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

The most explosive first half in team history, two victories in the remarkable 2016 victory highlight the next set of games.

Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle scores a touchdown against the New England Patriots in the 2021 opener at Gillette Stadium. / Bob DeChiara-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, continuing with numbers 61-65:

65. 2016 vs. Cleveland — Dolphins 30, Browns 24 (OT)

Adam Gase's first season as Dolphins head coach started with closer-than-expected losses at Seattle and New England before the home opener against the 0-2 Browns. Little did anyone know when Jay Ajayi scored in overtime to give the Dolphins the victory it would be the first of many close victories that would pave the way to a playoff berth. This was a game the Dolphins frankly were lucky to win because Cody Parkey, who would kick so well for them the following season, missed three field goal attempts, including one from 46 yards out on the final play of regulation.

64. 2008 at Houston — Texans 29, Dolphins 28

Yes, this is another Dolphins loss, but this also was a really entertaining game. The Dolphins jumped out on top 14-6 after touchdown passes of 53 and 80 yards from Chad Pennington to Patrick Cobbs, the first coming off a double reverse after Ronnie Brown took the snap in the Wildcat formation and gave the ball to Ricky Williams. After Brown gave the Dolphins a 28-23 lead with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter, Houston answered by converting a fourth-and-10 (23-yard pass to Ander Johnson) and a fourth-and-2 when Matt Schaub scored on a 3-yard touchdown run on a QB draw with three seconds left.

63. 2021 at New England — Dolphins 17, Patriots 16

This game featured the first-ever NFL matchup between former Alabama teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones and also was Tua's first season opener. What this game lacked in aesthetics, it made up for with late drama. Cornerback Xavien Howard saved the day for Miami by forcing and recovering a late Damien Harris fumble inside the 10-yard line. Tagovailoa, whose 3-yard touchdown to Jaylen Waddle gave Miami a 17-10 lead in the third quarter before New England got two field goals, helped the Dolphins run out the clock with a clutch 13-yard completion to DeVante Parker that was followed by a game-clinching 1-yard sneak by Jacoby Brissett on a third-and-1 just outside the two-minute warning.

62. 2015 vs. Houston — Dolphins 42, Texans 26

A week after winning 38-10 at Tennessee in Dan Campbell's debut as interim head coach, the Dolphins were back in Miami and put together maybe the craziest, most dominating first-half performance in franchise history. And don't let the final score fool you because the score was 41-0 at halftime. We got there thanks to four offensive touchdowns of 50 yards or more (highlighted by Lamar Miller's 85-yard run) along with a 23-yard pick-six by safety Reshad Jones. Jarvis Landry had two touchdowns in that first half, including a highlight-reel 50-yard zig-zag job in the first quarter.

61. 2016 vs. N.Y. Jets — Dolphins 27, Jets 23

2016 was the season of finding a way to win for the Dolphins, and against the Jets in Week 9, it came in the form of rookie Kenyan Drake returning a kickoff 96 yards for the winning score — after the Jets were flagged for offside on the first kickoff, returned 22 yards by Jakeem Grant. Drake earlier had wiped out a Grant punt return for a touchdown with a penalty at a time the Dolphins were leading 14-13. Drake's touchdown came after Ryan Fitzpatrick — yes, that one, the guy who went to Harvard — gave the Jets a 23-20 lead with a touchdown pass to Jalin Marshall.

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