It’s Dolphins week, and the Bills have a great opportunity to sweep the Dolphins for the third consecutive year. The Bills shut out the Dolphins 35-0 back in Week Two of this season. Ever since the Dolphins beat the Patriots in Week One, they have not been the winning column; they have been on a six-game losing streak. When you think back to the Bills-Dolphins rivalry, you try to forget about the Dolphins beating the Bills 20 consecutive times during the 1970s. I even think it’s hard to believe back in the 1970s when the Bills had OJ Simpson and Joe Ferguson that they could not beat the Miami Dolphins. When Marv Levy and Jim Kelly came to the Buffalo Bills, the tide turned. I will list my top Bills victories over the Miami Dolphins below.
1987- The Bills traveled down to South Florida to take on the Dolphins, and Jim Kelly stole the show in what would become a classic in Joe Robbie Stadium. Buffalo would defeat the Dolphins in overtime by a score of 34-31, and the Bills would sweep the Dolphins later in the season with a 27-0 victory at Rich Stadium.
1989- Another classic down in Joe Robbie Stadium. With only two seconds left and the Dolphins clinging to a 24-20 lead Jim Kelly delivered one of the most memorable plays of the decade. Kelly had the Bills on the Dolphins five-yard line, and a quarterback keeper touchdown run gave the Bills the 27-24 victory at the final whistle. Buffalo would see the Dolphins again at Rich Stadium later that year, and the Bills would beat Miami once again 31-17.
1980- The Dolphins were coming into Orchard Park with a 20-game winning streak over the Bills. Bills head coach Chuck Knox was in his third season as head coach, and I think his first mission was to end the streak. The Bills took down the Dolphins 17-7, and the goal post would also come down that day at Rich Stadium. Bills owner Ralph Wilson received a gift from Bills fans as the goal post was carried to his owner’s box.
1996- This would be the Bills last ever playoff win until the 2020 season, and it was the 95-96 Season AFC Wildcard game. This would be Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula’s final game as head coach in his 25-year tenure. The Bills jumped out to a 27-0 lead, but the Dolphins scored 22 unanswered points to make a game out of it until the Bills eventually righted the ship. The Bills set an NFL playoff record for rushing yards with 341 yards. Thurmond Thomas would lead the Bills in rushing that day, going for 158 yards. The Bills would defeat the Dolphins by a score of 37-22.
In my opinion, the most incredible Bills and Dolphins games were back when Marv Levy and Don Shula were head coaches. I am not a Dolphins fan, but if you love the NFL, you have to respect Don Shula and his legacy with the Dolphins. I hope that Dolphins fans would say the same thing about Marv Levy, Jim Kelly and their legacy in Buffalo. As we fast forward to 2021, the Bills will take on the Dolphins Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park at 1 pm, and I hope and expect it will be an excellent game for the Bills. Especially coming off of a loss to the Titans and a bye week, I expect a Bills win. As history tells us, you never know which Dolphins team will show up in Orchard Park.
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