NFL Old School Game of the Week: Chargers Overcome 2 TD Deficit to Stun Marino + Undefeated Dolphins

Dan Fouts threw for  380 yards and four touchdowns in the Chargers' upset win over the Dolphins.

When the Miami Dolphins faced off with the San Diego Chargers in week 12 of the 1984 NFL season, it might been seen by some as a passing of the torch when it came to who had the best passing offense in the league as the famed "Air Coryell" offense of the Chargers was set to meet the new kid on the block in Dan Marino

The Dolphins came into the game with a 11-0 record thanks to their high-powered offense led by Marino, who in his second season in the NFL had already established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Through the first 11 games, Marino had throw for 3,678 yards and 30 touchdown passes in directing an offense that featured the "Marks Brothers" in wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper plus running back Tony Nathan who was more a pass catcher than a runner.

With head coach Don Shula at the helm, many Miami fans were dreaming of another undefeated Dolphins team much like the one Shula directed in 1972.

While the Dolphins were marching toward the playoffs, the Chargers  came into the game with Miami with a 5-6 record as San Diego was hoping to get on some sort of winning streak to get back into the playoff race.

The Chargers were coached by Don Coryell, who had came to San Diego following a five-year stint with the St. Louis Cardinals and led the Chargers to four straight playoff appearances from 1979 through 1982 with two of those appearances resulting in trips to the AFC Championship Game.

Under Coryell, the Chargers led the league in passing every season since 1979 thanks to their explosive "Air Coryell" offense which was led by quarterback Dan Fouts and featured weapons such as tight end Kellen Winslow, wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler and running back Chuck Muncie.

But it seemed that the Chargers' days at the top passing attack in the NFL were numbered especially after trading Muncie just two weeks into the season and then losing Winslow to a devasting knee injury a month prior to the game with the Dolphins.

San Diego still had Fouts, who had set the record for most passing yards with 4,802 in 1981 as well as Joiner and Chandler as they prepared to host the undefeated Dolphins in what many hoped would be a shootout similar to their one in the "Epic in Miami" in January of 1982.

 Starting at the Chargers' 47-yard-line following a 41-yard return by Fulton Walker on the opening kickoff, Marino would complete a nine-yard pass to Clayton, then hand the ball off to Nathan who picked up four yards, and then hit Duper for a 32-yard pass to give Miami a 1st & goal at the San Diego two-yard-line.

But on the very next play, running back Woody Bennett would fumble the football when he was hit by Chargers linebacker Linden King, leading to a recovery by free safety Ken Greene in the endzone for a touchback.

The Chargers would drive into Dolphins territory but would punt the ball back to Miami, who took over at its 20-yard-line as Marino would lead the Miami offense to the San Diego 32-yard-line until he was picked off by Chargers cornerback John Turner on a pass intended for tight end Bruce Hardy.

The Chargers would take over at their seven-yard-line as Fouts hit Bobby Duckworth for a 44-yard completion which was followed by four straight runs by running back Earnest Jackson for 19 yards putting San Diego at the Miami 30-yard-line.

Fouts would then find Pete Holohan for 22 yards to give the Chargers a 1st & goal at the eight-yard-line as two straight running plays would pick up five yards to set up Fouts' three-yard touchdown pass to Sievers to give San Diego a 7-0 lead with 33 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Dolphins would begin its ensuing possession at their 22-yard-line as Marino completed four of six passes for 52 yards on a nine-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Marino throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clayton that helped tied the game at 7 with 11:59 remaining in the second quarter.

After a San Diego three-and-out, the Dolphins got the ball at their 40-yard-line as Marino would go a perfect 5-for-5 for 58 yards on an eight-play, 60-yard drive that culminated with an one-yard touchdown run by fullback Pete Johnson to give Miami a 14-7 lead at the halfway point of the second quarter.

Dan Marino would complete 28 of 41 passes for 332 yards and throw two touchdowns.

The Chargers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as they were able to drive to the Dolphins' 41-yard-line where they faced a 4th & 1 when Coryell decided to go for the 1st down which he got when Jackson ran for the one yard that San Diego needed.

Six plays later, the Chargers were back in the end zone as Fouts connected with Joiner for a four-yard touchdown to cap off the 14-play drive and tie the game back at 14 with 2:27 left in the first half.

The Dolphins would begin its next possession at their 28-yard-line as Marino would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then hit Duper for 22 yards and a 1st down at the 50-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

Marino would then complete back-to-back passes to Nathan totaling 19 yards then found tight end Dan Johnson for six yards before an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 4 where Marino hit Nathan again this time for 13 yards and a 1st down at the San Diego 13-yard-line.

After completing a four-yard pass to Clayton, Marino connected with Bennett for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Dolphins a 21-14 lead with 47 seconds left before halftime.

