The Dolphins are the only current AFC East team that was not a charter member of the division, joining the AFL as an expansion franchise in 1966. The Dolphins never won more than five games in a season under original coach George Wilson, but immediately became an NFL power when Don Shula was hired in 1970. The Dolphins were a playoff team that season, and a Super Bowl team in 1971 and in 1972. They’d follow up their 1972 success with another Super Bowl triumph in 1973, becoming the first AFC team to win back-to-back titles.
Amazingly, the Dolphins haven’t reached the Super Bowl since 1984. Shula is the only coach in franchise history to take the team to the big game. Shula left the Dolphins in 1995 and in 2016.
After Don Shula departed, the Dolphins tried to follow a similar formula by luring a former NFC Super Bowl-winning coach to South Beach in the form of Jimmy Johnson and for a time, it looked as if it would work.
Johnson and his successor Dave Wannstedt took Miami to five straight playoff appearances from 1997-2001, but the Dolphins could never get to the AFC title game and eventually began to backslide. Miami hasn’t won a playoff game since 2000 and the Dolphins haven’t played in the postseason since 2008, but they’ve suffered five double-digit losing campaigns since 2004, including a franchise-worst 1-15 season in 2007.
Adam Gase will become the 10th coach since Shula and his hoping fortunes change during his reign.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins remain the only unbeaten Super Bowl champion, going 17-0, closing out perfection with a 14-7 triumph over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
But did you know that the Dolphins also began their existence with a perfect play? Opening their inaugural AFL campaign in 1966 by playing host to the Oakland Raiders, Joe Auer gathered in the opening kickoff from the Raiders’ Mike Eischeid and rambled all the way for a touchdown.
The Dolphins and the 1967 New Orleans Saints remain the only teams in league history to begin their first game by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Who Does Miami Dolphins Play Next
Find out the betting lines for the next Dolphins game. Make sure to see whether the Dolphins are playing at home or on the road and whether or not its against a division opponent.
Miami Dolphins Game Schedule
The Miami Dolphins game schedule is listed here and it’s hard to fathom the Dolphins being able to improve much, if at all, on their 6-10 mark they posted during the 2015 season.
Miami Dolphins Standings Today
This is where you will see where the Miami Dolphins are situated in the current AFC East standings. It’s best, to find them more quickly, to start at the bottom and work your way up.
How To Make Money Betting On Miami Dolphins
When the Dolphins were winning Super Bowls in the 1970s, they were backed by what became known as the no-name defense, a bunch of undistinguished individuals who came together as a group, allowing the fewest points in the NFL during their perfect 1972 campaign.
That's certainly not the current situation in Miami.
In their Super Bowl years, the Dolphins had Bob Griese at the helm. When Dan Marino showed up in Miami, he became the most productive quarterback the NFL had ever seen. Today, the Dolphins have a hodge-podge of mediocre quarterbacks.
The Dolphins have finished higher than third in the division just three times in the past 11 years and that includes a trio of last-place finishes.
Miami, however, enjoyed a winning record in 2016 and should be the division's second best team for another few years. Keep an eye on the Bills, though. They are showing gradual improvement, too.
