The 1985 Miami Dolphins season was the 20th season in franchise history. The club won their fourth consecutive AFC East championship and appeared in the AFC Championship Game. It was the first season since their undefeated 1972 season without offensive lineman Ed Newman.
Due to Dan Marino's offseason holdout, and an injury to receiver Mark Duper, the Dolphins were only 5–4 through Week 9, and in third place in the AFC East, behind the 7–2 Jets and 6–3 Patriots. Their 220 points scored through Week 9 were fifth in the league,Pro-Football-Reference: In a single season, in 1985, in the regular season, from team's 1st game to 9th game, sorted by descending Points For and 85 points fewer, than in 1984 at the same point in the season.Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, in 1984, in the regular season, from team's 1st game to 9th game, sorted by descending Points For
The Dolphins righted the ship, however, and won their final seven games, including an upset of the then-undefeated Chicago Bears in a Week 13 Monday Night contest. This was the last time until 2021 that the Dolphins had won 7 games in a row. Miami won the division and defeated the AFC Central champion Cleveland Browns 24–21 in their first playoff game. Their season would end with a 31–14 home loss to division rival New England in the AFC Championship Game.
Off-season Quarterback Dan Marino, coming off a record-shattering 1984 season, held out through training camp.Neft, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; and Korch, Rich The Sports Encyclopedia: Pro Football, 12th Edition, p.506, Martin's Press, August 1994, This, and an injury to wide receiver Mark Duper, got the Dolphins out to a slow start.
Draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1985 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRay CondrenRunning backGettysburgRobert WeirDefensive endSMUMike WhiteCenterAlabama
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 8 at Houston Oilers L 23–26 0–1 Houston Astrodome 47,656 2 September 15 Indianapolis Colts W 30–13 1–1 Miami Orange Bowl 53,693 3 September 22 Kansas City Chiefs W 31–0 2–1 Miami Orange Bowl 69,791 4 September 29 at Denver Broncos W 30–26 3–1 Mile High Stadium 73,614 5 October 6 Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–20 4–1 Miami Orange Bowl 72,820 6 at New York Jets L 7–23 4–2 Giants Stadium 73,807 7 October 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 41–38 5–2 Miami Orange Bowl 62,335 8 October 27 at Detroit Lions L 21–31 5–3 Pontiac Silverdome 75,291 9 November 3 at New England Patriots L 13–17 5–4 Sullivan Stadium 58,811 10 November 10 New York Jets W 21–17 6–4 Miami Orange Bowl 73,965 11 November 17 at Indianapolis Colts W 34–20 7–4 Hoosier Dome 59,666 12 November 24 at Buffalo Bills W 23–14 8–4 Rich Stadium 50,474 13 Chicago Bears W 38–24 9–4 Miami Orange Bowl 75,594 14 December 8 at Green Bay Packers W 34–24 10–4 Lambeau Field 52,671 15 New England Patriots W 30–27 11–4 Miami Orange Bowl 69,489 16 December 22 Buffalo Bills W 28–0 12–4 Miami Orange Bowl 64,811 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 13
Miami finished 12–4 in 1985 and, in an epic Monday Night Football showdown on December 2, 1985, handed the previously-undefeated Chicago Bears their only defeat of the season. Several members of the 1972 Dolphins were in attendance at the game.
After rallying from a 21–3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs to beat the Cleveland Browns 24–21, many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX. The Cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. New England forced six turnovers on the way to a 31–14 win – the Patriots' first in Miami since 1966. The Patriots had lost 18 games in a row at the Orange Bowl. In 1969, the Boston Patriots had beaten the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium.
Standings
Final roster
Player stats
Passing Player Att Comp Yds TD Int Rating Dan Marino 567 336 4137 30 21 84.1
Playoffs
Schedule Round Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Divisional Cleveland Browns W 24–21 Miami Orange Bowl 75,128 AFC Championship Game January 12 New England Patriots L 14–31 Miami Orange Bowl 74,978
AFC divisional playoff
The game is known as 'Marino's 18-point comeback.'
AFC Championship Game
In an upset, the Patriots converted 6 Dolphins turnovers into 24 points.
Awards and honors Dan Marino, 1985 1st Team All-Pro and AFC Pro Bowl selection Mark Duper, franchise record, most receiving yards in one game, 217 yards on November 10.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, , p. 60.
References
External links 1985 Miami Dolphins on Pro Football Reference Miami Dolphins on jt-sw.com