Which Team “Could” Have Beaten the 1972 Dolphins?

The 1972 Miami Dolphins established a standard that has not been equaled since. They are the NFL’s only perfect team of the league’s modern era. They finished that 1972 season with an unblemished 17-0 record.

There is a lot to say about that team and their accomplishments, but I recently asked the followers of my Facebook page, The NFL in the 1970s, if they could put their thinking caps on and answer a question based solely on conjecture and their personal opinions.

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1972 Miami Dolphins - Could They Have Lost A Game?

Which NFL team in 1972 could have beaten the eventual Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins? Which one of their opponents stood the best chance to upend Miami in that historical year? In looking at their 1972 schedule, I felt that the Minnesota Vikings in week three and the Buffalo Bills in week six stood the best chance to give the Dolphins a loss on their ledger. Let’s take a look at both of those games and explore why Miami was just a hair’s breadth away from getting an “L” on their ledger.

Minnesota Vikings

On October 1, 1972, the Dolphins traveled up to Bloomington, Minnesota, to take on the Vikings at old Metropolitan Stadium. Minnesota was the defending NFC Central champs, so this contest would indeed be a challenge to the young Miami club.

This game turned out to be a defensive struggle, especially during the first three quarters and the first half of the fourth quarter. Minnesota owned a slim 7-6 lead going into that final frame, then increased their lead to 14-6 on a 1-yard Bill Brown dive.

It was perhaps in this contest that Miami best showcased their ability to come from behind late in a game against a quality opponent. The Dolphins’ struggles on offense somehow came to an end towards the end of the fourth quarter, however. Like all great teams, one player stepped up and came through with an exemplary effort to secure some much-needed momentum.

But the 1972 Miami club was different, in that several players stood up to the challenge of this pressure situation. Dolphins placekicker Garo Yepremian booted a 51-yard field goal to bring them to within 14-9 with 4:15 left in the game. Then Miami quarterback Bob Griese led his team on a clutch drive that culminated with a 3-yard scoring pass to tight end Jim Mandich with 88 seconds remaining. The Dolphins had miraculously prevailed, 16-14.

Buffalo Bills

Against Buffalo on October 22, 1972, Miami committed four turnovers, and they found themselves trailing the Bills at halftime, 13-7. The Dolphins took a slim 17-13 lead going into the fourth quarter, but Buffalo kept things close by scoring 10 points in the final stanza.

Nevertheless, Miami halfback Mercury Morris erupted for a pivotal 15-yard burst into the Buffalo endzone to produce the winning margin. Once again, the Dolphins had proved their mettle and emerged victories with a 24-23 win. It was their closest winning margin of the 1972 season, and thus it was one contest that they easily could have lost…but didn’t. I think that either of those games versus the Vikings or the Bills could have been a loss for Miami…if their opponents had made one or two less mistakes.

Yes, I realize that a team must be extremely lucky to earn an undefeated season. The 1972 Miami Dolphins were certainly lucky. But in a lot of cases, Miami positioned themselves to produce their own good fortune, something that few teams can do on a consistent basis all throughout the rigors of a challenging season. I also realize that a lot of Miami’s critics proclaim that they played a weak schedule of opponents. Every Dolphins player that I’ve spoken to from that 1972 squad consider such statements an insult.

In truth, Miami did not make up their schedule…the league did. Moreover, the Dolphins had to come from behind in their divisional playoff game against Cleveland and their conference championship game against Pittsburgh. Those were a pair of tough foes, and Miami conquered them both.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. I felt that the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills came the closest to upending the perfect 1972 Miami Dolphins. They just could not seal the deal as they say, as Miami completed their perfect 1972 season completely unblemished.

Trivia Question:

True or False: The 1972 Miami Dolphins did not record a single shutout of their opponents during that historic season. Is that statement true or false?

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Host of Pro Football in the 1970s - Joe Zagorski

Throughout his days, Joe spent some time as a sportswriter and has been a member of the Pro Football Researchers Association since the mid-1980s. Joe is also a proud member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

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