NFL Old School Game of the Week: Dolphins Survive Giles' 4 TD Performance to Narrowly Beat Bucs

 

Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 27 of 39 passes for 302 yards and threw three touchdowns in the Dolphins' win over the Buccaneers in 1985.

Sometimes when a Super Bowl contender plays one of the worst teams in the league, they tend to overlook them and not their best or the bad team rises up to play one of their best games of the season.

The latter was the case in Week 7 of the 1985 NFL season when the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers traveled down to the Orange Bowl to take on the defending AFC champion Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins entered the game with a 4-2 record but were coming off a disappointing 23-7 loss to the New York Jets the previous week in which quarterback Dan Marino, who had broken numerous records the year before, threw for only 136 yards and zero touchdowns.

Marino had struggled throughout the first six games of the season as he thrown for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions with one half of the "Marks Brothers", wide receiver Mark Duper out with a fractured left tibia, leaving Marino to rely on the other "Marks Brother" in Mark Clayton and running back Tony Nathan

Marino was hoping to have a bounce-back game against the 0-6 Buccaneers who had lost a heartbreaker to the Los Angeles Rams the week before as quarterback Steve DeBerg was picked off by Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin who returned the interception for a 34-yard pick-six to give LA the 31-27 win.

 If the Bucs were going to pull off an upset of the Dolphins, they were going to need a big day from tight end Jimmie Giles, who after only catching four passes for 53 yards in the team's first four games, had caught 10 passes for 160 yards in team's previous two games, but no touchdowns.

The Buccaneers got the ball to start the game and promptly went three-and-out to punt the ball to the Dolphins, which was partially blocked by Miami backup wide receiver Jim Jensen to give the Dolphins offense the ball inside Tampa Bay territory at the Bucs' 48-yard-line.

From there, it would take the Dolphins six plays to get into the end zone as Marino hit three of his passes for 31 yards on the drive, including the 16-yard touchdown to Nat Moore to give Miami a 7-0 lead four minutes into the game.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 42-yard-line after forcing another Buccaneer punt as the Dolphins would drive 58 yards in 11 plays culminating with a four-yard touchdown pass from Marino to Jensen to increase the Dolphins' lead to 14-0 with 2:31 left in the first quarter.

The Bucs would start their next possession at their 20-yard-line as DeBerg hit Jerry Bell for a 13-yard completion to start the drive, which was followed by an illegal use of hands penalty on Green to give Tampa Bay 10 yards and a 1st down, then followed by a 27-yard pass to Bell and a 20-yard run by running back James Wilder to set up 1st & goal at the Miami 10-yard-line as the first quarter came to a close.

Following an incomplete pass to start the second quarter, DeBerg handed the ball off to Wilder, who ran around the left side for the 10-yard touchdown to cut the Dolphins' lead to 14-7 just 12 seconds into the second quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with a 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that featured running back Lorenzo Hampton carrying most of the load as he touched the ball on four plays as he caught two passes for 21 yards and carried the ball twice for 27 yards to set up Ron Davenport's one-yard touchdown run to push the Miami lead back to 14 points at 21-7 with 10:04 left in the second quarter.

Disaster would strike for the Buccaneers on the opening play of their next drive as DeBerg's pass bounced off the hands of Kevin House and was intercepted by Dolphins linebacker Hugh Green, who had been traded to the Dolphins from Tampa Bay before the season began.

Green returned the pick 28 yards to the Tampa Bay two-yard-line, giving the Dolphins a 1st & goal and a chance to blow the game open.

However, the Tampa Bay defense would rise and not permit a single yard, leading the Dolphins to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Fuad Reveiz to make it 24-7 in favor of Miami.

Buccaneers quarterback Steve DeBerg would complete 19 of 32 passes for 365 yards and throw four touchdowns.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Bucs got the ball at their 32-yard-line with 2:10 left before halftime and two timeouts in their pocket.

DeBerg connected with Bell for seven yards to start the drive, then gave the ball to Wilder, who ran for six yards and the 1st down at the Tampa Bay 45-yard-line, which was followed by a 23-yard pass to Gerald Carter for another Buccaneer 1st down at the Miami 32-yard-line.

Then after two straight incomplete passes, DeBerg found Bell again, this time for 22 yards to give Tampa Bay a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' 10-yard-line.

A holding penalty pushed the Bucs back 10 yards but after they got five of the yards back, DeBerg connected with Giles for the first time in the game for a 15-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the first half.

The extra point made it 24-14 in favor of the Dolphins as the first half came to an end with the Dolphins set to get the ball to start the second half.

Miami would start its first drive of the second half at their 20-yard-line where after two plays picked up six yards, Marino connected with tight end Joe Rose for a 42-yard gain to give the Dolphins a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 32-yard-line, which was followed by a 18-yard pass to Clayton for another 1st down at the Bucs' 14-yard-line.

From there, running back Tony Nathan would get the ball on the next two plays, first running for 13 yards and then diving in for the one-yard touchdown to make it a 31-14 lead for the Dolphins exactly three minutes into the third quarter.

Back came the Bucs, who began their next drive at their 18-yard-line with two runs by Wilder for 10 yards which were followed by back-to-back completions to Bell for 20 yards and then House for 19 yards to give Tampa Bay a 1st down at the Miami 33-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Bucs back seven yards to the Dolphins' 40-yard-line where one play after Wilder picked up just one yard, DeBerg found Giles across the middle for a 39-yard touchdown to trim the Miami lead to 31-21 midway through the third quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with a 10-play, 79-yard drive where Marino completed five of six passes for 49 yards on the drive which concluded with Marino firing a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bruce Hardy to push the lead back to 17 points at 38-21 with 2:46 left in the third quarter.

