The 1991 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 26th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games1991 Miami Dolphins and failing to qualify for the playoffs.
Offseason
NFL draft
Round Pick Player Position School/Club team 1 23 Randal Hill Wide receiver Miami (FL) 3 60 Aaron Craver Running back Fresno State 5 113 Bryan Cox Linebacker Western Illinois 5 121 Gene Williams Guard Iowa State 7 191 Chris Green Defensive back Illinois 8 220 Roland Smith Defensive back Miami (FL) 9 246 Scott Miller Wide receiver UCLA 10 275 Michael Titley Tight end Iowa 11 302 Ernie Rogers Guard California 12 331 Joe Brunson Defensive tackle Tennessee-Chattanooga
Undrafted free agents + 1991 undrafted free agent of notePlayerPositionCollegeChuck KlingbeilDefensive tackleNorthern Michigan
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 Chicago Bears L 0–6 0–1 Joe Robbie Stadium 49,939 2 August 4 vs. Los Angeles Raiders W 19–17 1–1 Tokyo Dome 51,122 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 29–13 2–1 Tampa Stadium 51,387 4 at Denver Broncos L 13–21 2–2 Mile High Stadium 72,555
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 1 at Buffalo Bills L 31–35 0–1 Rich Stadium 80,252 2 September 8 Indianapolis Colts W 17–6 1–1 Joe Robbie Stadium 51,155 3 September 15 at Detroit Lions L 13–17 1–2 Pontiac Silverdome 56,896 4 September 22 Green Bay Packers W 16–13 2–2 Joe Robbie Stadium 56,583 5 September 29 at New York Jets L 23–41 2–3 Giants Stadium 71,170 6 October 6 at New England Patriots W 20–10 3–3 Sullivan Stadium 49,749 7 October 13 at Kansas City Chiefs L 7–42 3–4 Arrowhead Stadium 76,021 8 October 20 Houston Oilers L 13–17 3–5 Joe Robbie Stadium 60,705 9 Bye 10 November 3 at Indianapolis Colts W 10–6 4–5 Hoosier Dome 55,899 11 November 10 New England Patriots W 30–20 5–5 Joe Robbie Stadium 56,065 12 Buffalo Bills L 27–41 5–6 Joe Robbie Stadium 71,062 13 November 24 at Chicago Bears W 16–13 6–6 Soldier Field 58,288 14 December 1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 33–14 7–6 Joe Robbie Stadium 51,036 15 Cincinnati Bengals W 37–13 8–6 Joe Robbie Stadium 60,616 16 December 15 at San Diego Chargers L 30–38 8–7 Jack Murphy Stadium 47,731 17 December 22 New York Jets L 20–23 8–8 Joe Robbie Stadium 69,636 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Team Performance The Miami Dolphins of 1991 were far less competitive than in the prior year, winning only 8 games, and missing the playoffs for the 6th time in 8 years. The Dolphins saw a drastic decline in their defensive performance in 1991 dropping from 4th in the NFL in 1990, to 24th. In 4 of their 8 losses, the defense blew 4th quarter leads. The offense, however, led by 29 year old future hall of fame QB Dan Marino improved from 14th in the NFL in 1990, to 6th. Marino earned a Pro Bowl berth after finishing 2nd in passing yards (3,970), 4th in passing TDs (25), and while throwing only 13 interceptions. The Dolphins offense continued to be among the best in the league, finishing first in 4th Down conversions. The dismal Dolphins running attack was 25th in the league in rushing yards and 24th in rushing TDs which failed to provide balance, causing the team to be one-dimensional offensively. With respect to team discipline the Dolphins were excellent, being the least penalized team in 1991.
References