 Passes 17–28–2 2–12 Sacked–yards 0–0 205 Net passing yards 269 332 Total yards 343 74 Return yards 183 8–39.6 Punts 5–41.6 2–1 Fumbles–lost 0–0 6–53 Penalties–yards 6–46 30:46 Time of Possession 29:14
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.
[5]
Week 3: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Period 1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins (3–0) 7 7 7 0 21 Bills (0–3) 0 3 7 7 17
at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York
Date : September 17, 1984Game time : 9:01 p.m. EDT Game weather : 54 °F (12 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)Game attendance : 65,455Referee : Bob FredericTV announcers (ABC ) : Frank Gifford (play-by-play) and O. J. Simpson (color commentator)[6]
Team Category Player Statistics MIA Passing Rushing Receiving BUF Passing Rushing Receiving
Dolphins Game Statistics Bills First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of Possession
1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 7 0 0 7 • Dolphins 7 16 14 7 44
[7]
1 2 3 4 Total • Dolphins 6 20 0 10 36 Cardinals 0 14 7 7 28
[8]
1 2 3 4 Total • Dolphins 0 21 3 7 31 Steelers 0 0 7 0 7
[9]
1 2 3 4 Total Oilers 0 0 3 7 10 • Dolphins 0 7 7 14 28
[10]
[11]
Team Category Player Statistics MIA Passing Dan Marino 24/39, 316 YDS, 4 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Joe Carter 14 CAR, 92 YDS Receiving Mark Clayton 7 REC, 99 YDS, 1 TD NE Passing Tony Eason 19/29, 313 YDS, 3 TDs Rushing Mosi Tatupu 20 CAR, 90 YDS Receiving Derrick Ramsey 5 REC, 32 YDS, 1 TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MIA NE 1 8:33 13 74 3:55 Dolphins 28-yard field goal by von Schamann 3 0 1 2:33 12 49 5:54 Patriots 48-yard field goal by Franklin 3 3 2 14:32 7 65 2:51 Dolphins Johnson 1-yard touchdown run, von Schamann kick good10 3 2 1:55 8 66 4:03 Patriots Weathers 14-yard touchdown reception from Eason , Franklin kick good10 10 2 0:06 11 80 1:49 Dolphins Moore 19-yard touchdown reception from Marino , von Schamann kick no good16 10 3 6:40 13 80 8:20 Dolphins Johnson 5-yard touchdown reception from Marino , von Schamann kick good23 10 3 6:22 1 76 0:18 Patriots Morgan 76-yard touchdown reception from Eason , Franklin kick good23 17 3 2:31 7 75 2:51 Dolphins Clayton 15-yard touchdown reception from Marino , von Schamann kick good30 17 4 11:27 12 61 7:04 Patriots Ramsey 5-yard touchdown reception from Eason , Franklin kick good30 24 4 8:24 6 66 3:04 Dolphins Moore 15-yard touchdown reception from Marino , von Schamann kick good37 24 4 1:11 10 69 4:39 Dolphins Johnson 3-yard touchdown run, von Schamann kick good44 24 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 44 24
Point spread :Over/Under: 42.0 (over) Time of Game: 3 hours, 13 minutes Dolphins Game Statistics Patriots 33 First downs 18 37–236 Rushes–yards 27–102 316 Passing yards 313 24–39–1 Passes 19–29–0 0–0 Sacked–yards 1–7 316 Net passing yards 306 552 Total yards 408 75 Return yards 113 1–38.0 Punts 3–57.0 0–0 Fumbles–lost 1–1 6–36 Penalties–yards 6–36 31:59 Time of Possession 28:01
[13]
Team Category Player Statistics BUF Passing Rushing Receiving MIA Passing Rushing Receiving
Bills Game Statistics Dolphins First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Passes Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Punts Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of Possession
1 2 3 4 Total • Dolphins 7 0 7 17 31 Jets 7 3 0 7 17
