The Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs have built up a decent little collection of memorable meetings in South Florida, and a few of them still linger hard for anyone who lived through them. Sunday brings another one, and the memory bank is already doing its thing.
One of the most vivid came in 1993, the year Dan Marino’s Achilles tendon blowout changed everything. The image still sticks: Marino limping off in Cleveland, and a friend immediately calling it out from the TV.
Miami had to keep going without him, and when Kansas City came to town with Dave Krieg and Harvey Williams, there was real reason to worry. Instead, Scott Mitchell put together a strong outing, the Dolphins won 30-10, and Bryan Cox knocked out Harvey Williams.
That part, at least, was easy to appreciate.
The 1991 playoff win over the Chiefs carries its own kind of electricity. Miami came back from a 13-point hole to win 17-16, with Marino finding Clayton on a 12-yard pass to move the Dolphins in front.
The game nearly swung back the other way when Kansas City drove deep and had the “Nigerian Nightmare” powering them down to the 25-yard line with Nick Lowery lined up to finish the job. A holding flag changed the whole picture, though, and the Chiefs had to settle for a 50-yard field goal attempt.
From one angle it looked good; from another, Dolphins fans behind the goal posts were already signaling “no good.” Miami escaped, and Pete Stoyanovich’s 58-yard field goal in that game remains a playoff record, though it has been equaled.
Then there was 1994, when Miami beat Kansas City 27-17. Marino was there again, and this time he came out on top over Montana.
For fans who were there, it was another reminder of what having Marino meant. Daniel Constantine Marino gave people comfort.
It’s hard to explain unless you lived it.
That’s where the conversation turns now: what comes next for Miami at quarterback? The source of the worry is plain enough.
Tua was believed to be the answer, even if some Alabama friends pointed out flaws. He had them, but he was also special, just fragile, and football is a violent game.
Malik is a big strong man, and there’s interest there too. The bigger question is whether the Dolphins should be looking quarterback in next year’s draft if they had to choose one player, regardless of who that quarterback might be.
The point isn’t the name. It’s the position.
The argument is about long-term stability. A franchise can spend years trying to find the right one, and if it does, that choice can bring a lot of comfort for a long time.
The thought here is that Miami had seventeen years of Marino, and getting the next great quarterback right could mean seventeen more reassuring years. At the same time, the roster around him may not stay intact for long; the estimate is that only six to ten non-quarterbacks on this team might still be here in five years.
There’s also the larger football truth that gets called out: a GOAT-level quarterback is essential to winning a Super Bowl in this era. That doesn’t mean he automatically beats every other GOAT-level player in every system, but the position remains the engine.
Coach Shula already proved how quickly a team can shift from one identity to another, moving from a run-oriented offense with David Woodley and Andra Franklin to a pass-oriented one with Dan Marino and the Marks Brothers in less than five years. Shula remains the GOAT coach, and always will be.
In Other News...
Dolphins Fans Have Another Reason To Be Furious With Chiefs Officiating
A controversial no-call in the Chiefs-Dolphins game is adding more fuel to a grievance Miami fans already know well. On a recent tackle, a Kansas City defender was seen pulling on Malik Willis helmet, yet officials let the play stand without a flag, turning a routine snap into another flashpoint in a rivalry that seems to bring out every officiating complaint imaginable.
For Dolphins supporters, the frustration was immediate because the contact looked obvious enough to invite a penalty and the silence from the officials only deepened the suspicion. Plays like that tend to linger long after the game ends, especially when they feed the larger belief around the league that Kansas City gets the benefit of the doubt more often than most teams. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Suddenly Have A Good Problem Up Front
Through three weeks, Miami has managed to keep its run defense sturdy even without Kenneth Grant, who is on injured reserve and could be back after Week 4. The Dolphins have patched the interior with Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers and Keith Cooper Jr., while rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and veteran Jordyn Brooks have helped keep the front seven organized and active against the run.
Grants return would give the Dolphins another option up front, but it also raises a real personnel question for a defense that has found a workable rhythm without him. His rookie season was uneven, and the bigger issue now is figuring out where he fits if the current group keeps holding its own once he is cleared to rejoin the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Dolphins Fans Had Every Reason To Hate This Chiefs Break
When the Dolphins were trying to claw their way back into the game against Kansas City in Week 3, a roughing-the-passer call on Chop Robinson changed the feel of the moment in an instant. The hit on Patrick Mahomes extended the Chiefs drive, and Miami watched the sequence end with three points instead of a stop that could have helped shift momentum.
It was the sort of break that left Dolphins fans grinding their teeth, especially in a game Kansas City controlled from there. The Chiefs won 24-10, with Mahomes completing 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and Miami was left to wonder how different things might have felt without one costly flag in a key spot. [Read more 🡒]