San Diego would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line with enough time to try and drive into field goal range which is exactly what happened as Fouts completed passes of 23 yards to Joiner and 19 yards to Chandler as the Chargers drove to the Miami 28-yard-line with one second left giving Rolf Benirschke a chance to cut into the lead before halftime.

But Benirschke's 46-yard field goal would said wide left and no good keeping the score 21-14 as the first half came to an end.

The two teams traded punts to start the second half until the Chargers forced another turnover when Bennett fumbled the football again at the end of a 14-yard run that was recovered by Greene at the San Diego 21-yard-line.

However, the Chargers could not take advantage of the turnover as Fouts would be intercepted by Miami free safety Lyle Blackwood to give the ball back to Marino at the San Diego 48-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Nathan to start the drive, Marino would find Hardy for 13 yards, then Duper for 12 yards, and then Clayton for nine yards to set up a three-yard touchdown run by Johnson to increase the  Dolphins' lead to 28-14 with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter.

The Chargers would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line as Fouts completed a nine-yard pass to Jackson to start the drive, then hit Duckworth for 16 yards and a 1st down at the San Diego 45-yard-line as Fouts would throw two straight incompletions before connecting with Joiner for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Miami 42-yard-line.

Three runs by Jackson would pick up 12 yards before Fouts connected with tight end Eric Sievers for 11 yards to put San Diego at the Dolphins' 19-yard-line when Fouts hit Joiner on a slant pass for the touchdown to cut the Miami lead in half to 28-21 with 13:31 to go in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins would pick up only one 1st down before punting the ball back to the Chargers who would take over at their nine-yard-line when they would put together one of the more impressive drives in the 
"Air Coryell" era.

Chargers running back Earnest Jackson would have 28 carries for 124 yards.

The drive would began with a 13-yard pass from Fouts to Chandler followed by a nine-yard pass to Sievers to put the Chargers at their 31-yard-line as Jackson would run for three yards, then for 16 more to put San Diego at the 50-yard-line.

After Jackson was dropped for a four-yard-loss on a screen pass, Fouts would connect with Holohan for nine yards, then again for six yards to pick up another 1st down at the Miami 39-yard-line.

Jackson would get his hands on the ball on the next two plays as he caught a five-yard pass then had a carry for four yards to set up 3rd & 1 when running back Buford McGee got the ball and ran for four yards for the 1st down at the Miami 26-yard-line.

Fouts would then hit Sievers on back-to-back passes for seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 as Jackson would run for five more yards and another 1st down at the Miami 14-yard-line where Fouts would complete a pass to Wayne Morris that gained zero yards as the two-minute warning hit.

Following an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Fouts would hit Sievers for nine yards to bring up a do-or-die 4th & 1 when Jackson took a handoff from Fouts and was able to run for two yards for a 1st down at the three-yard-line.

After McGee was stopped for no gain on 1st down, Fouts found Sievers wide open in the end zone for the three-yard touchdown that with Benirschke's extra point tied the game at 28 with 51 seconds left in regulation following an epic 19-play, 91-yard drive that took over 10 minutes off the clock.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 33-yard-line with a chance to drive down into field goal range to give Uwe Von Schmann a chance to win the game with a field goal.

Following an incomplete pass to start the drive, Marino would hit Nat Moore for nine yards, then with Clayton for 23 yards, and then Nathan for nine yards before throwing the ball out of bounds to stop the clock with five seconds left and a chance for von Schmann to win the game with a 44-yard field goal.

However, von Schmann's kick would sail wide left and no good, sending the game into overtime tied at 28.

Eric Sievers would catch 12 passes for 119 yards and score two touchdowns.

The Chargers would win the coin toss and chose to receive to start the overtime period as a 25-yard return by Lionel James on the kickoff gave San Diego the ball at its 31-yard-line.

The drive would start with a four-yard run by Jackson followed by a 15-yard pass from Fouts to Sievers to put San Diego at the 50-yard-line as Fouts would throw an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd down when Jackson ran for 10 yards and a 1st down at the Miami 40-yard-line.

Fouts would then find Holohan again for 15 yards and another 1st down at the Miami 25-yard-line as the Chargers were in range for a Benirschke field goal attempt.

However, they would not settle for a field goal just yet as McGee was stopped for no gain on 1st down which was followed by an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 10.

That is when Fouts handed the ball off to McGee, who took the ball around the right side of the field and ran it in for a 25-yard walk-off touchdown to give the Chargers a 34-28 overtime win, ending the Dolphins' dreams of an undefeated season.

The Dolphins would bounce back as they would finish the season with a 14-2 record as Marino would set numerous NFL records including breaking Fouts' record of most passing yards in a season as Marino would finish with 5,084 yards and 48 touchdown passes also a NFL record.

The Dolphins would go on to knock off the Seattle Seahawks 31-10 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs then defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 45-28 in the AFC Championship Game behind Marino's 421 yards and four touchdown passes, to advance to Super Bowl XIX where they would fall to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16.

