1973 Miami Dolphins season
| 1973 Miami Dolphins season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Don Shula |
| Owner | Joe Robbie |
| Home field | Miami Orange Bowl |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 1st AFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Bengals) 34–16 Won Conference Championship (Raiders) 27–10 Won Super Bowl VIII (Vikings) 24–7 |
The 1973 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise’s eighth, and fourth in the National Football League (NFL). The team entered the 1973 season as defending Super Bowl champions, with an undefeated 14–0 regular season winning streak the previous season, and a final 17–0 record including post-season and Super Bowl VII victory.
In week 1, the Dolphins extended their winning streak to 18 with a 21-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the following week, they would be defeated 12-7 by the Oakland Raiders to end the winning streak. The streak stood as an NFL record until it was tied by the New England Patriots in 2007. and eventually broken by the Indianapolis Colts in 2009.
The team won the AFC East, finishing with a regular season record of 12–2, and then defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Divisional Round and then the Raiders in the AFC Championship game, and defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the league’s eighth Super Bowl. It was the Dolphins’ second-consecutive (and to date last) Super Bowl victory. With the Dolphins combined records of 17–0 and 15–2 over the course of their 1972 and 1973 seasons, the Dolphins posted a 32–2 total record over 2 years, for a winning percentage of .941.
Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0 perfect season of 1972, many sports writers, fans, and Dolphins players themselves felt that the 1973 team was better. While the 1972 team faced no competition in the regular season that had a record of better than 8–6, the 1973 team played against a much tougher schedule that included games against the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys (all playoff teams), plus two games against a resurgent Bills squad that featured 2,000-yard rusher O.J. Simpson. Miami finished with a 12–2 regular season, including their opening game victory over the San Francisco 49ers that tied an NFL record with eighteen consecutive wins. The Dolphins’ streak ended in week two with a 12–7 loss to the Raiders in Berkeley, California.
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