The 75 Best Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Nos. 66-70

The next five games in our countdown featured some big performances in frustrating losses

The 2022 season was a memorable one for the Miami Dolphins not only because it produced the franchise's first playoff appearance in six years but did so with style.

The proof comes in our ranking of the top 75 Dolphins games of the 2000s, which featured more from 2022 than any other season.

We ended up with seven games from last season in our countdown, two more than 2002, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Of course, this is all subjective and every Dolphins fan might have a different view of each game. For us, it was about the entertainment value of the game combined with the significance of it, with bonus points awarded for anything unusual that happened like, say, a ridiculous three-lateral finish or a team being called back from the locker room 30 minutes after everybody thought the game was over.

And, yes, the list includes some Dolphins losses purely on the entertainment value and quality of the game.

So here it is, our countdown of the top 75 Dolphins games of the 2000s, continuing with numbers 66-70:

70. 2022 playoffs at Buffalo — Bills 34, Dolphins 31

This installment will feature a lot of losses, included they were good, entertaining games even though they didn't end up the Dolphins' way. The first is the most recent Dolphins game, which was very frustrating in a sense because Miami easily could have won that game despite starting a rookie seventh-round pick (Skylar Thompson) at quarterback. While the game was no work of art, it was very entertaining and competitive to the end, mostly because the Dolphins defense forced three turnovers, including Zach Sieler's fumble return for a touchdown.

69. 2004 at San Francisco — Dolphins 24, 49ers 17

The 2004 season was the second-worst of the 2000s for the Dolphins, ahead only of the 1-15 disaster of 2007, but props must be given for interim head coach Jim Bates for having his team play hard to the end despite taking over a team that was 1-8. After a loss at Seattle in his interim debut, Bates got his first victory when Jason Taylor led a strong defensive effort with three sacks, the last of which forced a fumble that Derrick Pope recovered for a touchdown.

68. 2012 at Arizona — Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21 (OT)

After failing to pass for more than 219 yards in his first three NFL games, rookie first-round pick Ryan Tannehill had his first big outing, thanks in large part to Brian Hartline. The wide receiver set a franchise record with 253 yards on a day when Tannehill passed for 431 and the two hooked up for an 80-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Miami a 21-14 lead. But Miami allowed Arizona to come back after Tannehill fumbled while being sacked and Kevin Kolb threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Andre Roberts on fourth-and-10 in the waning seconds. Arizona won on a field goal in overtime after Kerry Rhodes intercepted Tannehill on a pass intended for Hartline.

67. 2014 at Denver — Broncos 39, Dolphins 36

You'll have to forgive me, but I'm a sucker for a good old-fashioned shootout, and this is what this game was. The frustrating part is that while Peyton Manning did have four touchdown passes on this day, it was the inability to stop C.J. Anderson on the ground that doomed the Dolphins and ultimately spelled defeat after they had an 11-point lead three different times. The big play of the game came on the final snap of the third quarter with the Dolphins leading 28-17 and Denver facing a fourth-and-2 from the Miami 41 and Anderson not only got the first down but gained 20 yards. Ryan Tannehill had a good outing for the Dolphins, but his interception after Denver took a 32-28 lead pretty much sealed the outcome.

66. 2022 at Buffalo — Bills 32, Dolphins 29

Yes, we have both Buffalo losses from last year on the countdown (and maybe later on the win against the Bills) simply because those were two good games. And, truth be told, while the stakes weren't as high, the Saturday night matchup at Highmark Stadium featured better quality football. The Dolphins got a 67-yard run by Raheem Mostert and a 67-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle and led 29-21 before Josh Allen took over the game, including converting three third-down situations on the game-winning drive when the Bills got out of a second-and-18 predicament.

Earlier in the countdown:

75. 2022 vs. New England — Dolphins 20, Patriots 7

74. 2014 vs. Oakland (London, England) — Dolphins 38, Raiders 14

73. 2018 vs. Oakland — Dolphins 28, Raiders 20

72. 2021 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 31, Jets 24

71. 2005 vs. Carolina — Dolphins 27, Panthers 24