The Top 100 Plays of the First Quarter of the Century: 11-15

Counting down the memorable Miami Dolphins plays of the first 25 years of the 2000s

Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki (88) scores the winning touchdown behind New England Patriots strong safety Patrick Chung (23) with less than a minute to go in the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium in the 2019 season finale. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Here's our countdown of the top 100 Miami Dolphins plays 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 plays 11-15:

15 — Brown’s TD pass to Fasano at New England in 2008

Setting the stage: Miami Dolphins fans no doubt remember very well the date Sept. 21, 2008, the day they unleashed the Wildcat on the New England Patriots. The Dolphins were 0-2 under new head coach Tony Sparano when they went up to Gillette Stadium to face the 2-0 Patriots. Ronnie Brown ran for four touchdowns on the day taking direct shotgun snaps out of the new formation, but it was his one touchdown pass to stood out on this day.

The play: The Dolphins led 21-6 on the strength of three Brown touchdown runs when they got the ball for the second time in the third quarter. Facing a third-and-3 at the New England 19, the Dolphins again had Brown take the shotgun snap as Ricky Williams ran across the field in front of him. This time, though, Brown hung on to the ball, rolled to his left and fired a perfectly thrown (left-handed) pass to Anthony Fasano, who had run across the field from right to left for an easy touchdown. For good measure, Brown added a 62-yard touchdown run after New England had scored to make it 28-13.

14. Fitzpatrick’s TD pass to Gesicki at New England in 2019

Setting the stage: The Dolphins made dramatic improvement through the course of the 2019 season, particularly after being outscored 163-26 in their first four games. By the time the season finale at New England arrived, the Dolphins had gone 4-4 over their previous eight games. The Patriots, meanwhile, needed a victory to clinch the No. 2 seed and a bye in the AFC playoffs and were heavily favored to do just that. Thanks in part to a pick-six by Eric Rowe, the Dolphins stayed close and actually found themselves with a chance to pull out a victory down 24-20 with 3:53 left.

The play: Eight completions by Ryan Fitzpatrick, including a 24-yard pick-up by DeVante Parker against 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, brought the Dolphins from their 25 to the Patriots 5-yard line with 29 seconds left after they called their second timeout. Fitzpatrick completed the game-winning drive when he hit Mike Gesicki in the middle of the end zone for a touchdown that not only ended the season in style but shifted the outlook of the AFC playoffs.

13. Brown’s game-winning TD run vs. N.Y. Jets in 2009

Setting the stage: After making the playoffs in 2008 thanks in large part to the success of the Wildcat, the Dolphins got off to a 1-3 start the following season before they prepared to face the 2-2 Jets in Miami in a Monday night game. To mark the occasion, the Dolphins would be wearing orange jerseys. The Dolphins' 31-27 victory featured a remarkable five lead changes in the fourth quarter, the last coming on Brown's touchdown with six seconds left.

The play: Already at the Jets 2-yard line, the Dolphins at the very least were set to at least tie the score in the final seconds. But they obviously had other ideas. On third-and-goal, Brown lined up in the shotgun and took the snap as Ricky Williams ran in motion in front of him. There wasn't much of a fake actually, as Brown simply ran straight ahead. He easily made his way to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game, but more importantly gave the Dolphins a thrilling victory in front of the ESPN television cameras.

12. A.J. Feeley’s game-winning TD pass vs. New England in 2004

Setting the stage: The 2004 season was pretty forgettable from start to finish for the Dolphins, who saw Ricky Williams leave the team on the eve of training camp before an 0-6 start that ultimately led to the firing of head coach Dave Wannstedt. But that season did produce probably the biggest upset in franchise history — yes, much bigger than the 1985 victory against the Bears — in a Monday night game against the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots.

The play: The Dolphins appeared headed for a loss that would have dropped their record to 2-12 when they found themselves trailing 28-17 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. But after a Sammy Morris touchdown run, the Dolphins got the ball back with an interception by linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo. The game came down to a fourth-and-10 from the New England 21 with 1:29 left. A.J. Feeley, who had taken turns at quarterback all season with Jay Fiedler, quickly found Derrius Thompson down the middle while he was being covered by wide receiver/DB Troy Brown. After a failed two-point conversion left the Dolphins leading 29-28, they clinched the win when safety Arturo Freeman intercepted Tom Brady in the final minute.

11 — Kiko Alonso’s pick-six at San Diego in 2016

Setting the stage: In Adam Gase's first season as head coach in 2016, the Dolphins started off 1-4 before turning things around in dramatic fashion — with a six-game winning streak that paved the way for an AFC wild-card playoff berth. The winning streak was filled with big plays at key moments, none bigger than linebacker Kiko Alonso's heroics in Miami's final visit to Jack Murphy Stadium before the Chargers moved to Los Angeles.

The play: The Dolphins tied the score 24-24 with an Andrew Franks field goal, but things didn't look so great after the Chargers moved to a first-and-10 at the Miami 42-yard line with 1:13 remaining in regulation. The Dolphins already had intercepted Philip Rivers twice in the fourth quarter but had also allowed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Williams. Well, Rivers went looking for Williams again, but Alonso sniffed the play and stepped in front of Williams to make the easy interception with momentum heading to a clear path to the end zone. Alonso punctuated his 60-yard touchdown with a Conor McGregor strut in the back of the end zone, and the Dolphins secured the victory when Tony Lippett came up with the team's fourth pick of the fourth quarter three plays later.