Worst Dolphins Non Super Bowl Playoff Loss?

[Dave Gray]

I think you guys are misremembering the Miami/Jacksonville game.

We never really had a chance in that game.  We weren't even competitive that season.
We were 9-7.  The Jags were 14-2.

On top of that, we lost 5 out of 6 regular season games going in to the playoffs (on the road, with the 6 seed.)

Sure, it sucked because we got our asses handed to us, but everyone saw that ass-kicking coming.

[dolphins4life]

The Jax game seemed to last forever. In fact .... I think they just scored on us again!! 

I was in sixth grade at the time.

I watched the end of the first half and the second half.  I remember Fiedler's TD pass that should have been a pick.

Also remember the sick feeling I had afterwards.       

[Phishfan]

I think you guys are misremembering the Miami/Jacksonville game.

We never really had a chance in that game.  We weren't even competitive that season.
We were 9-7.  The Jags were 14-2.

On top of that, we lost 5 out of 6 regular season games going in to the playoffs (on the road, with the 6 seed.)

Sure, it sucked because we got our asses handed to us, but everyone saw that ass-kicking coming.

So what in that makes it not the worst then? Just because Miami wasn't a Super Bowl threat that season doesn't mean getting hammered like that is any less bad in my eyes. That was the type of game that is a swing factor as a child is looking for a team to root for.

[Dave Gray]

In short, losing games that you're supposed to lose isn't as painful as losing games you're supposed to win.

In the San Diego game, the Super Bowl was a real possibility that year.  Against the Jags, if we hadn't gotten our ass kicked then, we'd just have gotten it kicked in the next week.  We were an inferior team compared to the other playoff teams, in that year.

[Frimp]

The worst thing about the Jacksonville game is that Jay Fiedler scored more points on the Phins than Mark Brunell did.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

New England in '85.  No way the Patriots should have been in the SuperBowl that year.  If the Dolphins don't screw that game and have like 8 turnovers or something, it would have been a rematch of the Monday night game that prevented Chicago from going unbeaten that year.  The lead up to that game would have been huge.  Even if Chicago would have blown out Miami in the rematch (maybe), it would have been fun to watch as opposed to Wild Card New England getting stomped.  That was Dan's really only other shot at a SuperBowl as the defense fell apart after that year. 

Really, Really, Really wish we could have that game back.

Six turnovers, 4 TO differential. 

The 1985 Patriots may quite possibly been the weakest team to ever win a conference championship. 

[Phishfan]

In short, losing games that you're supposed to lose isn't as painful as losing games you're supposed to win.

That makes sense. I look at it a bit different though. The San Diego loss was painful, but the Jacksonville loss was embarrassing.

[Dave Gray]

Don't get me wrong, the Jax lost sucked, but not even because of the playoff implications.  I just remember thinking "so this is how it ends for Dan?"

That was the heartbreaking part...not the actual loss, for me.

[Pappy13]

Six turnovers, 4 TO differential. 

The 1985 Patriots may quite possibly been the weakest team to ever win a conference championship. 

The Pats probably shouldn't have even been in that game.  If I remember correctly the previous game was practically handed to them on a platter as well.  Going into the game, I was supremely confident that Miami would win.  I guess the Dolphins were too as they played like they had partied all week long leading up the to game.  Maybe they were just busy reading the newsclips about a potential rematch with Chicago as well.

[dolfan13]

New England in '85.  No way the Patriots should have been in the SuperBowl that year.  If the Dolphins don't screw that game and have like 8 turnovers or something, it would have been a rematch of the Monday night game that prevented Chicago from going unbeaten that year.  The lead up to that game would have been huge.  Even if Chicago would have blown out Miami in the rematch (maybe), it would have been fun to watch as opposed to Wild Card New England getting stomped.  That was Dan's really only other shot at a SuperBowl as the defense fell apart after that year. 

Really, Really, Really wish we could have that game back.

i was a little kid at that game in the orange bowl, and i still remember it to this day. the jets run this year kinda reminds me of that pats team...

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

i was a little kid at that game in the orange bowl, and i still remember it to this day. the jets run this year kinda reminds me of that pats team...

Are you kidding?  Jets are a considerably more talented team than the 85 Patriots. 

[BigDaddyFin]

31-14 at NE.  The whole last 25 years of the franchise is different if we win that game.

[Dolarltexas]

Gotta be Jacksonville.  That's still the only time I was getting condolence e-mails from friends from all around the country.  I was never so humiliated for anyone to know that I was a Dolfan as I was in the weeks after that disguisting game. 

[Guru-In-Vegas]

I too voted Jacksonville.  I can't even remember most other playoff losses (in part because it's been so long  ) but the other one that really hurt was against San Diego.  I remember Stan Humphreys jumping around like an ass celebrating his win as my team got eliminated from the playoffs.  I also specifically remember a RB (Means?) clearly stepping out of bounds on a long run but because replay wasn't around yet they never called it back.  However, watching my team and my childhood hero get trounced in embarrassing fashion is the winner as all time worst.

[masterfins]

Jax game definately.  As soon as I read the topic that game came to mind before I even read any of the choices.  Even if you are not expected to win the game, to be humiliated as bad as the Fins were was not expected.  I have never seen a team quit as badly as most of the team did in that game.  I still look back to that game as the as the start of the miserable slide this team is still trying to recover from.