As for the Chargers, the win over the Dolphins would be the highlight of their season as they would lose three of their last four games of the season to finish with a 7-9 record and out of the playoffs for the second straight season.

The "Air Coryell" era would last until midway through the 1986 season when Coryell resigned halfway through the season after a 1-7 start.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Throws 5 Touchdowns to Lead Dolphins To Win over LA Rams

Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 29 of 46 passes for 403 yards and threw five touchdown passes in the Dolphins' win over the Rams.

As the Miami Dolphins traveled to southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams in week 15 of the NFL season, they knew their season was on the line.

Miami entered the game with a 7-7 record needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Dolphins were lead by head coach Don Shula, who was in his 17th season at Miami, and a high-powered offense led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had rewritten the history books two years earlier to lead Miami to the Super Bowl.

While Marino had had another stellar season, with the helps of the "Marks Brothers" wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the Dolphins' defense had struggled ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed and yards allowed.

The defense was so bad it gave up at least 30 points in five games, with two of those where the opponent scored at least 50, including 51 by the New York Jets in the famous 51-45 overtime shootout in Week 3(For more information, click on the highlighted link to read more about it:)

However, the Dolphins had won five of their last seven games to get back to .500 as the defense had not given up more than 30 points in the previous seven games.

The Dolphins' defense would have their hands full as they took on the Rams and running back Eric Dickerson who had run for 1,629 yards to lead Los Angeles to a 10-4 record entering their game with the Dolphins.

Despite Dickerson's excellence, the Rams were still looking for an answer at quarterback as LA possessed the NFL's worst passing attack.

After going through quarterbacks Steve Bartkowski and Steve Dils, Rams head coach John Robinson turned to rookie Jim Everett to steer the ship for the Rams.

Everett lead the Rams to a 3-1 record over his first four career starts and to the brink of the NFC West Division championship if they could beat the Dolphins.

 After the Rams went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Dolphins got the ball at their 37-yard-line and quickly drove down to the LA 23-yard-line as Marino completed his first three passes for 33 yards.

But on 1st & 10 from the Rams' 23-yard-line, running back Lorenzo Hampton dropped a pitch from Marino, which was recovered by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray at the Los Angeles 18-yard-line.

The Rams would go three-and-out again on their following possession, punting the ball back to the Dolphins who took over at the 50-yard-line and once again drove down the field as a 24-yard pass from Marino to Clayton and a 14-yard run by Hampton set up 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

But for the second straight drive, the Dolphins would turn it over as on 3rd & goal, Marino's pass for Nat Moore deflected off several players before landing in the hands of Rams free safety Vince Newsome, who took a knee in the end zone for a touchback, which would allow LA to start its ensuing possession from its 20-yard-line.

That is when the Rams' offense got going as Everett completed three passes to Henry Ellard for a total of 38 yards to drive LA to the Miami 18-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Everett would connect with Ellard again for 13 yards on the first play of the second quarter to set up a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' five-yard-line when Dickerson got the call.

Dickerson ran up the middle, on his way to an apparent touchdown, when he was hit at the one-yard-line by Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl, forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Rams left guard Tom Newberry for a LA touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter.

Rams running back Eric Dickerson ran the ball 28 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown.

The Dolphins would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down, Marino handed the ball off to Ron Davenport, who threw it back to Marino on a flea-flicker and fired a pass to Duper, who made the catch at the LA 30-yard-line and then outran the Rams defense for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7, just 69 seconds after the Rams' touchdown.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line when they called on Dickerson's name to help lead them down the field as he carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards, then caught a 13-yard screen pass from Everett to give LA a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

But that is where Dickerson fumbled the football again this time the Dolphins recovered as Miami linebacker Larry Kolic made the recovery at the Rams' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins drove 39 yards in nine plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown pass to James Pruitt to give Miami a 14-7 lead with 7:11 left in the second quarter.

After the Rams went three-and-out on their next possession, the Dolphins got the ball at their 47-yard-line where after three straight running plays picked up 10 yards, Marino fired a 43-yard touchdown pass to Clayton to increase Miami's lead to 21-7 with 4:24 left in the second quarter.

The Rams tried to mount one more drive before halftime but could only reach the Miami 44-yard-line before having to punt back to the Dolphins who ran out the clock in the first half and went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead thanks to Marino's three 2nd quarter touchdown passes.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams who took over at the Miami 47-yard-line after a 30-yard punt by Reggie Roby.

Everett would connect with Ellard for 14 yards to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Dickerson who carried it twice for 15 yards, which was followed by Everett hitting Ellard for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins' lead in half to 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would punt again on their ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 26-yard-line when Dickerson bursted for 25 yards on the 1st play of the drive to put LA in Miami territory.

