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.New York Giants v Miami Dolphins 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.History of the NFL's Structure and Formats
As of 2025, this was also the last time the Dolphins finished with at least twelve wins in the regular season.
Offseason NFL draft
Undrafted free agents
+ 1990 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRandy CockrellLinebackerVirginia TechDarryl Davis LinebackerFlorida A&MChris HaeringLinebackerWest VirginiaAndre JohnsonWide receiverFerris StateClarence JonesRunning backArmyJohn JurkovicNose TackleEastern IllinoisDave PacittiTackleVillanovaSean RedmanRunning backPenn StateMike RossonDefensive endTulsaCraig SchneiderGuardIllinoisDee SmithRunning backLouisvillePee Wee SmithWide receiverMiami (FL)Paul SoltisLinebackerYoungstown State
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Regular season
Schedule 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 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.
Standings
Player stats
Passing Player Att Comp Yds Touchdowns INT Rating Dan Marino 531 306 3563 21 11 82.6
Receiving Player Receptions Yards Average Long Touchdowns Mark Clayton 32 406 12.7 43 3
Defense Player Tackles Sacks Fumble Recoveries Jeff Cross 60 11.5 2
Playoffs
AFC wild card game
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.
AFC Divisional Playoff
Awards and honors Jeff Cross, AFC Pro Bowl selection
Milestones Dan Marino, 7th Consecutive 3,000 Yard Passing Season
References
Miami Dolphins on Pro Football Reference