Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| 1990 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| General manager | Eddie Jones |
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Home field | Joe Robbie Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 2nd AFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Chiefs) 17–16 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Bills) 34–44 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3
|
The 1990 Miami Dolphins season was the team's twenty-first season in the National Football League and twenty-fifth overall. After four seasons out of the playoffs with a combined record of 30 wins and 33 losses, the Dolphins returned to postseason play for the first time since 1985 with twelve wins and four losses. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 17–16 in the Wild Card Game, before being knocked out of contention by the Buffalo Bills, 44–34 in the Divisional Playoff Game.
1990 marked the first time since their record 1972 perfect season that the Dolphins played the New York Giants, and merely the second in team history. [1] The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season. Also, the scheduled game between the Giants and Dolphins in 1987 was cancelled due to a players' strike. [2]
As of 2023, this was also the last time the Dolphins finished with at least twelve wins in the regular season.
| = Pro Bowler [3] |
| Pick # | NFL team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Miami Dolphins | Richmond Webb | Tackle | Texas A&M |
| 40 | Miami Dolphins | Keith Sims | Guard | Iowa State |
| 67 | Miami Dolphins | Alfred Oglesby | Nose Tackle | Houston |
| 94 | Miami Dolphins | Scott Mitchell | Quarterback | Utah |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at New England Patriots | W 27–24 | 1–0 | Foxboro Stadium | 45,305 | |
| 2 | September 16 | Buffalo Bills | W 30–7 | 2–0 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 68,142 | |
| 3 | September 23 | at New York Giants | L 3–20 | 2–1 | Giants Stadium | 76,483 | |
| 4 | September 30 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–6 | 3–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 54,691 | |
| 5 | October 7 | New York Jets | W 20–16 | 4–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 69,678 | |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | October 18 | New England Patriots | W 17–10 | 5–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 62,630 | |
| 8 | October 28 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 27–7 | 6–1 | Hoosier Dome | 59,213 | |
| 9 | November 4 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 23–3 | 7–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 54,294 | |
| 10 | November 11 | at New York Jets | W 17–3 | 8–1 | Giants Stadium | 68,362 | |
| 11 | November 19 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 10–13 | 8–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 70,553 | |
| 12 | November 25 | at Cleveland Browns | W 30–13 | 9–2 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 70,225 | |
| 13 | December 2 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–42 | 9–3 | RFK Stadium | 53,599 | |
| 14 | December 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–20 (OT) | 10–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 67,034 | |
| 15 | December 16 | Seattle Seahawks | W 24–17 | 11–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 57,851 | |
| 16 | December 23 | at Buffalo Bills | L 14–24 | 11–4 | Rich Stadium | 80,235 | |
| 17 | December 30 | Indianapolis Colts | W 23–17 | 12–4 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 59,547 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| AFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Buffalo Bills | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 428 | 263 | L1 |
| (4) Miami Dolphins | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 336 | 242 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 281 | 353 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–10 | 295 | 345 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 181 | 446 | L14 |
| Player | Att | Comp | Yds | Touchdowns | INT | Rating |
| Dan Marino | 531 | 306 | 3563 | 21 | 11 | 82.6 |
| Player | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | Touchdowns |
| Mark Clayton | 32 | 406 | 12.7 | 43 | 3 |
| Player | Tackles | Sacks | Fumble Recoveries |
| Jeff Cross | 60 | 11.5 | 2 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| Dolphins | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
With 2:28 left in the game, the Dolphins capped an 85-yard drive with quarterback Dan Marino's winning 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 3 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
| Bills | 13 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 44 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
The 2005 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 36th in the National Football League (NFL), their 46th overall, and their fifth and final season under head coach Dick Vermeil.
The 1994 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Football League, the 32nd as the Kansas City Chiefs and the 35th overall. They failed to improve their 11–5 record from 1993 and finishing with a 9–7 record and Wild Card spot in the 1994–95 playoffs. The Chiefs lost to the Miami Dolphins 27–17 in the wild-card round. Alongside celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary season, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana retired following the season.
The 1990 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 21st season in the National Football League, the 28th as the Kansas City Chiefs and the 31st overall. The team improved from an 8–7–1 record to an 11–5 record and Wild Card spot in the 1991 playoffs. In Marty Schottenheimer's first playoff appearance with the Chiefs, they lost to the Miami Dolphins 17–16 in the wild-card round. Starting with the home opener, the Chiefs began an NFL-record 19 consecutive seasons with every home game sold out. The streak was finally broken in the final home game of the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs season versus Cleveland.
The 1986 New York Jets season was the 27th season for the team and the seventeenth in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 11–5 record from 1985 and return to the playoffs under head coach Joe Walton. The Jets finished the season with a record of 10–6, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs despite losing their last five games of the season. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35–15 in the wild-card round, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round. The loss to the Browns is infamous in Jets history. Leading 20–10 in the 4th quarter, the Jets collapsed when Mark Gastineau hammered Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar seconds after he released a pass; Gastineau was flagged for roughing the passer and the Browns rallied to force overtime and win 23–20 early in the game's second overtime.
