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 Dolphins won the 1984 AFC Championship, and appeared in Super Bowl XIX, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 38–16. To date this is the last season the Dolphins appeared in the Super Bowl.
Second year quarterback Dan Marino's passing ability became the focal point of Miami's offense and in 1984 he exploded to set league records with 5,084 passing yards and 48 touchdowns. Marino's touchdown record was broken by Peyton Manning twenty years later and the yardage record was broken by Drew Brees twenty-seven years later. The Dolphins attempted early on to make a run at a perfect season twelve years after pulling off the feat, as they won their first eleven games but were upended in overtime by the San Diego Chargers. The Dolphins scored more than 500 points for the first and to date only time in their history, as they scored 513 points and finished 14–2, their best record since the undefeated season.
The year began on a somber note, as running back David Overstreet was killed in a traffic collision in June. The Dolphins wore helmet decals with the number 20 (his jersey number) in his memory during this season. Overstreet was the third Dolphin in four seasons to die just before the start of training camp, following Rusty Chambers in July 1981 and Larry Gordon in June 1983.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled Movers, Shakers and Record Breakers; it was narrated by Brad Crandall, the first time since 1969 the Dolphins' season highlights were not narrated by John Facenda, who died in September 1984 at age 72.
After the season, the last remaining Dolphin from their Super Bowl VIII team, longtime offensive lineman Ed Newman, retired, ending a 12-year era for the team. He holds the unique distinction as being the only man to make it to Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl XIX as a member of the Dolphins, as well as Super Bowl XVII in between.
Offseason Draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1984 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeAl Del GrecoKickerAuburn
Week 1 roster
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 2 at Washington Redskins W 35–17 1–0 RFK Stadium 52,683 2 September 9 New England Patriots W 28–7 2–0 Miami Orange Bowl 66,083 3 at Buffalo Bills W 21–17 3–0 Rich Stadium 65,455 4 September 23 Indianapolis Colts W 44–7 4–0 Miami Orange Bowl 55,415 5 September 30 at St. Louis Cardinals W 36–28 5–0 Busch Memorial Stadium 46,991 6 October 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 31–7 6–0 Three Rivers Stadium 59,103 7 October 14 Houston Oilers W 28–10 7–0 Miami Orange Bowl 54,080 8 October 21 at New England Patriots W 44–24 8–0 Sullivan Stadium 60,711 9 October 28 Buffalo Bills W 38–7 9–0 Miami Orange Bowl 58,824 10 November 4 at New York Jets W 31–17 10–0 Giants Stadium 72,655 11 November 11 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–23 11–0 Miami Orange Bowl 70,227 12 November 18 at San Diego Chargers L 28–34 (OT) 11–1 Jack Murphy Stadium 53,041 13 New York Jets W 28–17 12–1 Miami Orange Bowl 74,884 14 December 2 Los Angeles Raiders L 34–45 12–2 Miami Orange Bowl 71,222 15 December 9 at Indianapolis Colts W 35–17 13–2 Hoosier Dome 60,411 16 Dallas Cowboys W 28–21 14–2 Miami Orange Bowl 74,139 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary
Week 1 (Sunday, September 2, 1984): at Washington Redskins The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Point spread: Redskins by 4½ Over/under: 46.0 (over) Time of game: 2 hours, 45 minutes
DolphinsGame statisticsRedskins18 First downs 2330–86 Rushes–yards 29–156311 Passing yards 20421–28–0 21–36–20–0 Sacked–yards 2–11311 Net passing yards 193397 Total yards 349152 Return yards 1485–45.8 4–43.80–0 Fumbles–lost 1–14–45 Penalties–yards 3–2028:48 Time of Possession 31:12
Dan Marino had one of the best passing days of his career, completing 21 of 28 passes for 311 yards with 5 TDs and no interceptions for a Passer Rating of 150.4. This game also marked the emergence of Jim "Crash" Jensen, who lined up as a receiver for the first time and caught 2 of Marino's TD passes. Until 2015, this was the Dolphins' last road win over the Redskins.
Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1984): vs. New England Patriots The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Point spread: Dolphins by 6 Over/under: 43.0 (under) Time of game: 3 hours, 3 minutes
PatriotsGame statisticsDolphins18 First downs 1728–127 Rushes–yards 30–74217 Passing yards 26920–42–4 17–28–22–12 Sacked–yards 0–0205 Net passing yards 269332 Total yards 34374 Return yards 1838–39.6 5–41.62–1 Fumbles–lost 0–06–53 Penalties–yards 6–4630:46 Time of Possession 29:14
Dan Marino increased his two-game total of seven touchdown passes as he tossed a pair of scoring strikes to Mark Clayton within a 1:36 span in the third quarter to lead Miami to its 17th straight victory against the Patriots at The Orange Bowl. Miami intercepted four Steve Grogan passes. Mike Kozlowski returned one 26 yards, then laterred to William Judson who rambled the remaining 60 yards for a touchdown.
Week 3 (Monday, September 17, 1984): at Buffalo Bills The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Time of game: 3 hours, 15 minutes
Week 4
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 5
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 6
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 7
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 8 (Sunday, October 21, 1984): at New England Patriots The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Point spread: Dolphins by 4 Over/under: 42.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes
DolphinsGame statisticsPatriots33 First downs 1837–236 Rushes–yards 27–102316 Passing yards 31324–39–1 19–29–00–0 Sacked–yards 1–7316 Net passing yards 306552 Total yards 40875 Return yards 1131–38.0 3–57.00–0 Fumbles–lost 1–16–36 Penalties–yards 6–3631:59 Time of Possession 28:01
Week 9 (Sunday, October 28, 1984): vs. Buffalo Bills The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Time of game: 2 hours, 54 minutes
Week 10
Pro-Football-Reference.comThe Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 11
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 12
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 13
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 14
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 15
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Week 16
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
Playoffs Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance Divisional December 29 Seattle Seahawks (4) W 31–10 1–0 Miami Orange Bowl 73,469 AFC Championship January 6, 1985 Pittsburgh Steelers (3) W 45–28 2–0 Miami Orange Bowl 76,029 Super Bowl XIX January 20, 1985 N San Francisco 49ers (N1) L 16–38 2–1 Stanford Stadium 84,059
Standings
Player stats Passing Player Att Comp Yds TD INT Rating Dan Marino 564 362 5084 48 17 108.9
Postseason Divisional
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
A year after being upended in the playoffs by the Seattle Seahawks the Dolphins routed Seattle 31–10. Dan Marino threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns despite being intercepted twice by Seahawks defensive back John Harris. The Dolphins rushed for 143 yards and a Tony Nathan rushing score as well.
Conference Championship
In a shootout, quarterback Dan Marino led the Dolphins to a victory by throwing for 421 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Steelers quarterback Mark Malone recorded 312 yards and 3 touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. With their 3rd ever victory in the Conference Championship, the Dolphins were able to advance to Super Bowl XIX. As of 2025, this remains the Dolphins last win in the AFC Championship.
Super Bowl XIX (Sunday, January 20, 1985): vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Football Database. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18. The Dolphins season ended with an overall record of 16-3. As of 2025, this remains the Dolphins last appearance in the Super Bowl.
Point spread: 49ers by 3 Over/under: 53.5 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 13 minutes
DolphinsGame statistics49ers19 First downs 319–25 Rushes–yards 40–211318 Passing yards 33129–50–2 24–35–04–29 Sacked–yards 1–5289 Net passing yards 326314 Total yards 537155 Return yards 916–39.3 3–32.71–0 Fumbles–lost 2–21–10 Penalties–yards 2–1022:49 Time of Possession 37:11
Super Bowl XIX was played on January 20, 1985, and featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers won their second Super Bowl, defeating the Dolphins 38–16. Dan Marino, the Dolphins quarterback passed for one touchdown and two interceptions, while Joe Montana, the 49ers quarterback passed for 3 touchdowns and rushed for another.
Awards and honors Dan Marino, 1984 NFL MVP Dan Marino, 1984 PFWA MVP Dan Marino, 1984 NEA MVP Dan Marino, 1984 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Dan Marino, 1984 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year Dan Marino, Bert Bell Award
Personnel
Coaches / Staff
Final roster
Notes
References
Miami Dolphins on Pro Football Reference Miami Dolphins on jt-sw.com