The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 1-5

The facemask pass, the comeback and the miracle all are among the top moments for Miami this millennium

Miami Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake (32) completes the "Miami Miracle" when he runs past Rob Gronkowski on the final play against the New England Patriots in a December 2018 game. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The last two seasons have been generally good ones and often memorable for the Miami Dolphins, who made the playoffs each time mostly behind one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL.

The proof comes in our ranking of the top 75 Dolphins games of the 2000s, which featured seven games from 2022 (the most of any season) plus four more from last season.

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, wrapping up with numbers 1-5:

5. 2001 at Miami — Dolphins 18, Raiders 15

The games around the NFL on Sept. 23, 2001 were going to be special regardless of what happened on the field because of the emotionally charged atmosphere in the first games after the events of 9/11. Combine that setting with the ending of this game and you can see why this deserves a top 5 spot in our countdown. The Dolphins were out of timeouts when they began their final drive trailing 15-10 after a pick-six early in the fourth quarter. They got to a third-and-2 at the Raiders 2-yard line with 12 seconds left after spiking the ball when Jay Fiedler rolled to his right and decided to take off running after not finding anybody open. He dove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown and his celebration with a fist over his head while on his stomach made the cover of Sports Illustrated.

4. 2020 at Las Vegas — Dolphins 26, Raiders 25

This game takes the fourth spot in our countdown because of the back-and-forth fourth quarter, the miraculous "facemask pass" that set the stage for one of the most improbable comebacks the Dolphins have ever had, and the fact the victory gave the Dolphins the chance to earn the playoff spot in the 2020 finale — though they came up woefully short. This was "FitzMagic" at its finest, as he came off the bench to start the second half and helped the Dolphins come back after a crazy fourth quarter that included Nelson Agholor's 85-yard touchdown for the Raiders, followed by Myles Gaskin's 59-yard score after a short reception, followed by a 49-yard penalty against Byron Jones for DPI and Daniel Carlson's apparent game-winning field goal, followed by the 34-yard completion to Mack Hollins on the "facemask pass" that set up Jason Sanders' game-winning kick — all of that happening in the final 4 minutes.

3. 2018 vs. New England — Dolphins 34, Patriots 33

With the "Miracle in Miami," the crazy final play alone would have earned a spot in our countdown, but then you have to factor in that this was a highly entertaining game even before that wild finish and it also was a game that put the Dolphins in position to make a playoff run — and even though it didn't pan out, it doesn't take away the significance of the win at the time. What makes this game stand out, though, is obviously the final play, the three-lateral, 69-yard touchdown from Ryan Tannehill to Kenny Stills to DeVante Parker and finally to Kenyan Drake. Six years later, the highlight keeps showing up, along with the great call from CBS play-by-play man Ian Eagle: "And this will end it after the shovel, or will it? ... Oh, look out!"

2. 2022 at Baltimore — Dolphins 42, Ravens 38

The greatest comeback in Dolphins history. Tua Tagovailoa's coming-out party. Nobody could have seen it coming when Baltimore opened the game with Devin Duvernay's kickoff return for a touchdown and later made it a 35-14 score when Lamar Jackson took off 79 yards for a touchdown. But Tua and the Dolphins weren't going to be denied, coming up with four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, two long ones to Tyreek Hill and the game-winning 7-yarder to Jaylen Waddle after Baltimore had retaken the lead at 38-35.

1.   2000 playoffs at Miami — Dolphins 23, Colts 17 (OT)

Yes, we have to go with the obvious choice for our top game of the 2000s, the Dolphins' one playoff win of the millennium (disappointing as that fact might be). And it wasn't just that the Dolphins won the game in overtime, it's because it featured an all-time great individual performance by Lamar Smith, a great comeback by the Dolphins in the final minute and some close calls where the Colts had chances to win the game. This was a close game throughout, but the Dolphins found themselves needing a touchdown to tie the score when they got the ball at their 20 with 4:47 left in regulation. In perhaps his finest hour as Dolphins QB, Jay Fiedler engineered a 14-play touchdown drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Jed Weaver on third-and-goal. Despite having all three timeouts left, the Colts surprisingly decided to take overtime after getting the ball on their 20 with 28 seconds left — with Peyton Manning at quarterback. The Dolphins had a close call in overtime when Mike Vanderjagt missed a 49-yard field goal attempt, this after the Colts declined an offside penalty that would have put them in a third-and-7 from the Miami 37-yard line. The Dolphins then got three first downs, two on third-down conversions to set the stage for Smith, who capped his 209-yard performance with a 17-yard touchdown run to the delight of the fans at what was then known as Pro Player Stadium.

PREVIOUSLY IN THE COUNTDOWN

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 71-75

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 66-70

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 61-65

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 56-60

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 51-55

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 46-50

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 41-45

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 36-40

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 31-35

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 26-30

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 21-25

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 16-20

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 11-15

-- The Top 75 Dolphins Games of the 2000s: Numbers 6-10