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, only to be upended by the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs.
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.[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,[2] as they scored 513 points and finished 14–2, their best record since the undefeated season.
Offseason
NFL Draft
Regular season
Schedule
Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Attendance |
1 |
September 2, 1984 |
at Washington Redskins |
W 35–17 |
52,683
|
2 |
September 9, 1984 |
New England Patriots |
W 28–7 |
66,083
|
3 |
September 17, 1984 |
at Buffalo Bills |
W 21–17 |
65,455
|
4 |
September 23, 1984 |
Indianapolis Colts |
W 44–7 |
55,415
|
5 |
September 30, 1984 |
at St. Louis Cardinals |
W 36–28 |
46,991
|
6 |
October 7, 1984 |
at Pittsburgh Steelers |
W 31–7 |
59,103
|
7 |
October 14, 1984 |
Houston Oilers |
W 28–10 |
54,080
|
8 |
October 21, 1984 |
at New England Patriots |
W 44–24 |
60,711
|
9 |
October 28, 1984 |
Buffalo Bills |
W 38–7 |
58,824
|
10 |
November 4, 1984 |
at New York Jets |
W 31–17 |
72,655
|
11 |
November 11, 1984 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
W 24–23 |
70,227
|
12 |
November 18, 1984 |
at San Diego Chargers |
L 28–34 |
53,041
|
13 |
November 26, 1984 |
New York Jets |
W 28–17 |
74,884
|
14 |
December 2, 1984 |
Los Angeles Raiders |
L 34–45 |
71,222
|
15 |
December 9, 1984 |
at Indianapolis Colts |
W 35–17 |
60,411
|
16 |
December 17, 1984 |
Dallas Cowboys |
W 28–21 |
74,139
|
Season summary
Week 3
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
• Dolphins |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
21 |
Bills |
0 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
17 |
|
|
|
[3]
Week 10
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
• Dolphins |
7 |
0 |
7 |
17 |
31 |
Jets |
7 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
17 |
|
|
|
[4]
Roster
Miami Dolphins 1984 roster
|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
Linebackers
|
|
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
Reserve Lists
Practice Squad
Rookies in italics
|
Playoffs
Standings
Player stats
Passing
Player |
Att |
Comp |
Yds |
TD |
INT |
Rating |
Dan Marino |
564 |
362 |
5084 |
48 |
17 |
108.9 |
Postseason
AFC Divisional Playoff
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.
AFC Championship
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Steelers |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
28 |
• Dolphins |
7 |
17 |
14 |
7 |
45 |
|
|
Scoring summary |
|
1 |
|
MIA |
Mark Clayton 40 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 7–0 |
|
1 |
|
PIT |
Rich Erenberg 7 yard run (Gary Anderson kick) |
Tie 7–7 |
|
2 |
|
MIA |
Uwe von Schamann 26 yard field goal |
MIA 10–7 |
|
2 |
|
PIT |
John Stallworth 65 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick) |
PIT 14–10 |
|
2 |
|
MIA |
Mark Duper 41 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 17–14 |
|
2 |
|
MIA |
Tony Nathan 2 yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 24–14 |
|
3 |
|
MIA |
Mark Duper 36 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 31–14 |
|
3 |
|
PIT |
John Stallworth 19 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary Anderson kick) |
MIA 31–21 |
|
3 |
|
MIA |
Woody Bennett 1 yard run (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 38–21 |
|
4 |
|
MIA |
Nat Moore 6 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) |
MIA 45–21 |
|
4 |
|
PIT |
Wayne Capers 29 yard pass from Mark Malone (Gary 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.
Super Bowl XIX
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.
Scoring summary
- 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
Notes and references
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Franchise |
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Stadiums |
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Culture |
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Lore |
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Rivalries |
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Division championships (13) |
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Conference championships (5) |
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League championships (2) |
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Retired numbers |
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Media |
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Current league affiliations |
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Former league affiliation |
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