| 1985 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Joe Robbie |
| General manager | Mike Robbie |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Browns) 24–21 Lost AFC Championship (vs. Patriots) 14–31 |
| Pro Bowlers | 4 QBDan Marino WRMark Clayton GRoy Foster CDwight Stephenson |
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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. It was the first season since their undefeated 1972 season without offensive lineman Ed Newman.
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, than in 1984 at the same point in the season.[3]
The Dolphins righted the ship, however, and won their final seven games, including an upset of the then-undefeated Chicago Bears in a Week 13 Monday Night contest. This was the last time until 2021 that the Dolphins had won 7 games in a row. Miami won the division and defeated the AFC Central champion Cleveland Browns 24–21 in their first playoff game. Their season would end with a 31–14 home loss to division rival New England in the AFC Championship Game.
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.
| 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 |
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | atHouston Oilers | L 23–26 | 0–1 | Houston Astrodome | 47,656 |
| 2 | September 15 | Indianapolis Colts | W 30–13 | 1–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 53,693 |
| 3 | September 22 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 31–0 | 2–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 69,791 |
| 4 | September 29 | atDenver Broncos | W 30–26 | 3–1 | Mile High Stadium | 73,614 |
| 5 | October 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 24–20 | 4–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 72,820 |
| 6 | October 14 | atNew York Jets | L 7–23 | 4–2 | Giants Stadium | 73,807 |
| 7 | October 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 41–38 | 5–2 | Miami Orange Bowl | 62,335 |
| 8 | October 27 | atDetroit Lions | L 21–31 | 5–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,291 |
| 9 | November 3 | atNew England Patriots | L 13–17 | 5–4 | Sullivan Stadium | 58,811 |
| 10 | November 10 | New York Jets | W 21–17 | 6–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 73,965 |
| 11 | November 17 | atIndianapolis Colts | W 34–20 | 7–4 | Hoosier Dome | 59,666 |
| 12 | November 24 | atBuffalo Bills | W 23–14 | 8–4 | Rich Stadium | 50,474 |
| 13 | December 2 | Chicago Bears | W 38–24 | 9–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 75,594 |
| 14 | December 8 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 34–24 | 10–4 | Lambeau Field | 52,671 |
| 15 | December 16 | New England Patriots | W 30–27 | 11–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 69,489 |
| 16 | December 22 | Buffalo Bills | W 28–0 | 12–4 | Miami Orange Bowl | 64,811 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Chicago Bears (12–0) at Miami Dolphins (8–4)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Dolphins | 10 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
atOrange Bowl • Miami, Florida
| Game information | ||
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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.
| AFC East | |||||||||
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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 |
Quarterbacks
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Tight ends
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Defensive linemen
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Special teams
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Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | TD | Int | Rating |
| Dan Marino | 567 | 336 | 4137 | 30 | 21 | 84.1 |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | January 4 | Cleveland Browns | W 24–21 | Miami Orange Bowl | 75,128 |
| AFC Championship Game | January 12 | New England Patriots | L 14–31 | Miami Orange Bowl | 74,978 |
Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Dolphins | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
atMiami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
The game is known as 'Marino's 18-point comeback.'
New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | 3 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atMiami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
In an upset, the Patriots converted 6 Dolphins turnovers into 24 points.
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Bold indicates Super Bowl victory |