Following a nine-yard pass from Everett to Tim Tyrell, Dickerson would run for four yards on 2nd & 1, then for 13 more on the next play to set up Everett's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House which tied the game at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with an eight-play, 83-yard drive where Marino completed all eight of his passes, including a 40-yarder to Duper which set up a Marino-to-Duper five-yard touchdown pass that allowed for Miami to retake the lead at 28-21 with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 44-yard-line as the 4th quarter began.

Marino stayed hot as he completed his next five passes, including a 19-yarder to Hampton on 2nd & 11 from the Miami 43-yard-line, then hitting Moore for 24 yards on 3rd & 3 from the LA seven-yard-line.

Marino's streak of 13 straight completions would end on 3rd & goal at the one-yard-line when Rams strong safety Nolan Cromwell's safety blitz caused Marino to throw an incomplete pass forcing Shula to make a decision on whether to kick the field goal or go for the touchdown.

Shula decided to keep it safe and kick the field goal which Fuad Reveiz made from 18 yards out to increase the Dolphins' lead to 31-21 with 10:06 left in the 4th quarter.

In just his fifth career NFL start, Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 22-yard-line where it took them only four plays to drive to inside the Dolphins' red zone as Everett connected with David Hill twice for 24 yards and then House for 31 yards to put LA at the Miami 17-yard-line.

However, the Dolphins' defense would stiffen and allow only two more yards on three plays, forcing the Rams to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Ray Lansford to cut the LA deficit to a touchdown at 31-24 with 6:47 left in the 4th quarter.

The Rams would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 25-yard-line with 5:29 left in regulation and a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown.

The Rams would come out throwing as Everett hit Hill for 18 yards to start the drive, then connected with Ellard for 22 yards to put LA at the Miami 35-yard-line in just two plays.

However, Everett's next two passes would fall incomplete forcing a 3rd & 10 when Everett found House for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Dickerson would get the ball on 1st down and ran for five yards, which was followed by a six-yard scramble by Everett to give the Rams a 1st down at the Miami 13-yard-line.

From there, Dickerson would carry the ball four straight times for 13 yards, with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 31 with 50 seconds left in regulation.

The Dolphins would not pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession forcing them to punt the ball back to the Rams who took a knee to run out the clock in regulation and go into overtime tied at 31.

The Dolphins would win the coin toss and elected to receive as Craig Ellis returned the overtime kickoff 22 yards to the Miami 25-yard-line.

After Marino connected with Davenport for eight yards on 1st down, Davenport would bust loose for the longest run of the game as he ran for 35 yards to the LA 32-yard-line.

But two plays later, it appeared that the Rams had dodged a bullet as LA defensive back Mickey Sutton picked off a pass that bounced off the hands of Clayton, only to have nullified by an offsides penalty on linebacker Kevin Greene, giving the Dolphins five yards and a 2nd down at the LA 27-yard-line.

Davenport would run for five yards on the next play to pick up the 1st down which was followed by a two-yard run by Hampton to set up 2nd & 8 from the Rams' 20-yard-line.

That is when Marino fired a pass toward the end zone for Duper, who lived up to his nickname of "Super Duper" and made the catch despite excellent coverage from Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin for his third touchdown of the game, a 20-yarder to give Miami a 37-31 overtime win.

Mark Duper makes the game-winning touchdown catch for the Dolphins in overtime.

The win kept the Dolphins' playoff hopes alive as they moved to 8-7 while the loss dropped the Rams to 10-5, who still clinched a playoff spot thanks to a loss by the Minnesota Vikings to the Houston Oilers.

The Rams would face the San Francisco 49ers in a winner-take-all game for the NFC West which the Rams lost 24-14, giving the 49ers the division title while the Rams had to play in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins which they lost 19-7.

As for the Dolphins, their chances of going to the playoffs were squashed when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the final Sunday of the season to clinch the final spot in the AFC playoffs as Miami would lose to the New England Patriots to end the season with a 8-8 record, the first of four straight seasons where the Dolphins would miss the playoffs.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Seahawks Shock Dolphins in AFC Divisional Playoff

 A Seattle defender tackles Dolphins running back Tony Nathan during the 1983 AFC Divisional Playoff between the Seahawks and the Dolphins.

 When the Seattle Seahawks traveled to the Orange Bowl to take on the Miami Dolphins for their 1983 AFC Divisional Playoff game, many excepted Miami to roll over Seattle.

The Dolphins were the defending AFC Champions and had finished with a 12-4 record, but had complied a 9-2 record ever since head coach Don Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino to lead Miami to the AFC East Division title and the entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in the AFC.

As the Dolphins were back in the playoffs, the Seahawks were making their first trip to the postseason since the team's inception in 1976.

Seattle was led by head coach Chuck Knox, who was in his first year in the Pacific Northwest, but  had spent the last 10 years coaching the Los Angeles Rams(1973-77) and Buffalo Bills(1978-82), leading them to seven playoff appearances with his "Ground Chuck" attack, an offense that relied primarily on the run.

