Dolphins Look to Reverse Thursday Trend

The Miami Dolphins will be looking for their first Thursday night road victory in 11 years

Alain Poupart | Sep 22, 2020

Troy Taormina-USA Today Sports

The Miami Dolphins will be playing their only scheduled prime-time game of 2020 when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars, and if it's a Thursday night game, of course it means the Dolphins will be on the road.

This season will mark the fifth time in six years the Dolphins will play a Thursday night game, and for the fifth time the game will be on the road.

What the Dolphins certainly hope will be different is the result because it wasn't pretty in those previous four games.

From 2015-18, the Dolphins were outscored by a combined 140-37 in their Thursday night games. That's an average of 35-9.

Not good.

The four games were against New England in 2015 (36-7), against Cincinnati in 2016 (22-7), against Baltimore in 2017 (40-0) and against Houston in 2018 (42-23).

The Dolphins' last victory in a Thursday night game came against the Buffalo Bills in 2014, and that game was played in Miami.

Overall, the Dolphins have lost consecutive Thursday night road game since they defeated the Carolina Panthers, 24-17, in 2009 on a night when Ricky Williams scored three touchdowns.

That's the Dolphins' only win in seven Thursday night road games.

On the flip side, the Dolphins are 5-2 in Thursday night games in Miami, with the only losses coming against the Chargers in 1980 (24 in overtime) and against the Bears in 2010 when Tyler Thigpen made his only start at quarterback for the Dolphins in a 16-0 loss.

The most memorable Thursday night game in Dolphins history probably came on Halloween night in 2013 when Cameron Wake sacked Andy Dalton in the end zone for a game-winning safety in overtime — the game dubbed the "Wake-Off."

The Dolphins are 2-8 in their last prime-time appearances, with the victories coming in a Saturday night game against the Jets in 2016 (34-13) and in a Monday night game against the Patriots in 2017 (27-20).

The Dolphins' only night game last season was at Pittsburgh in a Monday night game, and they lost 27-14 despite getting off to a 14-0 lead.

DOLPHINS IN THURSDAY NIGHT GAMES

2018 at Houston — L 23-42

2017 at Baltimore — L 0-40

2016 at Cincinnati — L 7-22

2015 at New England — L 7-36

2014 vs. Buffalo — W 22-9

2013 vs. Cincinnati — W 22-20 (OT)

2012 at Buffalo — L 14-19

2010 vs. Chicago — L 0-16

2009 at Carolina — W 24-17

2006 at Pittsburgh — L 17-28

1990 vs. New England — W 17-10

1981 vs. Pittsburgh — W 30-10

1980 vs. San Diego — L 24-27 (OT)

1979 vs. New England — W 39-24

Published Sep 22, 2020

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.