1973 AFC Championship Game Dolphins vs Raiders Clip

[Navdan87]

Was that Bubba Smith playing for the Raiders #77?

[raiders75]

Thank you for posting this. Good to see what the glory days looked like back in the days. Yeah, granted my Raiders lost this one but we made up for it with "The Sea of Hands" LOL Once again thank you.

[sportshistorybuff]

Scary to see how much talent the Raiders had on both sides of the ball and they were still in over their heads against this Miami team. Madden later described this as the most frustrating

game of his career, Every blocking scheme they tried, there was always another Dolphin filling the hole. Shula's SB teams were like a computer that had all the answers. This day was the only time that both Conference championship games had the same score, Minnesota beating Dallas by the same 27-10 score.

[gole311]

This their perfect season?

[vecman86]

@gole311 No. This is the following year.

[gamelvr1]

@gole311 No, what gave you that idea? Their perfect season was the 1972 season

[gole311]

@gamelvr1 Well the postseason is mostly in the next year, so I was thinking that it was the 1972 season, but as you can see, I didn't read the description...

[bingobongo445]

Back in the day my era!

[TheAmbassador11]

85 Bears defense was from Hades..

[TheAmbassador11]

@ilovegod300 Don Shula came from the old NFL. Ball control and defense. He took that style to the AFC and the Dolphins and they won championships. Old style football. The AFL was wide open football.

[6400az]

@TheAmbassador11

Absolutely true. The old NFL style of football...... 3 yards and a cloud of dust ( astro turf ) The early Dolphin teams where the ultimate tribute to Vince Lombardi.

[6400az]

@ilovegod300 If Harris and Bleir where to have played in the 76' AFC Championship Game, it would have been a different ball game altogether. At the time, the Raiders had just squeaked by the Patriots. The Steelers had won something like 10 straight and the previous week they routed a strong, Bert Jones led Colts 40-14. Both RB's had over 100 yards in that game. In 76', both had over 1000 yrds as well. Their absence can't be minimized.

The Raiders would have been denied had the 2 played.

[mcparla1]

@6400az

Perhaps you are correct. However, everybody mentions that '76 championship game Franco and Bleir missed and then forgets that Biletnikoff missed the '75 championship game in Pittsburgh. Freddy would have been better suited for those field conditions than Siani or even Branch.

[6400az]

@mcparla1

So what your saying is that the Raiders without Biletnikoff where just as hampered as the Steelers with Harris and Bleir? Biletnikoff would have been better suited, yes. But how do you think that would have made a difference in the 75" game.

[NuisanceMan]

No way...I demand that this game be replayed! GO RAIDERS!!!

[ringstrekstarwars]

I would however put your Steelers of 1975 as the 2nd best team of all time in the NFL and the Bears of 85 and the Niners of 1989 following them. But we all have our opinions and I certainly do respect yours my friend. Your Steelers were definately better than my Raiders teams of the 70's they proved that time and again. Even in 1976 the Raiders only won in my opinion because Franco and Rocky didn't play, i honestly believe that. Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Best Wishes !

[gfpirate]

@ilovegod300 Definitely would have been an interesting matchup. I've said before I don't think Dallas' D-line dominates Oakland the way it did Denver. However, Oakland's defense was not as good as the Broncos, so Dallas' offense probably would have had more success moving the ball and scoring.

[6400az]

@gfpirate

Good comment. I too don't think the Raiders defense was all that . Why do you think the Vikings wer'ent able to establish anything on offense in the Superbowl.

[Seastorm21]

Wow! Csonka still looks like a horse. Tackling that guy must have hurt in those days.

[johnboy779]

@ilovegod300 The best would have been a '77 matchup. That's when Dallas was at its peak, and Oakland barely past. It would have been a much better matchup than Dallas-Denver, with the inept Craig Morton.

[headley62]

Football was better then before the start of the 1978 rule changes that slowly made the game what it is today. Perhaps not so slowly.

[JTC31290]

You don't see players(particularly QBs) run that hard and fast anymore. Bob Griese ran through that defense like butter. That run at the goal line looked flawless. I don't even think Larry Czonka's heart rate sped up... Haha.

[radar0412]

Too bad orginal broadcast of "Sea of hands game" is lost.

Larry Csonka my all time favorite FB. He led his team to SB Championships from the running back position. Most SB champions are led by Quarterbacks now days.

Good thing steroids wern't readily available back then.

Could you imagine Larry Csonka on steroids? SCARRY.

[steelersfanhawaii]

@ilovegod300 That year New England shellacked your dolphins on openning day 34-24 (much worse than the score indicated) in Foxborro. On the final game of the season, New England built a 24-0 lead against the dolphins in the Orange bowle, but the dolphins came back and won that game. The dolphins finished 11-3 and the raiders were 12-2. New England had Jim Plunkett, Daryl Stingley, Sam "Bam" Cunningham, and coach was Chuck Fairbanks. They upset big teams but later faded that year

[cjs3872]

@ilovegod300

Yes it was. That particular circumstance, more than any other, led to the playoff seeding that began in 1975, though until 1989, teams from the same could not meet in the Divisional round. Obviously, they could meet in the Wild Card round when it was introduced in 1978, when a second wild card team was added, but it wasn't until 1990 that teams would face each other strictly based on playoff seeding, regardless of whatever divison they played in.