And Knox had a stud at running back to execute his "Ground Chuck" offense in the form of rookie running back Curt Warner, who ran for 1,449 yards and 13 touchdowns during the season to help lead Seattle to a 9-7 record and a spot in the AFC Wild Card Game.

While Warner would run for 99 yards on 23 carries, it would be quarterback Dave Krieg who would lead the way as he completed 12 of 13 passes for 200 yards and threw three touchdowns to lead Seattle to a 31-7 rout of the Denver Broncos to give the Seahawks their first playoff victory and a trip to Miami to take on the Dolphins.

Seattle entered the game as a touchdown underdog but caught a break in the weather as the temperature at kickoff was only 51 degrees and it was rainy with a 20 miles per hour wind from the north.

These weather conditions seemed to favor Seattle more than Miami as the Dolphins would have to rely on the right arm of Marino while Seattle could feed it as much as possible to Warner to win the game.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the game and drove from their 16-yard-line to the Seahawks' 33-yard-line primarily because of Marino who did not show any nerves for his first NFL playoff start as he hit his first four passes for 34 yards.

However, the drive would stall at the Seattle 33, forcing Shula to either try to a long field goal against a 20 miles per hour wind or punt it away.

Shula played it safe and punted the ball to the Seahawks, who took over at their four-yard-line and drove to their 37-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Dolphins, who would begin their next possession at their own 20-yard-line.

This time the Dolphins drove down the field primarily on the running game as Woody Bennett, Audra Franklin, and David Overstreet combined to run the ball eight times for 43 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Marino's first career postseason touchdown pass, a 15-yard strike to tight end Dan Johnson.

The Dolphins would fail to convert the extra point as holder Don Strock mishandled the snap, keeping it a 6-0 game with 12:37 left in the second quarter.

In his first career NFL playoff game, Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks would respond immediately as Zachary Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the Miami 38-yard-line to set up a six-play, 38-yard drive that ended with a Seattle touchdown as Krieg hit running back Cullen Bryant for a six-yard touchdown that with Norm Johnson's extra point gave Seattle a 7-6 lead with 9:19 left in the first half.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line and would drive 74 yards in seven plays to retake the lead as Marino connected with Duper for a 32-yard touchdown to give Miami a 13-7 lead with 5:43 left before halftime.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Seahawks took over at their 34-yard-line and went to Warner to help them drive down the field as the rookie running back would carry the ball four times for 20 yards and catch one pass for 10 yards to lead Seattle to the Miami 31-yard-line with a chance to put some points on the board.

However, the Seahawks would go away from Warner and back to the air as Krieg would throw three straight incomplete passes, forcing Johnson to come and attempt a 48-yard field goal.

But the kick wouldn't get off the ground as Dolphins cornerback William Judson would block the kick, giving Miami possession at their 31-yard-line with 48 seconds left in the half.

Miami would drive down to the Seattle 42-yard-line until Marino was intercepted by Seahawks free safety John Harris to allow for Seattle to take a knee and go into the locker room down 13-7.

After the Seahawks punted on their opening possession of the second half, the Dolphins would take over at their 34-yard-line and would be at exactly midfield after Marino hit Duper for 16 yards on the first play of the drive.

But on the very next play, Overstreet would be hit by Seahawks linebacker Greg Gaines to knock the ball loose which was recovered by Harris to give the ball back to Seattle at the Seattle 45-yard-line.

On this drive, Krieg would come up huge as he completed two key passes on two 3rd down situations first hitting Paul Johns for 28 yards on a 3rd & 8 from the Miami 42-yard-line, then connected with fullback Dan Doornick for 10 yards on another 3rd & 8 at the Miami 11-yard-line, leading directly to an one-yard touchdown run by Warner to give Seattle a 14-13 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins were pinned back at their three-yard-line as they drove to their 29-yard-line when Marino was picked off the second time in the game, this time by Seahawks cornerback Kerry Justin on the final play of the third quarter.

The Seahawks would begin the fourth quarter at the Miami 49-yard-line and drive 40 yards in seven plays before having to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Johnson, which increased Seattle's lead to 17-13 with 10:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Seahawks running back Curt Warner carried the ball 29 times for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns. 

Seattle still had a 17-13 lead with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks committed thier first turnover as Krieg was intercepted by Dolphins cornerback Gerald Small, whose 18-yard return set up shop for the Dolphins at the Seattle 16-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Dolphins were in the end zone as Bennett ran it in from three yards out to give Miami a 20-17 lead with 3:43 left in regulation.

Now the pressure was on the underdog Seahawks to see if they could respond with either a field goal to tie the game or a touchdown to retake the lead as they begin their ensuing possession at their 34-yard-line.

