1997 Miami Dolphins: Marino’s Grit & A Playoff Return

Jimmy Johnson’s much-ballyhooed arrival in Miami had fizzled in 1996, when the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs. The 1997 Miami Dolphins took a step forward, nudging into the postseason and beginning a run of consistent success.

Dan Marino was now 36-years-old, but the future Hall of Famer was still an effective quarterback. Throwing more passes than anyone in the league, Marino finished ninth in completion percentage (58%), 11^th in yards-per-attempt (6.9) and eighth in interception rate (2.0%).

Marino did this in spite of having a one-dimensional receiving attack heavily concentrated on O.J. McDuffie, who caught 76 passes for 943 yards. No one else even caught 40 balls, and the most frequently targeted receivers after McDuffie were tight end Troy Dayton, along with running backs Jerris MacPhail and Karim Abdul-Jabbar (KAJ). Lamar Harris and Charles Jordan filled out the receiving corps.

KAJ led the running game with nearly 900 yards. But an offensive line that had no Pro Bowl talent only allowed him to gain a meager 3.2 yards per rush. The offense was completely dependent on Marino throwing often, but that was enough to get to 13^th in the NFL for points scored.

The defense also lacked any Pro Bowl players, but they had some developing talent. Zach Thomas was in his second year at middle linebacker and Jason Taylor was a rookie defensive end. Both would end up in the Hall of Fame. The Dolphin defense was mediocre, at 16^th in the 30-team NFL for points allowed, but it was enough to compete.

Miami opened the season at home with Indianapolis. The Colts had made the playoffs for two straight years, but a hard collapse awaited them this season. The Dolphins drove the field consistently but had to settle for three red-zone field goals. That was still enough to win. The defense got three turnovers, including a pair of interceptions by corner Shawn Wooten, and five sacks. Miami won 16-10.

A home date with mediocre Tennessee was next. The Dolphins were pounded up front and lost the rush yardage battle 185-54. But Marino made big plays, going 24/43 for 324 yards. McDuffie caught eight balls for 135 yards. It was enough to get to overtime and squeak out a 16-13 win.

The defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers were up next in Lambeau Field. Miami probably played better here than either of their first two wins. But with no running game, they were still settling for red-zone field goals. Jordan caught four balls for 100 yards and the Dolphins clung to a 12-10 lead in the second half. But the game got away, and the ultimately lost 23-18.

A Sunday Night trip to Tampa Bay wouldn’t be easy, not with the Buccaneers beginning what would be a breakout season under Tony Dungy. Miami played poorly, getting outrushed 109-48, and their defense being carved up by Trent Dilfer. The Fish dug themselves a 24-7 hole. Even though Marino went 24/37 for 235 yards and made no mistakes, it wasn’t enough to avoid a 31-21 loss. The Dolphins went into their bye week at 2-2.

Miami hosted Kansas City on the far side of the bye. The Chiefs were headed for the 1-seed in the AFC playoffs and were renowned for their running game. While the Dolphins couldn’t run the ball themselves, they did shut down the K.C. ground attack. The game was tied 14-14 at the half. Defenses took over on both sides, but Marino went 19/31 for 259 yards and pulled out a big 17-14 win.

The New York Jets would emerge as a contender this year under Bill Parcells, so the trip to the Meadowlands was a big one. Miami trailed 14-7 in the second quarter. Marino threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Thomas and they nudged ahead 17-14 by halftime. In the second half, with Marino en route to a 27/38 for 372 yards afternoon the Fish pulled away to a 31-20 win.

With two consecutive big wins under their belt, the Dolphins went to play a subpar Baltimore team. After spotting the Ravens an early field goal, Miami found a running game and took over. KAJ ran for 108 yards, the Dolphins were up 21-3 by halftime and cruised home to a 24-13 win.

The Monday Night home date with Chicago would be one of the more mysterious outcomes of the entire season in the NFL. The Bears were not only a terrible team, they had a struggling offense. The Dolphins got a 71-yard touchdown run from MacPhail, while McDuffie caught seven passes for 137 yards. Miami led 33-18. Then the defense completely fell apart. They blew the lead in the fourth quarter and dropped a 36-33 decision in overtime.

Unlikely outcomes continued on the road in Buffalo. Playing in wet conditions, Miami was outrushed 179-54. The Bills fumbled six times, but the Dolphins only recovered one of them. They lost 9-6 to a bad team. Miami was now 5-4 on the playoff fringe.

