With the Dolphins a few hours away from facing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field, we look back at 10 memorable Monday night games in franchise history.
1973 — Dolphins 30, Pittsburgh 26
We start, fittingly, with a matchup between the same teams who will play tonight at Heinz Field. This rematch of the 1972 AFC Championship Game took place in early December at the Orange Bowl. It turned into the Dick Anderson show as the safety came up with a team-record four interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns.
1981 — Dolphins 13, Philadelphia 10
This was another game at the Orange Bowl and this one became famous for the crowd and its impact on the outcome. The crowd was loud all night, but really turned it up a notch in the fourth quarter when the Eagles had the ball in their territory with the teams tied. Quarterback Ron Jaworski pulled away from the line of scrimmage on a few occasions before finally throwing an interception that set up the game-winning field goal with just over a minute left.
1984 — Dolphins 28, Dallas 21
This season finale at the Orange Bowl put the finishing touches on record-setting seasons for Dan Marino and Mark Clayton. With Marino already having set all the major single-season NFL passing records, Clayton joined him in the record-setting department with his 16th, 17th and 18th touchdown receptions of the season, the last one the game-winner.
1985 — Dolphins 38, Chicago 24
With the 12-0 Bears at the Orange Bowl, members of the 1972 Dolphins stood on the sideline to lend their support to the current edition. Behind that support and a brilliant offensive game plan that neutralized Chicago's vaunted "46" defense, the Dolphins raced to a 31-10 halftime lead on their way to a convincing victory.
1992 — Dolphins 27, Cleveland 23
This Week 2 game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium served as the Dolphins' season opener because of the postponement of their Week 1 game due to Hurricane Andrew. This was a thrilling opener, with the Dolphins pulling out a last-minute victory on a Mark Higgs touchdown run.
1999 — Dolphins 38, Denver 21
This was another season opener, and it marked Denver's first game without John Elway after the Broncos had won back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The Dolphins recovered from an early 61-yard touchdown pass by Denver to dominate the rest of the way, Jason Taylor capping the victory with a fumble return for a touchdown.
2002 — Dolphins 27, Chicago 9
The Dolphins wore all-aqua uniforms for this December matchup in Miami, and the highlight was a second consecutive 200-yard rushing performance by Ricky Williams.
2004 — Dolphins 29, New England 28
The Dolphins wore orange jerseys in this prime-time game and they produced one of the biggest upset victories in franchise history. Behind a late fourth-down touchdown pass from A.J. Feeley to Derrius Thompson and two late interceptions of Tom Brady, the 2-11 Dolphins shocked the 11-2 Patriots, who were in the midst of a second consecutive Super Bowl season.
2009 — Dolphins 31, N.Y. Jets 27
Another game with orange jerseys, this one offered an absolutely thrilling fourth quarter that saw five lead changes. The last of those lead changes came when Ronnie Brown took a shotgun snap in the Wildcat formation and scored on a 2-yard run with 6 seconds left.
2017 — Dolphins 27, New England 20
This game, with the Dolphins wearing their throwback uniforms, was the last time they won on Monday night. Jay Cutler was the offensive star with three touchdown passes, while Xavien Howard was the defensive standout with two interceptions. The Dolphins led this game 27-10 before New England scored 10 fourth-quarter points.