That is when all-pro wide receiver Steve Largent, who had not caught a pass all day, made his presence felt as he caught a 16-yard pass from Krieg on 3rd & 2 from the Seattle 42-yard-line to give the Seahawks a 1st down at the Miami 42-yard-line, then caught a 40-yard bomb on the very next play to give Seattle a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' two-yard-line.

Krieg would then pitch the ball out to Warner, who took it around the right side to give the lead back to Seattle at 24-20 with 1:48 left on the clock.

It seemed like the situation was set up for Marino to try and lead the Dolphins down the field for the winning score, but the Dolphins would not get the ball as kick returner Fulton Walker fumbled the football after he was hit by Seahawks special teamer Mark Hicks.

The fumble was recovered by linebacker Sam Merriman to give Seattle the ball at the Miami 27-yard-line with a chance to pick up a 1st down to ice the game with 1:39 left.

However, Warner picked up only eight yards on three straight runs, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Johnson which increased Seattle's lead to 27-20 with 1:19 left.

Seeking redemption for his fumble on the previous kickoff, Walker tried to make something happen on the ensuing kickoff but would fumble the ball for the second straight time, this time after a hit by Eric Lane, which was recovered by Doornick at the Miami 22-yard-line, allowing for Krieg to take a couple of knees and ran out the clock to complete the stunning 27-20 victory for the Seahawks.

Seattle would advance to their first and only AFC Championship Game(they moved to the NFC in 2002 where they have since played in three NFC Championship Games) where they would lose to the Los Angeles Raiders 30-14 to end their Cinderella run.

The following year, the two teams would meet again in the Divisional Round, this time with the Dolphins winning 31-10 as Marino would three touchdown passes in the game.

Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox is carried off the field after Seattle beat Miami in the 1983 Playoffs.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Jets Win Legendary Shootout over Dolphins

Wesley Walker is held up in the air by defensive tackle Joe Klecko after scoring the game-winning touchdown in overtime of the Jets' 51-45 win over the Miami Dolphins.

In the first round of the famous 1983 NFL Draft, six quarterbacks were picked in the first round, including three Hall-of-Famers in John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino.

One of the other three quarterbacks taken in that famous draft was from NCAA Division II's University of California at Davis, or UC-Davis,  Ken O'Brien, who was taken with the 24th pick by the New York Jets, three picks ahead of Marino, who was taken by the Miami Dolphins.

The O'Brien selection left many Jets fans furious especially after Marino set numerous passing records in 1984.

But on one muggy Sunday in the Meadowlands, O'Brien kept pace with the future Hall-of-Famer in one of the most famous quarterback duels in NFL history.

Both teams entered the game with a 1-1 record and high expectations as the two teams had Pro Bowl quarterbacks in Marino and O'Brien.

While Marino's numbers were down in 1985 compared to his historic 1984 season where he threw for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdown passes, which were NFL records at the time, Dan did throw for 4,137 yards and 30 touchdown passes in leading the Dolphins to AFC Championship Game which they lost to the New England Patriots.

With Marino at the helm, the Dolphins entered the 1986 season with Super Bowl expectations but so did the Jets as they were coming off a 11-5 season and their third trip to the playoffs in five years.

Though Marino had clearly established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league, O'Brien was also coming off a Pro Bowl season as finished the season as the NFL's highest rated passer with 96.8 quarterback rating as the UC-Davis grad finished with 3,888 yards and 25 touchdown passes in his first full season as the starting quarterback of the Jets.

As the Dolphins and Jets meet in Week 3 of the 1986 NFL season, some NFL experts believed that a shootout would occur with Marino and O'Brien.

Little did anyone know it would be a shootout for the ages.

Ken O'Brien would threw for a career high 479 yards and four touchdown passes.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the game and Marino came out smoking as he hit his first two passes totaling 33 yards to put Miami at the Jets' 37-yard-line.

But an illegal motion penalty and a five-yard loss on a run by Lorenzo Hampton would kill the drive forcing a Miami punt.

The Jets used the running game to get their offense on their opening possession as Johnny Hector and Dennis Bligen traded carries as New York drove 32 yards from their 11-yard-line to the 43-yard-line when Hector was stopped for no gain on 3rd & 1, forcing the Jets to punt the ball back to Miami.

However, the Jets would get the first points of the game when Kurt Sohn returned a Dolphins punt 27 yards to the Miami 23-yard-line, leading to a 32-yard field goal by Pat Leahy to give New York a 3-0 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

The Dolphins began their ensuing possession at their 33-yard-line but Marino had them at the nine-yard-line with a 1st & goal after hitting back-to-back passes to Mark Duper for 43 yards, then followed by a 15-yard pass to Hampton.

After two plays picked up three yards, Marino found James Pruitt for a six-yard touchdown to give Miami a 7-3 lead with 2:36 left in the quarter.

The Jets responded with a 10-play, 83-yard drive where O'Brien completed all four of his passes on the drive for 56 yards, which culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Hector to give the lead the back to the Jets, 10-7 with 12:09 left in the second quarter.