[cjs3872]

@ilovegod300

But the real kicker was that many of the Dolphin players believed that the 1973 team was better than the undefeated '72 team, and have said so. To me, there is no better proof than when the players say that one of their own championship teams is better than the other, because if anyone should know, it would those that played and coached on those teams.

[cjs3872]

@ilovegod300

I totally agree that the 1973 Dolphins were better than the 1972 undefeated team. That's especially true where the post-season was concerned. In '72, they struggled to beat the Cleveland Browns, an undermanned Steelers team in Pittsburgh [which was a crime], and failed to put away the Redskins in the Super Bowl. But in 1973, the easily beat the Bengals after struggling in the first half, then manhandled the Raider and Vikings, better teams than they faced the year before.

[cjs3872]

@ilovegod30

You're obviously referring to the 1974 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Raiders [the "Sea of Hands" game], which the Dolphins lost, not the '73 AFC Championship game, in which the Dolphins easily beat the Raiders 27-10, despite attempting only six passes. Combined with Super Bowl VIII two weeks later, the Dolphins only attempted a total of 13 passes between the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl, yet beat two of the decade's best teams by a combined score of 51-17.

[Mrviking4ever]

Curt Gowdy doing the play by play. He was NBC's lead announcer for NFL games during the 70's.

[altfactor]

Curt Gowdy was probably the great play-by-play sports broadcaster who ever lived.

And definitely the most versatile.

[cjs3872]

@altfactor

Gowdy was certainly up there among the best, considering all the World Series [about 15-20] and Super Bowls [seven] he was the lead broadcaster for. Not to mention all the Rose Bowls and NCAA basketball championship games he broadcast. He even was the lead announcer for the 1966 Daytona 500 and did many different events for ABC's Wide World of Sports in the 1960s and 70s. He even did an Bucs-Eagles playoff game for CBS in 1979, as well as some other games on CBS for a few years.

[deeniemarie7]

THE CSONK IS IN !

[graciemaemarie11]

griese best qb miami ever had... a winner....

[graciemaemarie11]

men playing against little boys....

[melbz1266]

WHAT HAPPENED TO SPORTS? NOW ITS LOOK AT ME! I MISS THE GOOD OLD DAYS.

[stringbenderE2E]

This is how the game should be played. No BS, no jumping up and down, acting like idiots.

[AwsiDooger]

I attended this game. Still have the ticket stub. My dad got season tickets for the family beginning in '72. Crisp afternoon and overflowing confidence. The '73 team could have played postseason doubleheaders against fresh opponents, without a sweat. Particularly at home, with a surreal edge.

Why are there Marino references in the comments? Worthless era, other than bet against. Now you've got a moronic owner who actually believes the heyday of the franchise was Marino and pantyhose passing.

[zzaldoushuxleyzz]

the dolphins did not come up short! Miami won 27- 10!

[wwepatriot1]

The quickness of the handoff from Griese to Morris was amazing.

Thats the reason Morris got in.

[pbrealtor]

Hey ilovegod.. the Raiders NEVER were ahead in this game. I WAS THERE. Fins were up 14-0 at halftime. Look it up.

I respect everyone's posts, IF you are accurate.

[LSpear76RCN]

@ilovegod300 Raiders were up 10-3 going into the 4th quarter of that game.

[LSpear76RCN]

yes, this full game is out in the trading community. it's on 3 dvds. 

[Navdan87]

Wow! What a machine the Dolphins were!!

[dsscam]

Forgot how great Griese was... fun to watc this.

[tknippe]

I have this game on 16 mm narrated by Facenda for NFL Films and the 73 NFC championship. I wish it was easy to convert.

[kthburke]

@ilovegod300 No one is happier than me u beat Pitt in AFC Champ gm. But losing Franco and Rock hurt cuz the NFL rule to start favoring passing gm didnt start til 78 seas. Pit was RUN 1st. To that pt Oak set a SB record 4 total rush yds vs Minn. I have no axe to grind w 70's Oak.They never hurt my Cowboys or vice versa. But loving NFL hist I truly believe they got unfairly glorified & in 76 (as you said) they got a fav call v NE, the Pitt deal, & then played a passive Min tm rather than Dal in SB

[dolfangirl1]

@ilovegod300 My point was simply that Miami was a totally dominant team in the Orange Bowl, going nearly

4 straight seasons without a defeat. Bradshaw was not the passing Maestro that Stabler was by a long shot.