The 1971 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League (NFL), ninth as the Kansas City Chiefs, and twelfth overall. They improved from a 7–5–2 campaign in 1970 to record a 10–3–1 mark and win the AFC West division championship, the Chiefs' first division title since 1966 and last until 1993. The Chiefs tied with the Miami Dolphins for the best record in the AFC and were tied for the third-best record overall in the NFL, trailing only the 11–3 marks of the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.
The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the team's 44th in the National Football League. The team attempted to win their third consecutive Super Bowl championship, but ultimately lost to their bitter rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in the AFC Championship Game. Despite failing to reach the Super Bowl, the 1976 Steelers are fondly remembered as one of the franchise's most dominant teams, thanks to a record-setting defense and running game. The Steelers' strong defense finished the season with just 9.9 points allowed per game, the fewest in the NFL, and a franchise record that still stands.
The 2000 season was the Indianapolis Colts' 48th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 17th in Indianapolis. They finished second in the AFC East with a 10–6 record, but lost in overtime to their division rival Miami Dolphins in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
The 1984 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 19th season, and 15th in the National Football League (NFL). It was also the 15th season with the team for head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins sought to build on a spectacular 1983 season where they went 12–4 with rookie quarterback Dan Marino.
The 1992 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League. The season began with the team attempting to improve on their 8–8 record in 1991. Because of the impact of Hurricane Andrew, the Dolphins' scheduled Week 1 home game against New England was moved to Week 7 because both teams already had a bye scheduled for that week and could slot the rescheduled contest in without other changes being required.
The 1995 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 30th season, 26th in the National Football League, and 26th and final under head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins finished 9–7 before losing to the Bills in the playoffs.
The 2000 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 31st season in the National Football League, the 35th overall and was their first under new head coach Dave Wannstedt who was named the fourth head coach in franchise history on January 16, 2000, the same day that Jimmy Johnson announced his retirement from coaching. For the first season since 1982, Dan Marino was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement prior to the season. Believed by many as the greatest Miami Dolphin of all time, Marino led the Dolphins to ten playoff appearances, one of which ended in Super Bowl XIX, and is the winningest quarterback to have not won a Super Bowl. Jay Fiedler, who left the Jacksonville Jaguars, succeeded Marino as starting quarterback. Damon Huard remained a backup quarterback and started for Fiedler in one game during the season.
The 1999 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 34th campaign, and 30th in the National Football League (NFL). It was the 17th and final season for Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Marino suffered an injury on October 17 against the New England Patriots, with Damon Huard taking over at quarterback. The team would go 4–1 under Huard, including a 17–0 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Marino would return on November 25, against the Dallas Cowboys, throwing five interceptions in the 20–0 loss.
The 1993 New York Giants season was the franchise's 69th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach Dan Reeves, who was hired by the Giants after being fired by the Denver Broncos in the off-season.
The 1995 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League and the 36th overall. This was the last time the Bills won the division or won a playoff game until 2020.
The 1986 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 21st as a member of the National Football League (NFL). The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games. This was the first time in six seasons the team did not qualify for the playoffs and would mark the start of a four-season span of barren postseason chances. This was also the team's final season at the Orange Bowl before moving into their new stadium Joe Robbie Stadium the following season.
The 2009 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 40th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 44th overall and the second under head coach Tony Sparano. The Dolphins entered the 2009 season as the reigning AFC East champions after posting an 11–5 record in 2008. Dropping by four more games, the Dolphins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007, marking the 25th consecutive year that the region hosting the Super Bowl did not see its host team play in, thus it set off a playoff drought that lasted until 2016.
The 2015 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 50th overall. The Dolphins looked to improve on their 8–8 record from 2014 and return to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. However, Miami failed to clinch a playoff berth for the seventh consecutive season after a Week 14 loss to the New York Giants.
The 2018 season was the Miami Dolphins' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 53rd overall and their third and last under head coach Adam Gase. During the offseason, the Dolphins tweaked their uniforms' orange color to better align with their classical past and history. For the second straight season, they also brought back their throwback uniforms from the Shula/Marino eras and wore them for three games.
The 2021 season was the Miami Dolphins' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 56th overall, and their third and final year under head coach Brian Flores, and sixth under general manager Chris Grier. Despite a 1–7 start to the season, Miami then won the next seven games, becoming the first team in NFL history to lose seven straight games and then win seven straight games in the same season. The 7-game win streak was their first since the 1985 season. They also became the sixth team in NFL history to win four or more consecutive games after losing seven in a row, after the 2009 Cleveland Browns, 1994 New York Giants, 1993 New England Patriots, 1984 Green Bay Packers, and the 1978 St. Louis Cardinals. However the Dolphins were eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year after their win streak ended in Week 17 to the Tennessee Titans, combined with a win by the Los Angeles Chargers.
The 2023 season was the Miami Dolphins' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 58th overall, their eighth under general manager Chris Grier and their second under head coach Mike McDaniel.
