A season that started with so much promise came crashing down with another disappointing early loss for the Miami Dolphins. He set an NFL record by scoring 70 points against the Denver Broncos in September. In their final three games, the Dolphins scored a total of 40 points, but lost the de facto game for the No. 1 playoff seed to the Baltimore Ravens, lost the AFC East title to the Buffalo Bills, and lost the AFC East title to Kansas. They also lost in the wild card game. City leaders.
As if that wasn't enough, after the Detroit Lions' 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins earned the dual distinction of having the NFL's longest active playoff losing streak and longest postseason absence without a W game. I have decided to carry this on my back. Even the New York Jets, who experienced the NFL's longest playoff drought (2010), have won six playoff games since Miami's most recent one.
When was the last time the Dolphins won in the playoffs?
We have to go back to Wild Card weekend, December 30, 2000. Bill Clinton was still president of the United States, Destiny's Child had a number one song on the Billboard charts, and current Dolphins running back Devon Ashen hadn't been born.
In Miami, Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts entered halftime with a 14-0 lead, but the Dolphins rallied in the closing stages and scored the tying touchdown on a pass from Jay Fiedler to Jed Weaver with 34 minutes left in regulation. was recorded.
In overtime, Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed the winning 49-yard field goal. Instead of awarding fourth-and-one at Miami's 31, the Colts rejected an offside penalty that would have given them third-and-7 at Miami's 37. Miami drove down the field and Lamar Smith went ahead with a 17-yard touchdown to round out the game with 209 yards. yard rush performance. The Dolphins' only lead was the final score of 23-17.
How long will the Dolphins' playoff losing streak last?
Last Saturday's brutal loss in frigid Kansas City extended Miami's postseason losing streak to six. The common theme is how non-competitive almost all losses were.
- 2000 AFC Divisional Round: Oakland Raiders 0-27
- 2001 AFC Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens 3-20
- 2008 AFC Wild Card: 9-27 vs. Baltimore Ravens
- 2016 AFC Wild Card: 12-30 Pittsburgh Steelers
- 2022 AFC Wild Card: 31-34 at Buffalo Bills
- 2023 AFC Wild Card: 7-26 at Kansas City Chiefs
(Incidentally, these Raiders have the second-longest active playoff winless streak at 21 years.)
The Dolphins have scored six (6!) total touchdowns, half of which came against the Bills last season. Miami briefly took a lead over Buffalo in the third quarter, replacing injured Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater with third-stringer Skylar Thompson, but that advantage didn't last long. A final drive attempt late in the game never got past Buffalo's territory.
Miami's offense failed to reach 300 total yards against everyone except the Steelers, and even that didn't happen until the final snap of garbage time. Of the 360 minutes played, Miami held the lead for less than 30 minutes.
What is the all-time record for consecutive postseason losses?
The Lions ended a 32-year losing streak with nine games. Three seasons ago in Cincinnati, his Bengals ended a 31-year postseason drought in eight games en route to winning the AFC Championship. The Kansas City Chiefs also lost eight straight games before defeating the Houston Texans in the wild card in 2015.
If Miami loses its next postseason game, it will mark the fourth-longest playoff losing streak in league history.
An encouraging sign for Dolphins fans is the fact that Miami has reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2000 and 2001 under Dave Wannstead, the last head coach to lead Miami to a playoff victory.
While Mike McDaniel is off to a promising start as Dolphins head coach, Miami won't be taken seriously as a playoff contender unless they significantly improve their regular season record against playoff-level opponents. .
The Cincinnati Reds are forward In the playoffs. They haven't won a playoff series since the 1990 NLCS. In 2012, they won two games in the best-of-five division series.