Minnesota could have beaten Pittsburgh in SB IX, it was only 2-0 at the Half. The problem was that the Vikes

only scored 6, the Purple Gang only surrendered 14 pts & that was in the 4th qt. Miami, as SB VIII showed,

was a much superior & disciplined team than Minnesota. 19-13 Miami.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 The 4 Vikes SB teams should be ashamed. U know how much time they led in all 4 SB's? Zero How many pts Minn scored aggregate in the FIRST half of ALL 4 SB's? Zero. In SB's 4, 8, & 11, Minn was losing 16-0, 17-0, & 16-0 at half. They had no shot. In SB IX, Minn's D kept them in the gm cuz Pit had no passing attack. W that, Min had just 17 rush yds & I think only 115 ttl yds. & when a Minn blocked punt 4 TD w 10 min left for 9-6, Vikes allowed a 70 yd TD drive to lose gm. Pathetic

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke Minnesota had a truly great team in the '70s & Tarkenton for some reason did not shine in the SB.

Many think the '75 Vikes that choked against Dallas in the playoffs was their strongest team of the decade.

[6400az]

@dolfangirl1

The true , great Viking team was the 69' squad. They also had monster teams in 70' and 71', but in those last 2 years they did'nt have anything resembling a QB ( worse than the Dolphins Woodley yrs). By the time they made another run at the SB with Tarkenton , Foreman and co. the defense was long on the tooth and light. The 75' team played a very weak schedule and had a record of 1-2 against teams with winning records.I never thought they where the real thing.

[dolfangirl1]

@ilovegod300 Pittsburgh would have melted in the heat of the Orange Bowl, had they met in the 1974 AFC

Championship. Miami was unbeaten in the Orange Bowl from week 3 of '71 through the entire '74 season...

virtually impossible to beat at home. Keep in mind that Miami was missing Mercury Morris, Jake Scott, &

Curtis Johnson in the Sea of Hands game. With half their outstanding secondary side-lined, a passing artist

like Stabler led his team to victory by the skin of his teeth.

[kthburke]

@ilovegod300 The 68-77 Raiders were an NFL Films creation. They TWICE lost 3 straight AFL/AFC title gms. In those 6 losses in 8 yrs, 3 they were favored. 18 yrs into their hist in 77 they won their 1st ever road playoff game in a great win at Balt, only to lose the next week in Den. Oak had not lost in Den SINCE 1962. 1962!. I'll give u '76 despite Pitt injuries, but how can u poss believe Oak would've beaten Mia if they had met in 72 AFC Champ gm? @dolfangirl1 would differ. Me too.

[WWWronarcherINFO]

Bob Griese was fast..wow

[kthburke]

Mia was one of the dominant teams ever, but here is the problem. They got destroyed 24-3 in SB VI by Dallas -ONLY SB tm never to score a TD. They dominated the next 2 seasons using ball control RUNNING football. In NFL Films' 1973 season highlight show, at the end they almost apologized cuz the game had become so run dominant boring. Then Mia choked a last 2 min 26-21 lead at Oak in the 74 Div Playoff. A 4 year stretch of dominance yielded 2 world titles BUT let Pitt be Team of 70's! I hate Pitt

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke Miami lost 3-starting DBs in the 1974 "Sea of Hands" playoff loss at Oakland...it was hardly a choke

when you consider that important detail. The No-Namers only yielded 6-passing TDs in '73...it hurt immensely

to lose Jake Scott, Curtis Johnson,& Lloydd Mumphord in that game. Also, success & dominance at RUNNING

is something to be praised in football...it allows the QB to pass at his luxury & Bob Griese was a surgeon on

the field...the "Thinking Man's QB".

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 U know your history. I've watch NFL Films about '74 game. U r right that those secondary losses hurt. I recall on "Sea of Hands" catch, DB #49 Babb could have clocked Davis but was passive. "Choke" was not fair. U love running cuz it won 2 SB's.My reply: 72 div playoff: Earl M 6-13 88 yds. 73 AFC Chp gm: BobG: 3-6 w 1 int 34 yds (34!). SB 8: Bob: 6-7 73 yds. So Bob "thought" on 13 passes.In 3 SB's BG threw just 1 TD pass. Boring. In SB VI he was the experienced QB & played poorly

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke Running paid off nicely for Dallas in '71 with Duane Thomas, Walt Garrison, & Calvin Hill. Marino

was the greatest passer (not QB) of all time & it yeilded no SB Trophies for Miami. You say I luv running?...

more accurate to say I love WINNING. Roger was a nice asset to a vetern team that had an awesome D &

great rushing attack. Dallas wins SB VI 24-3...in 1972 the Redskins destroy Dallas 26-3...Staubach gets a

taste of what Griese experienced the year before.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 u have no clue about Staubach. u ever wonder why fr 66 to 70 Dal choked in playoff gms? Then they choked 3 straight Chmp gms fr 80 - 82? What happened IN BETWEEN those failures? 4th Q comebacks & SB's fr 72-79 by Roger. The 72 Skins 26-3 Champ gm win is a cheap shot by u. Roger was injured the entire year w a separated shoulder. He came off bench v SF in playoffs down 28-13 w 6 min left & pulled out a 17 pt miracle. Roger was not the reason they lost to Wash. u r misguided there