It didn't take long for the Jets to get the ball back as Marino was picked off on the next play from scrimmage by New York strong safety Lester Lyles, whose 14-yard return to the Dolphins' 19-yard-line helped set up Hector's eight yard touchdown run to push the Jets' lead to double digits at 10-7 with exactly 10 minutes left in the first half.

Marino would come back with four straight completions; a six-yarder to Hampton, followed by back-to-back passes to Mark Clayton for 55 yards, and then a 21-yard pass to Duper to give the Dolphins a 1st & goal at the one-yard-line when Marino hit tight end Dan Johnson for a one-yard touchdown to cut the Jets' lead to 17-14 with 7:20 to go before halftime.

Just 90 seconds later, the Dolphins had the ball at the Jets' 13-yard-line following a 17-yard interception return by Don McNeal, which led to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Marino to Duper to put the Dolphins back on top, 21-17 with just over five minutes left in the first half.

Dan Marino would threw a career high six touchdown passes and threw for over 400 yards for the sixth time in his career(He finished with 15 games with over 400 passing yards).

The offensive explosion continued on the Jets' next drive when O'Brien lofted a deep pass for a wide open Wesley Walker, who made the catch at the Dolphins' 30-yard-line and then ran in untouched for a 65-yard touchdown to retake the lead for New York at 24-21 with 3:12 left before the halftime break.

It looked like the Dolphins were going to drive for another score as Marino completed two passes for 23 yards to give Miami a 1st down at their 47-yard-line until Jets nose tackle Joe Klecko sacked Marino to stall the drive and force a Miami punt, giving the Jets the ball back at their 16-yard-line with 67 seconds left to put more points on the board.

However, O'Brien threw two incomplete passes and Hector picked only two yards on a 3rd down run leading Miami to call timeout as they poised to get the ball as the Jets were forced to punt on 4th down.

But as Dave Jennings' punt was coming down near midfield, Miami's Reyna Thompson collided with Pruitt, leading to a fumble that was recovered by the Jets' Matt Monger at the 50-yard-line with 42 seconds to go.

It only took the Jets one play to get into the end zone as O'Brien found Walker, who got away from his defender at the 20-yard-line to make the catch and then ran in for his second touchdown of the game to increase the New York lead to 31-21.

But there was still 30 seconds left, plenty of time for Marino to get the Dolphins into field goal range, as Marino was able to get Miami to the 50-yard-line with two seconds left, leading to a Hail Mary attempt that was intercepted by Johnny Lynn to end a wild 2nd quarter that saw a combined 42 points and 341 yards of total offense as the Jets took a 31-21 lead into the halftime break.

However, neither team was done with the offensive fireworks.

The Jets got the ball to start the second half but a rare thing happened: they went three-and-out and were forced the punt the ball back to the Dolphins where it took them five plays to get back in the end zone as Marino hit a wide open Duper for a 46-yard touchdown to make it a 31-28 game with 10:48 to go in the third quarter.

The Jets were poised to put more points on the board as a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Miami cornerback James Lankford gave New York a 1st down at the Dolphins' 36-yard-line.

But after a five-yard pass to Rocky Klever on 1st down, O'Brien was sacked on 2nd down by Miami linebacker Mark Brown, forcing a fumble that was recovered by defensive end George Little, giving the Dolphins the ball at the Jets' 47-yard-line.

Following a 15-yard run by Tony Nathan, Marino would throw three straight incomplete passes, including a potential touchdown dropped by Clayton, forcing the Dolphins to settle for 44-yard field goal by Fuad Reveiz that tied the game at 31 with just over seven minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Dolphins' defense would force another turnover two plays later when Brown recovered a Bligen fumble to give Miami the ball at the Jets' 25-yard-line with a chance to take the lead.

Six plays later, the Dolphins were back in front as Marino connected with tight end Bruce Hardy on a one-yard touchdown pass to give Miami a 38-31 lead with 4:05 left in the third quarter.

Mark Duper and Mark Clayton combined for 15 catches for 328 yards and three touchdowns.

After both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, the Jets took over at their 20-yard-line with 13:44 left in the 4th quarter with a chance to end the Dolphins' 17-0 run.

Following two runs by Hector which gained 11 yards, O'Brien connected with Al Toon for a 36-yard completion to give the Jets a 1st down at the Miami 33-yard-line.

Then on 3rd & 8, O'Brien threw 14-yard pass to Sohn for another Jets 1st down at the Miami 17-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Jets were faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Miami' eight-yard-line when New York decided to gamble and go for the 1st down.

The gamble paid off as Tony Paige picked up the one yard for the 1st down, which was followed by a seven-yard touchdown run by Hector that with the extra point tied the game at 38 with 8 1/2 minutes to go in regulation.

