The 75 Best Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Nos. 36-40

The 2022 season was a memorable one for the Miami Dolphins not only because it produced the franchise's first playoff appearance in six years but did so with style.

The proof comes in our ranking of the top 75 Dolphins games of the 2000s, which featured more from 2022 than any other season.

We ended up with seven games from last season in our countdown, two more than 2002, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Of course, this is all subjective and every Dolphins fan might have a different view of each game. For us, it was about the entertainment value of the game combined with the significance of it, with bonus points awarded for anything unusual that happened like, say, a ridiculous three-lateral finish or a team being called back from the locker room 30 minutes after everybody thought the game was over.

And, yes, the list includes some Dolphins losses purely on the entertainment value and quality of the game.

So here it is, our countdown of the top 75 Dolphins games of the 2000s, continuing with numbers 36-40:

40. 2000 at Cincinnati — Dolphins 31, Bengals 16

Few games in Dolphins history have turned so much on one first-half play like this one at Paul Brown Stadium. Coming in with a 3-1 record against a bad Cincinnati team that was 0-3, the Dolphins sleepwalked through most of the first half and appeared as though they would take a 13-3 deficit into the locker room at halftime. But it all turned thanks to a truly horrible decision by the Bengals combined with a great play by a great player, Jason Taylor. With 8 seconds left in the half and facing a second-and-5 from their own 37 after a 5-yard run by Brandon Bennett, the Bengals decided to have Akili Smith drop back to pass. Bad idea. Horrible idea. Taylor got around the left tackle in a hurry, nailed Smith from behind, and caused a fumble that he picked up and returned 34 yards for a touchdown that made it 13-10. The Dolphins then dominated the second half, scoring three touchdown before Cincy kicked a late field goal.

39. 2013 at Pittsburgh — Dolphins 34, Steelers 28

This game is well known for its very scary finish (from a Dolphins vantage point), but it also was a fun back-and-forth battle. There were four lead changes in the second half before Charles Clay gave Miami the lead for good with his second touchdown reception from Ryan Tannehill. The scary part came on the final play, which began as a fourth-and-9 for the Steelers from their 21 with 3 seconds left and ended at the Miami 12-yard line when Antonio Brown stepped out of bounds after five laterals. Let's just say it wasn't that far from what the Dolphins would produce five years later in Miami. This game also will be remembered for 2011 second-round pick Daniel Thomas' 111-yard rushing performance, his second and last 100-yard outing for Miami.

38. 2019 vs. Philadelphia — Dolphins 37, Eagles 31

After a dreadful start to the 2019 season, the rebuilding Dolphins got interesting in the second half of the season (some might suggest that was a bad thing, but that's a story for another time) and the Dec. 1 game against the Eagles served as a great example. On a day when Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns, including a 43-yard hook-up with DeVante Parker on fourth-and-4 late in the first quarter, it was the specialist who teamed up for the most memorable play of the game. "Mountaineer Shot," it was called and it produced a 1-yard touchdown pass from punter/holder Matt Haack to kicker Jason Sanders after the Dolphins switched to a crazy formation with five players wide to the left, four wide to the right, and only Haack (in the shotgun) behind center Daniel Kilgore.

37. 2017 vs. Los Angeles — Dolphins 19, Chargers 17

The start of the 2017 season was chaotic, to say the least, for the Dolphins, whose opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was postponed because of Hurricane Irma. Instead, the Dolphins spent a week in Southern California for their Week 2 game against the Chargers and their temporary home of StubHub Center, a soccer stadium with a third the seating capacity of a normal NFL stadium. This was the Dolphins debut for QB Jay Cutler, who threw a TD pass to Kenny Stills, and Jay Ajayi began his post-Pro Bowl campaign by rushing for 122 yards. But this game came down to the kickers, with Miami's Cody Parker nailed a 54-yard kick with 1:10 left and the Chargers' Younghoe Koo missing from 44 yards out on the next-to-last play of the game.

36. 2003 at Dallas — Dolphins 40, Cowboys 21

The Dolphins have had pretty good success on Thanksgiving Day through the years, and their rout of the Cowboys in 2003 has to rank near the top of those games. The Dolphins were 7-4 heading into this game against the 8-3 Cowboys, but it turned into a rout after Jay Fiedler connected with Chris Chambers for three touchdown passes. For good measure, Jason Taylor scored on a 34-yard fumble return to make the score 30-14 in the third quarter and the lead grew to 40-14 before Dallas tacked on a late touchdown.

Earlier in the countdown:

75. 2022 vs. New England — Dolphins 20, Patriots 7

74. 2014 vs. Oakland (London, England) — Dolphins 38, Raiders 14

73. 2018 vs. Oakland — Dolphins 28, Raiders 20

72. 2021 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 31, Jets 24

71. 2005 vs. Carolina — Dolphins 27, Panthers 24

70. 2022 playoffs at Buffalo — Bills 34, Dolphins 31

69. 2004 at San Francisco — Dolphins 24, 49ers 17

68. 2012 at Arizona — Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21 (OT)

67. 2014 at Denver — Broncos 39, Dolphins 36

66. 2022 at Buffalo — Bills 32, Dolphins 29

65. 2017 vs. New England — Dolphins 27, Patriots 20

64. 2014 vs. San Diego — Dolphins 37, Chargers 0

63. 2009 vs. Indianapolis — Colts 27, Dolphins 23

62. 2016 vs. Cleveland — Dolphins 30, Browns 24 (OT)

61. 2008 at Houston — Texans 29, Dolphins 28

60. 2021 at New England — Dolphins 17, Patriots 16

59. 2015 vs. Houston — Dolphins 44, Texans 26

58. 2016 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 27, Jets 23

57. 2022 at Detroit — Dolphins 31, Lions 27

56. 2011 at Kansas City — Dolphins 31, Chiefs 3

55. 2011 at Buffalo — Dolphins 30, Bills 23

54. 2022 at Chicago — Dolphins 35, Bears 32

53. 2015 vs. New England — Dolphins 20, Patriots 10

52. 2002 at Indianapolis — Dolphins 21, Colts 13

51. 2010 at Green Bay — Dolphins 23, Packers 20 (OT)

50. 2006 vs. New England — Dolphins 21, Patriots 0

49. 2005 vs. Denver — Dolphins 34, Broncos 10

48. 2002 vs. Detroit — Dolphins 49, Lions 21

47. 2001 at Indianapolis — Dolphins 27, Colts 24

46. 2005 at San Diego — Dolphins 23, Chargers 21

45. 2020 vs. L.A. Rams — Dolphins 28, Rams 17

44. 2016 vs. Pittsburgh — Dolphins 30, Steelers 15

43. 2013 at Indianapolis — Dolphins 24, Colts 20

42. 2018 vs. Tennessee — Dolphins 27, Titans 20

41. 2014 vs. Minnesota — Dolphins 37, Vikings 35

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