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 I've been holding this back on the "Sea of Hands" gm. Unless I missed your comment, u may not be aware of a main reason besides injury Mia should've won the game. Have u evr seen "This Week in Pro Football" 4 the 74 Div rd? On the 72 yd Snake to Branch TD midway 4Q that put Oak up 21-19 where Branch made diving catch, the DB's did not touch him and he got up & scored: Branch TRAPPED the ball. NFL Films shows a rev angle that shows it & they comment on the trap. U got robbed. TRUTH

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke I have the Game of the Week episode...is that the same one? I need to rewatch it, because I

really don't remember Branch's slip n' run td being called a trap. I know Stabler was going after backup safety

Stuckey on that play. That game still remains the most painful loss ever, even more than the Super Bowl XVII

loss, which I felt Miami should have won. Shula made the same mistake in that SB as he did in SB III & that

was keeping an ineffective QB in too long.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 all parts of the new Sea of Hands NFL's Greatest Games show was uploaded by shrevedude1.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 All parts of the new Sea of Hands NFL's Greatest Games show was uploaded by shrevedude1. Look at the very end of part 8 and you tell me that was not a trap. I see trap and I'm unbiased on this.

[Oaklandgirlpitlover1]

@kthburke Yes. But I've seen the Raiders get screwed over MANY times. Even after they had dotted every I, crossed every T. Yet the Officials would blow the call. Or Just didn't give a shit. And then make a lame ass excuse. That's why I don't feel bad when a bad call favors the Raiders. Because it is EXTREMELY rare when it DOES happen.

[pbrealtor]

@Oaklandgirlpitlover1

Hey KTH.. the Raiders were STEAMROLLED that day. That's the basic, honest reality. You could reversed every officials call in that game and Miami still would have won. They were that much better. Tough to swallow? Too bad.

[Oaklandgirlpitlover1]

@pbrealtor Are you sure you sent your message to the right person? Because I'm not KTH. And I don't appreciate the tone of your comment.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 It looks like the guy who uploaded it did so when NFL Network showed it on I think June 7 of this month. I just checked their schedule for the next 2 weeks and it's not, but you know it will eventually be on again. I'll try to keep my eyes peeled and let you know when it's on again

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 Moved fr Dal to STL 2 weeks ago, so been out of sorts. I hope you've found that 74 Mia Oak Classic.

[Oaklandgirlpitlover1]

@kthburke I have it.

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke The SB VI loss is what drove them to Perfection the following year. The memory of that humiliating

defeat kept them from getting overconfident. Dallas had endured 2-NFL Title losses to Green Bay & a SB V

loss to a Colt team that had an aging LEGEND QB who had experienced similiar dissapointments as Dallas

in their quest for a World Championship. We all know Paul Warfield, Jim Kiick, & Larry Csonka left Miami

after the '74 season to join the short-lived World Football League.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 Good analysis. I'll reply to the humiliating quote in last reply. It was even worse for Dal. Not only did they lose two last second chmp gms to GB and then Bal in SB V, in 68 & 69 they lost huge to inferior Browns teams largely due to a gifted WR named Warfield (insult to injury, those 2 Clev tms lost by combined scored of 61-7 the next week in NFL Title Gm losses). The WFL angle does not water. 75 Steelers were arguably the best D of all time. PW, JK, & LC wouldn't overcome that

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke In 1975 Miami finished 10-4 even without Csonka, Warfield, & Kick. Miami missed the playoffs by a

tie-breaker to Baltimore. Dallas advances to SB X in 1975 thanks to the "hail mary" pass to Drew Pearson.

Steelers win 21-17 in a close one over big D. Yeah, I think my Dolphins could have beaten Pittsburgh that

year & definately in '76 when they lost Franco Harris & Rocky Blier for the playoffs.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 I hate the Steelers, but I'm not sure what your point is in writing u think Mia could have beaten Pitt in 75 playoffs. Mia did not make 75 playoffs. And in 76 Mia missed playoffs, so what does it matter about Steelers' injuries? I only agree Oak (the most overrated team in NFL hist) benefited from Franco & Rock being out. Oak lost 3 straight Chmp gms twice: 68-70 & 73-75 & in 76 got lucky rough passer flag v NE & then Pitt injuries.NFL Films luvs 70s Oak. They ignore their failures

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke I agree with you 100% re Oakland, especially in '76 vs Pats & Pitt. My point re Pitt in '[75 was that

had Miami retained the 3 marquee players (Csonka,Kiick,Warfield) they would have finished better than 10-4,

thus qualifying for the playoffs. The greatest thing about Miami back then was their Defense (especially against the pass).

