The Top 100 Games of the First Quarter of the Century: 11-20

Here's our countdown of the top 100 Miami Dolphins games of the first 25 seasons of the new century.

For ground rules, the plays were picked on the basis of historical significance, impact on a game or season, and uniqueness.

We continue the countdown with games 11-20:

20. 2009 vs. New England — Dolphins 22, New England 21

Like the 2013 game in Miami that was sealed by an interception, the Dolphins clinched this come-from-behind win against New England when linebacker Channing Crowder picked off Tom Brady on a second-and-10 from the Patriots 33 with under a minute left. This looked like a New England blowout at the start, as the Patriots drove 80 yards for a touchdown on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead. Things still didn't look very good after Brady had an 81-yard touchdown pass to Sam Aiken to make it 21-10 early in the fourth quarter, but the Dolphins came back on the strength of two Dan Carpenter field goals and a TD pass from Chad Henne to Brian Hartline.

19. 2018 vs. Chicago — Dolphins 31, Bears 28 (OT)

With Ryan Tannehill sidelined with a shoulder injury, Brock Osweiler got the start at QB for the Dolphins and certainly made the most of it — with a lot of help from Albert Wilson. Osweiler passed for 380 yards, including 155 to Wilson and the two connected for two touchdowns, including a 75-yarder off a short throw over the middle that tied the score 28-28 late in the fourth quarter. Overtime also was filled with twists and turns, with Kenyan Drake fumbling with the Dolphins in field goal position and the Bears' Cody Parkey later missing a 53-yard field goal attempt.

18. 2022 vs. Buffalo — Dolphins 21, Bills 19

We've had a few "statement games" in our countdown, and this most definitely is one of them. The Dolphins ended a seven-game losing streak against the new AFC East power in dramatic fashion thanks to a late defensive stand. Buffalo dominated the game statistically, outgaining Miami 497-212, but the Dolphins got the needed big plays with Melvin Ingram's fumble recovery in the first quarter, Tua Tagovailoa's 45-yard completion to Jaylen Waddle on a third-and-22 to set up the only touchdown of the second half, Thomas Morstead's 74-yard free punt after the safety that resulted from the "butt punt" and, of course, the goal-line stand that preceded it after Buffalo had a first-and-goal from the 2-yard line down by four points.

17. 2016 at San Diego — Dolphins 31, Chargers 24

When it comes to key plays at key moments, the 2016 Dolphins were about as clutch as it gets and this Week 10 game at Qualcomm Stadium was a great example. The Dolphins came up with a whopping four interceptions against Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter of that game, including Kiko Alonso's 60-yard game-winning pick-six with 1:01 left and Tony Lippett's game-ending second pick with 37 seconds left.

16. 2008 at N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 24, Jets 17

The 2008 season was among the most improbable and remarkable for the Dolphins, and the final game of the regular season was just perfect. It featured a rematch against the rival Jets for a chance to win the division and a chance for QB Chad Pennington to stick it to the team that had let him go the previous August. Pennington contributed a clutch 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 on the drive that all but clinched the victory for the Dolphins, but it was defensive end Phillip Merling who was the star with his pick-six.

15. 2002 at Denver — Dolphins 24, Broncos 22

This Sunday night battle between 4-1 teams was an absolute gem, and it featured an NFL first with each team making a field goal of at least 50 yards in the final minute. It was Olindo Mare who had the final and winning 53-yard kick for the Dolphins after Jay Fiedler had completions of 17 and 22 yards, with Patrick Surtain earlier giving Miami a 21-12 lead with a pick-six. The victory was costly, however, because Fiedler fractured a thumb and had to miss the next three games, which Miami all lost.

14. 2020 at Arizona — Dolphins 34, Cardinals 31

There's probably little debate that this was Tua Tagovailoa's best game in his first two years in the NFL as he passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 35 yards. His best work came during a 93-yard touchdown drive after Arizona had taken a 31-24 lead. The defense also chipped in with Shaq Lawson's fumble return for a touchdown after an Emmanuel Ogbah sack-strip and a fourth-and-1 stuff on future Dolphins running back Chase Edmonds with the score tied 31-31 and 5:20 left. The Dolphins survived a late drive by Arizona when Zane Gonzalez was wide right on a 49-yard field goal attempt after the Cardinals strangely called for a pass on third-and-1.

13. 2004 vs. New England — Dolphins 29, Patriots 28

We've said it before and we'll say it again, this was the biggest upset victory in Dolphins history. Heading into this Week 14 Monday night matchup, the Dolphins were a woeful 2-11, while the Patriots were 12-1 and on their way to a second consecutive Super Bowl title. But after New England took a 28-17 lead with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter, everything went right for the Dolphins: a 68-yard touchdown drive to make it 28-23, a Brendon Ayanbadejo interception of Tom Brady, a 21-yard touchdown pass from A.J. Feeley to Derrius Thompson on fourth-and-10, and another interception of Brady, this one by safety Arturo Freeman.

12. 2019 at New England — Dolphins 27, Patriots 24

This one wasn't quite as massive an upset as the one 15 years earlier, but not by much. Remember that the Patriots came in with a 12-3 record and needing a victory to secure a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs, while the Dolphins were closing out their season and coming in with a 4-11 mark. The Dolphins clearly came ready to play, though, as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead after Eric Rowe's 35-yard pick-six. And after Brady gave the Patriots a 24-20 lead with touchdown passes to future Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts and running back James White, Ryan Fitzpatrick engineered a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive capped by his 5-yard pass to Mike Gesicki.

11. 2023 at L.A. Chargers — Dolphins 36, Chargers 34

Talk about a way to kick off a season! In a battle of teams coming off playoff appearances that featured nine lead changes, it’s the Dolphins who had the final answer thanks to the monster performances of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill. There were clutch plays throughout the game, including a fourth-and-7 completion to Durham Smythe late in the first half, Tua’s brilliant on-the-move third-and-10 completion to Hill on the game-winning drive and the defense rising up after a tough afternoon with two sacks on the final three plays on the Chargers’ futile last-shot drive.