The Dophins were able to drive to around midfield on their next possession but were forced to punt the ball back to the Jets who took over at their 17-yard-line when O'Brien fired a 10-yard pass to Walker, only to have Walker lose the football when he was hit by McNeal, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Jackie Shipp at the New York 27-yard-line.

From there, Marino hit Hardy for a 11-yard completion, which became a 19-yard play when Jets linebacker Kyle Clifton was called for a late hit, giving Miami a 1st-and-goal at the eight-yard-line.

Then after a four-yard run by Woody Bennett, Marino fired his sixth touchdown pass of the game, a four-yarder to Clayton to give the Dolphins a 45-38 lead with 2:56 to go in the game.

Taking over at his 20-yard-line with 2:50 left and all three timeouts, O'Brien found Toon for a 19-yard gain to give New York a 1st down, only to fire three straight incomplete passes to force a 4th & 10 with 2:09 to go.

With little time remaining and the fact that the defense had not been able to stop the Dolphins' offense, the Jets decided to go for it on 4th down.

O'Brien would connect with Toon, but it was only good for six yards, forcing a turnover on downs and giving the ball back to Miami with 1:57 left and a chance to run out the clock.

But the Dolphins were unable to pick up a 1st down and punted the ball back to the Jets, giving O' Brien one last chance to send the game into overtime as New York took over at its 20-yard-line with 64 seconds left in regulation and one timeout.

The drive began with a five-yard completion to tight end Mickey Shuler, which was followed by O'Brien scrambling for eight yards and a 1st down.

Then, O'Brien threw a seven-yard pass to Shuler, who lateraled the ball back to Hector, who proceeded to run down the left sideline before stepping out of bounds at the Dolphins' 39-yard-line with 35 seconds left.

O' Brien and Shuler connected on two straight passes, picking up 18 more yards, to give New York a 1st down at the Dolphins' 21-yard-line when O'Brien took a shot toward the end zone, only to overthrow Toon, leaving the Jets with five seconds left to come up with the game-tying touchdown.

That is when O'Brien dropped back 10 yards and fired a pass through the middle, that somehow avoided several Miami defenders and ended up in the hands of Walker for the touchdown as time expired.

The Jets celebrated in jubilation after the dramatic touchdown, but they still trailed 45-44 as Leahy needed to kick the extra point to send the game into overtime.

Leahy was able to make the extra point tying the game at 45 after 60 minutes of play, forcing overtime where the Jets won the crucial coin toss and elected to receive to began the extra period.

The Jets began their drive at their 22-yard-line as O'Brien hit back-to-back passes to Toon gaining 25 yards.

This was followed by two straight running plays which picked the Jets another 10 yards and a 1st down at the Miami 43-yard-line.

That is when O'Brien fired a deep pass toward the end zone for Walker, who was able to beat his defender, free safety Bud Brown, to make 43-yard touchdown catch to give the Jets the 51-45 overtime win.

The offensive numbers were astromical as both teams combined for 1,096 yards of total offense as both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards as Marino finished with 448 yards on 30-of-50 passing with six touchdown passes, one short of the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a game, while O'Brien threw for 479 on 29-of-43 passing with four touchdown passes, all of them to Wesley Walker who finished with six catches for 194 yards as Walker was one of four receivers to finish with 100-yard games(Clayton-174, Duper-154, Toon-111).

The game would be a microcosm of the Dolphins' season as Marino and the offense were able to put up points but the defense could not stop anybody as Miami finished the season 8-8 and out of the playoffs even though Marino threw for 4,756 yards and 44 touchdowns during the season.

As for the Jets, their memorable win over the Dolphins began a nine-game winning streak for New York, giving New Yorkers hope for a New York Super Bowl as the Giants were dominating the NFC and went on to finish with a 14-2 regular season.

But a five-game losing streak which began with a 45-3 loss to the Dolphins in a rematch in the Orange Bowl, where Marino threw for four touchdown passes on 29-of-36 passing, dropped the Jets to the Wild Card Game with a 10-6 record.

The Jets defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-15 to move on to the Divisional Playoffs where it appeared that the Jets were on the verge of earning a trip to the AFC Championship Game as they held a 20-10 lead over the Cleveland Browns with four minutes to go.

But a crucial roughing-the-passer penalty on Mark Gastineau kickstarted the Browns' comeback as they were able to score 10 points to send the game into overtime where they eventually won on Mark Moseley's 27-yard field goal in double overtime.

O'Brien would remain with the Jets, leading New York to another playoff appearance in 1991, before losing his starting quarterback job to Browning Nagle in 1992, leading to his release from the Jets.

He landed with the Eagles and started four games for Philadelphia during the 1993 season before his retirement in the offseason.

O'Brien finished his career throwing for over 25,000 yards and 128 touchdown passes, nowhere near the 61, 361 yards and 420 touchdown passes that Marino finished with after his 17-year career.

But for one September afternoon in New Jersey, O'Brien could say he was better than Dan Marino.