A team that rarely made mistakes (except in SB VI). Staubach was more talented than Griese, especially

with the 2 min offense. Shula/Landry=CLASS.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 U have CLASS.I've nvr had prob w Mia.I recall on ThxGiv '73 @ Tex Stad Mia beat Dal 14-7.Your '75 Mia theory is plausible.I have respect for Pitt but they r slightly overrated. As dominant as they were ALL 4 of their SB wins were in doubt DEEP into 4th Q. They nvr had a SB blowout & in '75 were a run & D dominant team. Swann got hot for 4 catches in SB X, but TB was just 9 of 19. Pitt was not a complete team. Mia may hv beat em.Then it would've been Dal @ Mia in SB X @ Orange Bowl!!

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 I recorded it on ESPN Classic in late 90's. It was This Week in Pro Football where they showed highlights of the 4 divisional playoff gms. The co-host and narrator of Sea of Hands was Al Melzer. I was trying to find that on the Net just now and did not realize that NFL Films recently released this as an NFL Greatest Games. It's on YouTube. I tried to paste link, but didn't work. Type in NFL's Greatest Games: 1974 Divisional Playoff: Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders Part 08

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke I forgot to mention that Don Shula did not allow Mercury Morris to play in Super Bowl VI. It wasn't

until the following season ('72) that Shula allowed him to see much action. That's a huge dimensional loss

on their running attack vs Doomsday in SB VI.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 Weakest argument.Mia had only 185 yds that gm, snapped just ONE play inside the Dal 20, it was in garbage time down 24-3, & Bob fumbled snap.The Dal Flex D was designed to stop the run. That seas they allowed just one 100 yd RB, to a fullback. Except for a garbage TD to Min in Div playoff, Dal did NOT allow a TD in playoffs (dominant). If u want to argue Morris would have made a diff in SB VI feel free, but I know from your FB smarts you r smart enough not to. Only SB team w/o a TD

[dolfangirl1]

@kthburke I didn't coin the terms "field surgeon" or "thinking man's QB" for Bob Griese...that was The Monday

Night Football crew of Howard, Frank, & Dandy Don. In SB VIII Griese threw only 7 passes & connected with 6.

3 or 4 of which he threw on the opening drive. He also threw a couple on their 2nd drive...Dolphins now take

a quick 14-0 lead and go into ball-control mode...what's wrong with that? Boring?...perhaps, but consistency

rarely is. Griese's in the Hall of Fame where he belongs.

[kthburke]

@dolfangirl1 I agree Bob G deserves to be in the HOF. He was a great QB. That said, I can't wait to hear your argument that Bob Griese was a better QB than Roger Staubach. dolfangirl, either make a case you cannot make or admit Staubach was better than Bob G & was one of the greatest QB's of all time (# 46 by NFL Network, which was a joke - should have been top 30)

[MrAdamthebeast]

yep, steelers far superior

[aljanadcob]

absolutely not, the Steelers and it's not even close......4 super bowls in 6 years

[dolfangirl1]

@aljanadcob If Pittsburgh lost Harris,Swann, & Blier in 1977 they would not have won any more SBs...Miami

lost Warfield,Csonka, & Kiick before the '75 season. Miami was so dominant in the early '70's, but few fans

know much about them aside from the perfect season in '72. 32-2 from '72-'73 & with key injuries both years.

[ringstrekstarwars]

The Raiders would have not beaten the Dolphins in the 1974 playoff game if Miami didn't lose two of their best defensive players in their secondary. Once they lost their best safety and cornerback to injury the Raiders bagan to be be able to pass of them, but before the injuries they couldn't do anything. And I am a Raider fan ! You have to give them their due.

Manny Fernandez should be in the Hall of Fame ! It's a no brainer !

[ringstrekstarwars]

I was am still am a huge Raider fan, but anyone who knows a thing about football knows that the Dolphins in the early 1970's were the best team in the history of football. They had such a great offenive line with such a diverse group of talented weapons in Mercury Morris, Jim Kick, Larry Csonka, Paul Warfield, Bob Griese, ect... on offense. The best coach of all time on the sideline. And a very underatted group of excellent football players on defense. BEST TEAM EVER HANDS DOWN !

[johnboy779]

@ringstrekstarwars Nah, you're wrong. The Steeler teams in '75, '76, and '78 were superior, hands down. No defense from the '70's could hold a candle to the 1976 Steeler defense.

[ringstrekstarwars]

The Steelers in 74 and 75 were great defensive teams, no argument there, and I think that the Steeler defenses of those teams were better than the Dolphins defenses of 72 and 73, I never said they were, I simply commented they had a very underatted group of players on defense. But overall in my opinion, I feel they were the best team of all time and as an avid Raider fan it kills me to say that. They played the AFC title game in Pittsburgh in 1972 and defeated the Steelers.

