Title Nine: Ranking Patriots-Dolphins All-Time Season Openers
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Third time's the charm? Okay then, how about the 10th?
In a unique - re: lazy - scheduling quirk by the NFL, the New England Patriots on Sunday will open their third consecutive season against the AFC East division-rival Miami Dolphins. The Pats lost a heartbreaker last season, 17-16, after winning by 10 points in Week 1 of 2020.
The rivalry has produced it share of memorable moments, including New England beating Miami in the 1985 AFC Championship Game to reach its first Super Bowl, the 2-11 Dolphins shocking the 12-1 Pats in 2004 and the infamous lateral kick-off return in 2018.
This will be the 10th time the Patriots-Dolphins have kicked off a season. From Ronnie Lippett to Wes Welker to Tom Brady and even Cam Newton, let's rank the previous nine season openers:
9. 2021 - Dolphins 17, at Patriots 16: Running back Damien Harris spoils a 100-yard rushing day with a defeat-sealing fumble at Miami's 11-yard line with 3:18 remaining.
8. 1996 - at Dolphins 24, Patriots 10: In Jimmy Johnson's coaching debut, Miami gets 115 yards rushing from rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar and forces four Patriots turnovers.
7. 2014 - at Dolphins 33, Patriots 20: New England lead 20-10 at halftime but is outscored, 23-0, in the second half mostly because it can't stop the running of Knowshon Moreno (134 yards) or the pressure of Cameron Wake (two sacks, two forced fumbles).
6. 1990 - Dolphins 27, at Patriots 24: Behind two Steve Grogan touchdown passes, New England led 21-6. But Miami future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Dan Marino authors a furious comeback, capped by a 7-yard scoring pass to fullback Tony Paige with 1:46 remaining.
5. 1994 - at Dolphins 39, Patriots 35: Despite a brilliant performance by quarterback Drew Bledsoe (473 yards, five touchdowns), Miami rallies behind Marino's 33-yard touchdown pass to former Patriot Irving Fryar on 4th-and-5 with 3:28 remaining.
4. 2020 - at Patriots 21, Dolphins 11: With no fans at Gillette Stadium because of COVID, Cam Newton - in his first game replacing Tom Brady - completes 15 of 19 passes and the Pats' defense intercepts Ryan Fitzpatrick three times.
3. 1987 - at Patriots 28, Dolphins 21: New England stages a dramatic rally in driving rain, scoring 14 fourth-quarter points in a 50-second span on Tony Collins' 7-yard run and Ronnie Lippett's 20-yard interception return of a tipped Marino pass.
2. 2011 - Patriots 38, at Dolphins 24: Brady torches Miami's defense for 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yard strike to Wes Welker in the fourth quarter.
1. 1974 - at Patriots 34, Dolphins 24: Producing one of the biggest Week 1 upsets in NFL history, the 14-point underdog Patriots stun the two-time defending Super Bowl champions behind the passing of Jim Plunkett, 175 rushing yards from 5-foot-5 tailback Mack Herron and late sack of Bob Griese by Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton. The Dolphins had won 32 of their last 34 games, while coach Chuck Fairbanks' team hadn't posted a winning record in eight years.
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