And the Jets were coming to South Beach. The Dolphins trailed 10-7 in the second quarter when their multi-week sluggish stretch came to an end. Marino threw a 23-yard TD pass to Brett Perriman to get the lead. KAJ added a third-quarter touchdown, en route to a 103-yard afternoon. Miami got a badly needed 24-17 win—and the sweep of the Jets would reverberate in the playoff race the rest of the season.

The second game in three weeks with the Bills was on Monday Night at home. The Dolphins led 16-13 in the fourth quarter. Marino would go 18/24 for 224 yards. He hit Drayton with a touchdown pass that opened up some breathing room and the Fish finished off a 30-13 win.

Miami was 7-4 and going to New England on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. The Patriots had gone to the Super Bowl the prior year and were with the Dolphins and Jets in a riveting three-team AFC East race.

Marino got off to a horrid start, throwing three interceptions, including a Pick-6. Miami stared at 27-3 deficit. The great quarterback kept throwing—38/60 for 389 yards on the afternoon, and McDuffie’s nine catches went for 110 yards. The Dolphins rallied. But they lost 27-24.

Heading into the homestretch, the Jets led the division at 8-4, with both the Dolphins and Patriots at 7-5. There were three wild-cards available. The AFC West, with the Chiefs and Denver Broncos being the two best teams in the conference, had a lock on one of them. The Jacksonville Jaguars, at 8-4, were in position for the second one.

While Seattle (an AFC team prior to 2002) and Tennessee were 6-6, it looked like the AFC East was in a three-way game of musical chairs, where one team would be left without a seat at the playoff table.

Miami traveled west to play the lowly Oakland Raiders. Marino hit Jordan on touchdown passes from eight yards and 44 yards, respectively. The defense got six sacks. The Dolphins rolled to a 34-16 win. The Patriots won and the Jets lost. It was a three-way tie at 8-5. With Miami’s head-to-head sweep of New York, they had control of their playoff fate.

The Detroit Lions, with running back Barry Sanders headed for co-MVP honors, were surging down the stretch. They came to Miami for Sunday Night Football. The Dolphins took a commanding 17-3 lead. Then Marino threw a Pick-6, and the Lions rallied. The game wound up tied 30-all in the fourth quarter. Marino would finish 24/39 for 310 yards and he pulled out a thrilling 33-30 win.

New England had also won, but New York lost. The Dolphins only needed one more win to make the playoffs. And they had Indianapolis—a divisional rival until 2002, and the worst team in the league up next to seal it with.

If the Chicago loss on Monday Night was mysterious, what happened in Indy on December 14 was nothing short of bizarre. Miami showed up completely flat. They gave up 31 points in the second quarter. Marino was pulled. The Dolphins not only blew the game, but they were obliterated, 41-0. New York won to keep the pressure on. New England lost. We were headed into the final week with all three teams at 9-6.

The Dolphins and Patriots were playing head-to-head on Monday Night Football. The winner of that game would win the AFC East. The Jets were playing the Lions in Detroit in the late Sunday afternoon marquee game. The scenario was simple—if New York won, they were in the playoffs and Monday Night in Miami would be win-or-go-home. If the Jets lost, then the Dolphins and Patriots could breathe easy.

New York and Detroit played a tough, physical game, but the Lions won 13-10. Miami was in. Moreover, it was also settled that the Dolphins and Patriots would play each other in the 3-6 game of the wild-card weekend. The Monday Night game was simply to find out where it would be played.

The Dolphins took a 6-0 lead on a couple of long field goals. But the Patriots finished their drives and led 14-6 in the fourth quarter. Neither team could run the ball. Marino mounted one last drive and got into the end zone. But the two-point pass fell incomplete, and Miami lost 14-12. They finished the season 9-7 and the 6-seed in the AFC. But the real battle with New England was still to come.

On early Sunday afternoon, the Dolphins and Patriots kicked off. But the Miami offense mostly picked up where it left off—unable to generate any action against the New England D. They trailed 7-0 at the half. Marino threw a Pick-6. They only ran for 42 yards, while Marino struggled to a 17/43 for 141 yards afternoon. He was sacked four times. While the defense hung in there as best they could, the 17-3 final didn’t feel particularly competitive.

It wasn’t the best way to end the season, but Miami had gotten back into the playoffs. While they never became a real Super Bowl contender under Johnson, this was the first of five straight postseason trips for him and his successor, Dave Wannstedt—and each of the next three years they would make the Divisional Round.