[TheAmbassador11]

@ringstrekstarwars They were not better than a couple of Steeler teams nor 49er teams.

[flwhrtrb90]

the dolphins might not have played any playoff teams during the regular season but miami went 3-0 in the playoffs against those teams.........you should have stated none of those playoff teams had to play miami during the regular season.

[GemCan78]

@flwhrtrb90 In the Browns-Dolphins playoff, the Browns led, 14-13, and a Morrall to Warfield bomb saved the day and the perfect record...the next week against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, Terry Bradshaw was knocked out with a concussion, and Terry Hanratty was obviously ineffective...the Larry Seiple fake punt saved Miami's season and their perfect record...

[6400az]

@GemCan78

I thought it was Charlie Babb's blocked punt and td run, that save d te day for the Dolphins.

[gfpirate]

I'm reading the book "Badasses" about the Madden-run Raiders, and in it the Raiders said on third and long the Dolphins would send out their back, forcing the Raider linebackers to cover them. Griese would then take on in the open lane for a long run, just like he did here.

[FRSFreeStateES]

The Raiders came up short before 1976 in the AFC Finals. But they also lost to great teams like the Colts, Dolphins and Steelers.

[Navdan87]

Fantastic clip! Would love to see the whole game!

[TOPOFFMAN]

Right again. Dan Marino darkened the sky with footballs, because they had no 1,000 yard rusher for several years. That's why the 49ers would still have beaten them anyway in the super bowl.

[zeplord88]

In fact Csonka and Warfield were with the Dolphins in 74. The wfl didn't begin play till 75.They both were playing in the sea of hands game. Get your facts straight clown!!!

[GeorgeVreelandHill]

I miss those years.

Players played the game for the love of football and team.

So many great teams and so many legends.

The fans had more respect and there was no self interest bs.

Thanks for the memories.

George Vreeland Hill

[Daisyno2]

some say the 73 team was better then the 17-0 1972 team!!

[whitewaiter1972]

please tell me vu have the vrest of this game,,,,,

[DIMP11]

Bob Griese had some good speed. I'm impressed by that scramble. Looked like Vick, Cunningham, Steve Young, Vince Young or Tarkenton.

[ALICEDAY61]

Actually this team was better than the 1972 undefeated team in my opinon. It seemed like every game they played after their first two possesions they were up 14-0. Their defense was very quick and almost made no mistakes. The best "overall" team I've ever seen and I have been watching football since the 60's. They were great.

[graciemaemarie11]

@ALICEDAY61 maybe best team ever...

[yrhodesian]

Mr tennessee vols. I'll admit those 2 steeler teams were dominant. But what I remember about them is that they had a tough time with a very young dallas team

in '75, and were lucky to beat Dallas in  '78. What I remember the most about Miami

in ' 73. They faced 3 very good teams in post season, including the #1 run defense in Oakland, and won by 18, 17, and 17. Nuff said. Also, the pass defense

rules were loosened up by 78. Oh by the way, Miami's combined record for '72 & ' 73, 32-2.

[SaskBlade]

You should find the game they did the next year with the Sea of Hands.

[vitoduval]

The Raiders needed a few more defensive line acquisitions (Matuszak, McCoy etc)

to finally put them in the Super Bowl, yeah it was pretty frustrating watching the Raiders finish one game short year after year during the early 70s.

[KENA429]

Love this old 70's NFL footage. Where the hell was the NFL the last 20 or 30 years? i would have been Buying DVDs of the old stuff Years ago.

[hubbased]

70's memories: Gowdy, DeRo, astro turf at the Orange Bowl, the Raiders...I'm not a Dolphins fan either, but unfortunatley this Dolphim dynasty is becoming forgotten. All people think about is the undefeated team popping corks after the last undefeated team goes down--this was a great team. I wonder what would have happened in '74 if Csonka and Warfield didn't go to the WFL. Imagine Csonka in the Sea of Hands game, or going against the Steel Curtain.

[goANG106th]

@hubbased ................csonka was in the sea of hands game he left the following season.....

[graciemaemarie11]

@hubbased i gotta say, maybe best team ever , again:,best team ever... a machine, precise, exact, a team, not thuggedout punks like the ny jets are now, a team of thuggies, pigs, foul-mouthed thugs with an asshole coach, like his degenerate father,this was CLASS... god bless coach shula and this team i was blessed to have watched...

[harp1925]

@hubbased Surprise, surprise, csonka, kick and warfield were on the 74 dolphins and lost in the sea of hands game. Steel curtain in there prime ruled.

[dolfangirl1]

@harp1925 Super Bowl VII MVP Jake Scott injured his knee early in the game during a Dick Anderson interception of Stabler. Corner Curtis Johnson also left the game. That was the key that opened things up for

Stabler with 2 tds late in the game...especially Clif Branche's slip n' run td against Stuckey. Also Mercury Morris

was absent for that game, but losing half the secondary is what cost Miami the game & then barely.

