Dolphins Top 10 Defensive Plays of 2023

In between a sluggish start and an injury-ravaged finish, the Miami Dolphins defense showed signs of dominance at times during the 2023 season.

In the end, Miami finished 10th in the NFL in total defense and played well enough to give the Dolphins a fighting chance in the AFC East showdown against the Buffalo Bills and again in the playoff game at Kansas City.

With that in mind, here's our list of the top 10 Dolphins defensive plays of the 2023 season based on quality of the play, uniqueness and role in the outcome of a game.

1. DeShon Elliott's Goal-Line Tackle vs. Dallas, Week 16

This might seem like an odd choice to some, but considering how unlikely it was that Elliott had any shot of stopping running back Tony Pollard short of the goal line when he had open space and a blocker in front of him, this was an incredibly play by the safety to turn Pollard around so the ball would stay out of the end zone. And it set up a fumble recovery on the next play to save the Dolphins seven points in a two-point victory.

2. The Holland Pick-Six, at N.Y. Jets, Week 12

The Black Friday game unfortunately was when Jevon Holland's season went south because of the injuries to both knees he sustained, but we can't forget the memorable pick-six on the "Fail Mary" that basically slammed shut the Jets' hopes of an upset victory.

3. Wilkins' Strip-Sack vs. Buffalo, Week 18

The season finale against Buffalo ended in disappointment, but the defense looked like it might help pull out a victory until the fourth quarter. And one reason the Dolphins led 14-7 heading into that fourth quarter was Christian Wilkins' triple play (sack, fumble forced, fumble recovery) to stop a Bills scoring threat late in the third quarter.

4. Ramsey's Game-Sealing INT vs. Las Vegas, Week 11

Jalen Ramsey had two interceptions against the Raiders, both of them in spectacular fashion. The second one came in the final minute after the Raiders were threatening to tie the score down 20-13 (or potentially go for the win with a two-point conversion). Ramsey's INT in the end zone came with some dramatic flair as he fell on the ball after jumping up to pick off Aidan O'Connell, getting up triumphantly after a few seconds.

5. The Last Stand at New England, Week 2

There might not have been anything spectacular about the final defensive snap of the Sunday night game at Gillette Stadium, but it most definitely was a unique way to secure a victory, the way the Dolphins gang-tackled guard Cole Strange after he took a lateral from former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki on a fourth-down play.

6. Jaelan Phillips and Justin Bethel's Sack at L.A. Chargers, Week 1

The opener was no work of art for the Dolphins defense, but it did come up big with relentless pressure on the drive that followed Tua's game-winning touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill. And the final blow came when Phillips and Bethel quickly got to Justin Herbert to drop him for a game-clinching sack on fourth-and-12.

7. Jerome Baker's Pick-Six at Philadelphia, Week 7

The Dolphins defense had some problems with the Eagles offense — mostly stopping the "tush push" — but it came up with a huge play late in the third quarter when Kader Kohou came in a blitz and Jalen Hurts' pass bounced off him at the line of scrimmage and into the hands of Jerome Baker, who made a quick reaction to catch the ball and sprinted to the end zone for a touchdown that tied the score 17-17.

8. Kader Kohou's Sack at L.A. Chargers, Week 1

Yes, we go back to that season opener, even though it was not a good overall defensive performance because another key play was Kohou's sack of Herbert on the first blitz of the season by the Dolphins. The sack forced the Chargers to punt from their 1-yard line and on the very next play from scrimmage Tua threw a touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill that gave the Dolphins a 27-24 lead in this back-and-forth battle.

9. Jalen Ramsey's INT vs. New England, Week 8

Ramsey wasted little time in his long-awaited debut to make an impact, coming up with the biggest momentum-changing play of the game at Hard Rock Stadium. Ramsey's pick of Mac Jones with New England threatening to cut into Miami's lead 14-7 near the end of the first half became a 10-point swing thanks to his 49-yard return.

10. Van Ginkel's Pick-Six at Washington, Week 13

The Dolphins took an early lead against the Commanders on two long TD passes from Tua to Tyreek Hill and Andrew Van Ginkel increased it when he sniffed out an oncoming screen pass and easily picked off a Sam Howell pass and returning it for a touchdown..