The Top 10 Hard Knocks Episode 6 Moments

The sixth episode of the "Hard Knocks" in-season series on the Miami Dolphins chronicled the thrilling playoff-clinching victory against the Dallas Cowboys and once again featured heavy doses of Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, with some side stories devoted to Raheem Mostert and Kader Kohou.

We count down the top 10 moments, from this vantage point:

10. THE CHEAP DOLPHINS

Those who have followed or covered the Dolphins for a bit already knew that Christian Wilkins had a reputation for being frugal, so it was an interesting revelation that when McDaniel pointed out after Wilkins bought donuts for the entire team that some of the players immediately chimed in about Liam Eichenberg also being cheap.

9. THE TD CELEBRATION THAT WASN'T

An earlier episode detailed how the classic roller-coaster ride TD celebration came about, but in this instance the planned celebration of someone knocking on a door to sing a Christmas carol never got off the ground. The end of the episode showed how it was supposed to look, and it had potential, but it couldn't get organized quickly after Mostert's touchdown against the Cowboys.

8. XMAS SHOPPING WITH KIDS

This is a staple in the NFL, players taking underprivileged kids to go shopping for Christmas presents and it was cool to see Terron Armstead, Robert Jones and Jerome Baker doing that, with the funny touch of Armstead introducing himself as Tyreek Hill.

7. MOSTERT GOES HOME

While on the topic of Christmas shopping, we enjoyed watching Mostert go back to his hometown of New Smyrna Beach, on the central east coast of Florida, seeing old friends and acquaintances and then filling a community center with presents for the local children, explaining he made the three-hour drive from South Florida for the event.

6. THE EQUIPMENT MANAGER AND THE THROWBACKS

We combined these two elements because they both involved Joe Cimino, who has been a fixture with the Dolphins for decades and whose voice those attending practice always can hear when it's time for a new segment of work. It also was cool to watch the helmets being prepared for the application of the old-fashioned logo for the game — why they practiced in plain helmets during the week — and the careful removal of extra fibers from the brand-new throwback jerseys the players would wear. And then Cimino's on-field interaction with McDaniel and fullback Alec Ingold also was cool.

5. KADER AND HIS CLAN

This was a very nice human interest side story showing cornerback Kader Kohou and his family and explaining his journey from the Ivory Coast to Miami, by way of Dallas, which made his father question his loyalty for the game Sunday. And then there were some cool moments with the family during the game itself involving his younger brother, who explained to his mother that if Jason Sanders made the last-second field goal the Dolphins would win the game and earlier said this after an Andrew Van Ginkel sack, "Dang, Andrew Van Ginkel! I need to start using him in Madden, I"m not going to lie."

4. THE POSTGAME CELEBRATION

The victorious postgame locker room shots always are cool, and this one was memorable for Wilkins delivering flying bumps to team owner Stephen Ross after he did it to President/CEO Tom Garfinkel.

3. TYREEK GETS BACK

Tyreek's return to the lineup and contribution to the victory against Dallas was perhaps the most interesting on-field story in this episode, starting with his struggles with his injured ankle in a practice — "I can't get in and out of my sh*t right now — and ending with him coming up with the clutch 10-yard reception on a crucial third-and-3 on the final drive after earlier telling Tua, "Come to me no matter what."

2. TAKING AIM AT MARINO

As the Dolphins prepared for the start of the game against Dallas, with Tua, Xavien Howard and Tyreek Hill preparing to go out to the middle of the field for the coin, Hall of Famer Dan Marino was next to them when McDaniel delivered this gem, "F--- your records, Danny. We're coming for your records, Dan." That was awesome.

1. THE QB XMAS GIFT EXCHANGE

There were some many cool moments from that one scene, from joking about what to get "Uncle Dan" because he already has everything, to Marino passing out Isotoner gloves — for those not aware, he was a pitch man for Isotoner. Our favorite might have been the look of sheer excitement in Tua's face as Mike White and Skylar Thompson prepare to open the gift he gave them, a golf simulator. Tua then said he didn't get one for Marino (an avid golfer) because he already had one and added it would soon be time for a round of golf among the QBs. And that's when Marino delivered another gem: "Right after the Super Bowl."