[ethurst2]

@hubbased Csonka did play in the Sea of Hands game. I think that Kiick and Morris was hurt so that left him and rookie Benny Malone in the backfield. People talk about Marshawn Lynchs run against the Saints, you should see Malones run which put the Dolphins up in the fourth quarter with a minute to go. Classic.

[bdog1323]

@ethurst2 yeah, that run was awesome, that'd been something to see live. If only they didn't leave all that time on clock!! LOL Does anybody remember that a young rookie named Nat Moore took the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the sea of hands game? bdog

[GemCan78]

@bdog1323 It was the 1974 AFC Divisional Playoff Game in Oakland...that was the Dolphins chance to "threepeat", as NFL Champions...but I truly believe, that had the Dolphins won that game in Oakland, they would have lost to the Steelers...it was just the Steelers' time to shine...

[winyguy]

@hubbased A lot of people talk about the 1972 Dolphins, But A lot of people do not talk about the 1973 Dolphins, I think the 1973 Dolphins were a better team than the 1972 Dolphins.

[GemCan78]

@winyguy The 73 Dolphins gave up only 150 pts, while the 72 Dolphins gave up 171...could you imagine, how many yards O.J. would have gained, had he not had to play the Dolphins twice? Just mind-boggling to say the least...the 73 Dolphins breezed in the 73 playoffs, brushing aside the Bengals, 34-16, and the Raiders, 27-10...and they destroyed the Vikings, 24-7, in Super Bowl VIII...

[ebf1957]

@hubbased

Had Csonka, and Warfield stayed they would've had the chance to win three Superbowls if the WFL didn't happen.

[tknippe]

@ebf1957 they did stay in 1974 but lost to the raiders in 74 playoffs

[6400az]

@hubbased

Csonka's did play in the Sea of Hands game, as did Warfield and Kick.Those 3 players left for the WFL after th 74' season.

[gfpirate]

I was 11 when this game was played. I was rooting for Oakland, but I knew almost immediately that Miami was the better team. It seemed like the Raiders had to play over the heads just to stay even.

[yrhodesian]

Greatest team I've ever seen Bar None. And I'm not a Dolphin fan. Could run at will.

Passed only when it needed to.Most diverse backfield in history. Then, when they

get a lead and you have to throw on them.IMPOSSIBLE. This team never gets the

credit it deserves because the year before it was undefeated, but this was a more

dominant and precise team. I was a hugh Raider fan in the 70's. I never felt more hopeless as far as my teams chance of winning then in this game. Dophins '73

BEST EVER

[MrTennesseeVols]

@yrhodesian The 1975 or 1978 Steelers would have beaten the 73 Dolphins. They could not have covered Swann or Stallworth!

[TOPOFFMAN]

@MrTennesseeVols Oh Yeah? The 1984 Dolphins would have beaten the 1975 and 1978 Steelers. They would not, and could not, stop Marino, Duper, Clayton, Stephenson, And Killer Bees.

[sptrfn]

@TOPOFFMAN: The Killer Bees sucked in 1984. That team wasn't that good. They have the 84 Title game posted on You-Tube, and the Steelers could have won that game, in my opinion. They made several mistakes, and were down 24-14 at halftime when they should have been up 14-10. That would have made a big difference. I still think that, if my Broncos don't lose the week before, they could have beat the Dolphins.

[TOPOFFMAN]

@sptrfn It's not The Dolphin's fault that the Streelers kept coughing up the football.

[bdog1323]

@sptrfn huge dolfan here, and yeah the killer bee's were aging, not the same as the previous years. The steelers had 4 TO's compare to miami's 2 in that game. But they did beat them 31-7 up in pittsburgh earlier in the year. As for denver, they played in '85 and it really was a shame marino and elway would have to wait 13 years to play against each other again. Imagine what those games could've been like!! bdog

[sptrfn]

@bdog1323: I know. Somehow, Miami and Denver usually weren't good in the same year, so the schedule formula didn't allow for them to meet.

[GemCan78]

@TOPOFFMAN Are you insane? The 1984 Dolphins? For one thing, the 84 Dolphins gave up 298pts, which would have made them, the worst defense in the AFC, during the early to mid-1970's...the 75 Steelers had 10 Pro Bowlers on defense alone, with the exception of Ernie Holmes, who was probably the Steelers best defensive player...from 1972-76, the Steelers had four Defensive Players of the Year...Greene in 72, Greene in 74, Blount in 75, Lambert in 76...the Steel Curtain is the best, period...

[TOPOFFMAN]

@GemCan78 You may be right on that one. But, The 1984 Dolphins with Marino and co, outscored their opponents to win their games. Their defense that year was pretty pathetic.