Date: November 4Location: Giants Stadium Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C); wind 13 mph (21 km/h)Referee: Gordon McCarterTV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob GrieseScoring summary Q1 7:38 MIA Moore 37 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick)MIA 7–0 Q1 5:03 NYJ Walker 33 yard pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)Tie 7–7 Q2 2:14 NYJ Leahy 32 yard field goal NYJ 10–7 Q3 4:21 MIA Bennett 3 yard run (von Schamann kick)MIA 14–10 Q4 9:31 NYJ McNeil 6 yard run (Leahy kick)NYJ 17–14 Q4 7:45 MIA Clayton 47 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick)MIA 21—17 Q4 3:56 MIA von Schamann 30 yard field goal MIA 24–17 Q4 1:57 MIA Johnson 2 yard run (von Schamann kick)MIA 31–17
[15] [16]
1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 14 0 3 6 23 • Dolphins 0 7 7 10 24
[17]
1 2 3 4 OT Total Dolphins 0 21 7 0 0 28 • Chargers 7 7 0 14 6 34
[18]
1 2 3 4 Total Jets 7 3 7 0 17 • Dolphins 0 14 14 0 28
[19]
1 2 3 4 Total • Raiders 7 10 7 21 45 Dolphins 7 6 14 7 34
[20]
1 2 3 4 Total • Dolphins 7 0 14 14 35 Colts 7 10 0 0 17
[21]
1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 0 7 14 21 • Dolphins 0 7 7 14 28
Date: December 17Location: Orange BowlReferee: Pat HaggertyTV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, O. J. Simpson, Don Meredith
[22]
Player Att Comp Yds TD INT Rating Dan Marino 564 362 5084 48 17 108.9
1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 0 10 0 0 10 • Dolphins 7 7 14 3 31
[23]
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 edit 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 7 7 7 7 28 • Dolphins 7 17 14 7 45
Scoring summary Q1 7:45 MIA Clayton 40 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick)MIA 7–0 Q1 3:30 PIT Erenberg 7 yard run (Anderson kick)Tie 7–7 Q2 9:04 MIA von Schamann 26 yard field goal MIA 10–7 Q2 3:52 PIT Stallworth 65 yard pass from Malone (Anderson kick)PIT 14–10 Q2 2:30 MIA Duper 41 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick)MIA 17–14 Q2 0:36 MIA Nathan 2 yard run (von Schamann kick)MIA 24–14 Q3 13:12 MIA Duper 36 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick) MIA 31–14 Q3 7:55 PIT Stallworth 19 yard pass from Malone (Anderson kick) MIA 31–21 Q3 1:40 MIA Bennett 1 yard run (von Schamann kick)MIA 38–21 Q4 11:05 MIA Moore 6 yard pass from Marino (von Schamann kick)MIA 45–21 Q4 0:25 PIT Capers 29 yard pass from Malone (Anderson kick)MIA 45–28
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.
[24]
Team Category Player Statistics MIA Passing Dan Marino 29/50, 318 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INTs Rushing Tony Nathan 5 CAR, 18 YDS Receiving Tony Nathan 10 REC, 83 YDS SF Passing Joe Montana 24/35, 331 YDS, 3 TDs Rushing Wendell Tyler 13 CAR, 65 YDS Receiving Roger Craig 7 REC, 77 YDS, 2 TDs
Point spread :Over/Under: 53.5 (over) Time of Game: 3 hours, 13 minutes Dolphins Game Statistics 49ers 19 First downs 31 9–25 Rushes–yards 40–211 318 Passing yards 331 29–50–2 Passes 24–35–0 4–29 Sacked–yards 1–5 289 Net passing yards 326 314 Total yards 537 155 Return yards 91 6–39.3 Punts 3–32.7 1–0 Fumbles–lost 2–2 1–10 Penalties–yards 2–10 22:49 Time of Possession 37:11
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.
1984 Miami Dolphins final roster Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen Defensive linemen
Linebackers Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics 49 active, 6 inactive, 0 practice squad
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