It looked like the track meet was going to continue as the Bucs drove inside Miami territory again on their next possession, only to have DeBerg throw an incomplete pass intended for Giles on 3rd & 5 at the Dolphins' 45-yard-line, forcing Tampa Bay to punt as the fourth quarter got underway.

Needing three scores, the Bucs needed a defensive stop and they got it when Marino fumbled a snap from center which was recovered by Tampa Bay defensive end John Cannon to give the Buccaneers the ball at the Miami 21-yard-line.

An illegal procedure penalty and a five-yard-loss by Wilder pushed the Bucs back 10 yards where they faced a 3rd & 20 situation when DeBerg found Carter for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Dolphins' nine-yard-line.

Following a two-yard run by Wilder, DeBerg connected with Giles for their third touchdown of the game, a 7-yarder to bring the Bucs to within 10 points at 38-28 with 12:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they tried to put the fumble on their previous possession behind them only to turn it over again when Marino was picked off by Tampa Bay cornerback Jeremiah Castille to give the Bucs the ball at the Miami 38-yard-line.

After DeBerg connected with Giles for 12 yards to start the drive, Wilder carried the ball on the next three plays, gaining 10 yards to set up Giles' fourth touchdown catch of the game as he caught DeBerg's pass for a 16-yard touchdown to bring the Bucs to within a field goal at 38-35 with 7:32 left in the fourth quarter.

Buccaneers tight end Jimmie Giles caught seven passes for 116 yards and four touchdowns.

Marino looked to atone for his two turnovers by driving the Dolphins from their 10-yard-line to the Tampa Bay 45-yard-line as he completed his next four passes for 38 yards until back-to-back incomplete passes forced the Dolphins to punt the ball to the Bucs who took over at their 11-yard-line with 3:04 left and all three timeouts in their pocket.

The drive began with a 13-yard scramble by DeBerg for a 1st down, followed by two straight runs by Wilder that picked up seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the Tampa Bay 31-yard-line when the two-minute warning hit.

That is when DeBerg found House over the middle for a 22-yard completion to give the Bucs a 1st down inside Miami territory, which was followed by a 23-yard pass to House for another 1st down at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

However, the Bucs could pick only four more yards as DeBerg tried to connect with Giles on two separate plays but failed to connect, forcing to Bucs to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Donald Ikwebuike that tied the game at 38 with 48 seconds left in regulation.

The game seemed destined for overtime but the Dolphins still had all three timeouts and Dan Marino to lead them down the field and set up a potential game-winning field goal.

A 25-yard return by Hampton on the kickoff set the Dolphins up at their 34-yard-line as Marino hit Duriel Harris for six yards before Harris tried to lateral the ball back to Nathan, only to have go out of bounds.

Nathan would get his hands on the ball on the next play as he caught a screen pass up the middle for 19 yards to give Miami a 1st down at the Tampa Bay 41-yard-line as the Dolphins called timeout with 22 seconds left.

Then, Marino connected with Nathan again, this time for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Bucs' 26-yard-line as Miami called timeout with 11 seconds left.

The Dolphins could have run one more play then called timeout to possibly make Reveiz' s kick a little bit easier and gave Tampa Bay no time on the clock, but head coach Don Shula decided to send in the field goal unit following Nathan's two catches for 34 yards.

Reveiz would come on and make the 43-yard field goal to seemingly give the Dolphins a 41-38 win as six seconds remained on the clock.

After Reveiz's kickoff landed in the end zone for a touchback, the Bucs got the ball at their 20-yard-line with six seconds to pull off a miracle.

Dolphins running back Tony Nathan carried the ball 12 times for 62 yards and caught eight passes for 80 yards and scored one touchdown.

That is when DeBerg fired a "Hail Mary" pass that was tipped in the air by Carter and caught by House at the Miami 23-yard-line, only to have House be immediately tackled by Miami defensive back Don McNeal as time expired, allowing the Dolphins to escape with the 41-38 win.

The Buccaneers would have to wait three more weeks to collect their first win of the season, a 19-16 overtime win over the New York Giants, which was one of only two victories of the season as the Bucs finished with a 2-14 record which included a 21-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the infamous "Snow Bowl(To read about that game, click on the highlighted link: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2020/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-packers.html).

This gave the Bucs the worst record in the league meaning that would get the #1 pick in the 1986 NFL Draft, which they used to pick 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, only to have Jackson not sign with the Bucs and play baseball with the Kansas City Royals.

Jackson would eventually play in the NFL when he signed with the then Los Angeles Raiders in 1987.

As for the Dolphins, they would lose their next two games to drop 5-4 until an eight-catch, 242-yard performance by Duper which included the game-winning 50-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left gave Miami a 21-17 win over the New York Jets(To read about that game, click on the highlighted link here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-dolphins.html) which kickstarted a seven-game winning streak as the Dolphins finished the regular season with a 12-4 record and a third straight AFC East division title.

In the playoffs, the Dolphins would come from back from a 18-point deficit to defeat the Cleveland Browns 24-21 in the Divisional Round, but would fall to the "Cinderella" New England Patriots 31-14 in the AFC Championship Game, denying Miami a second straight trip to the Super Bowl.