[GemCan78]

@TOPOFFMAN In 1984, The AFC East was basically the Dolphins playground, as they went 8-0 in the division...the 84 Dolphins started out 11-0, before losing to the Raiders, 45-34, in Week 12...plus, the Dolphins lost to the Chargers, 34-28, in overtime in Week 14...if the Dolphins would have had a running game, to go with Marino's aerial assault, then they could have gone into Super Bowl XIX, undefeated...

[bdog1323]

@GemCan78 If only Andra Franklin didn't tear his acl early in '84 and if Chuck Muncie would''ve passed a drug test becuase he WAS traded to miami pending that physical which he passed but failed the drug test. If any other team but the niners, miami even with the aging killer b's defense, had a great shot to win XIX. Only other thing is their first loss was to the chargers when they were 11-0 and lost to the raiders 2 weeks later. The raider game is the game he broke the record for td's. bdog

[GemCan78]

@bdog1323 Well, if Andra Franklin and Chuck Muncie had played for the 84 Dolphins, then Marino more than likely, wouldn't have thrown those 48 TDs...if you remember the 82 Dolphins, they were a run-first team, because David Woodley was the Rex Grossman of his time...the 84 Dolphins had a commitee of runners, namely Woody Bennett, Tony Nathan, Pete Johnson, and Joe Carter...Marino in 84, also used his Tight Ends well, with Dan Johnson, Bruce Hardy and Joe Rose, catching key passes...good times...

[harp1925]

@MrTennesseeVols Agreed, the steelers played in a far tougher division, miami would have lost a couple games in the central. Just look at the records. Between 72 and 80 the central was above 500 every year, brutal. I will say being unbeaten is the greatest single season accomplishment, but circumstances (easy schedule) played a huge part. But 4 superbowl victories in 6 years, the greatest run in the super era!

[bdog1323]

@harp1925 I guess you don't believe in "any given sunday"!! LOL the schedule wasn't really that easy, I think the team just made it look that way. I mean they did play Namath twice, OJ twice, the vikings when they were going to those super bowls, the chiefs who were 3 years removed from a super bowl win, and pittsburgh IN pittsburgh for the afc championship. But I do agree that the steelers played in a tougher division at that time. bdog

[GemCan78]

@bdog1323 Did you know, that the 72 Dolphins are the only team in the Super Bowl Era, not to have had a postseason team, on its regular season schedule...I'll explain...in 1972, the Browns, Raiders, Steelers, 49ers, Cowboys, Packers, and Redskins, all made the playoffs along with Miami...yet Miami did play any of those team in the 72 Regular Season...the best teams the 72 Dolphins played, were the 8-6 Giants, and the 7-7 Vikings, and Jets...

[SuperJM1980]

@GemCan78 very overrated

[dolfangirl1]

@SuperJM1980 "overrated"??? 3-Straight Super Bowl appearances, a 32-2 record from '72-'74, going Undefeated with a 38 yr old back up QB 9 1/2 regular season games & 1 1/2 Post-Season games (which

included the 1st Half of the AFC Championship AT Pittsburgh. Miami also lost 3-Star players after the '74

season or they likely would have won another SB in the 70's. In '73 they routed all 3 Post-Season opponents.

This included 290+ yards rushing against the League's #1 run D...Oakland 27-10 final.

[dolfangirl1]

@MrTennesseeVols Miami had the greatest pair of Safeties ever with Jake Scott & Dick Anderson: Scott was

Super Bowl VII MVP & Anderson was the 1973 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. In 1973 Miami allowed only

6 measley passing TDs & that includes post-season...they were AWESOME!

[raiders1967]

I think Shula has said this team was better than his undefeated team.

[winyguy]

@yrhodesian I think the 1973 Dolphins were a better team then the 1972 Dolphins.

[fukinblowme]

@yrhodesian I'd say the Raiders and Ken Stabler got even a year later though.

[drumdude1000]

@yrhodesian Yeah the fact that they were undefeated the year before detracts from the recognition that the 73/74 team should get.

[StFidjnr]

16-0 1 win away from prefection

[sportshistorybuff]

Madden said later this was the most frustrating loss of his career, everytime the Raiders blocked a Dolphin, another Miami defender would appear in perfect position to tackle. Dominating the Raiders in this game was an incredible feat, given how good, and physical Oakland was. Clear indication of how technically perfect these Dolphins were under Shula. Watching this game was depressing since my Cowboys had already lost in the 1:00 game, ironically by the exact same 27-10 score.

[LT9856]

Damn, Greise had some wheels! (@ 1:05)

[chrisuncleahmad]

The Orange Bowl had astroturf?

Wow- strange times.

[SFFOOL76]

@chrisuncleahmad

I believe from 1970 to 1976

[atown2293]

i own the game program of this game! i went to game as 10 year old.

[boneyard76]

Great to see this original telecast footage, hope more of this game can be posted soon.

[nickai22]

this is amazing. is there anymore footage? thanks so much for posting

[neneshubby]

This is great quality.

[MiamiSouthPaw]

Awesome footage and great quality. Thanks for posting this video.