‘72 Dolphins overcome halftime deficit, outlast Joe Namath’s Jets to go 10-0
DOLPHINS 28, JETS 24 (Nov. 19, 1972)
There were very few games where the Dolphins got pushed to the absolute limit along the way during their perfect season. On this day, a showdown with the 6-3 New York Jets. was definitely one of them.
Led by quarterback Joe Namath, the Jets invaded the Orange Bowl like they owned it as they overcame an early 7-0 deficit to take a 17-7 lead on Miami late in the first half.
But the Dolphins, thanks to one of the more iconic plays of the season when 38-year-old Earl Morrall took off on a 31-yard third- quarter touchdown run, made enough plays to emerge with a hard-fought 28-24 win.
Not only did Miami remain unbeaten at 10-0 but the win also wrapped up the AFC East Division title marking the earliest point in league history that a team clinched a division championship.
“This game had everything, and you certainly have to give the Jets a lot of credit,” said head coach Don Shula after the game. “They had a lot of people hurt and hung tough all the way. We beat a heck of a football team today. It seemed like every time we had to, we bounced back.”
Things started well enough for Miami as Morrall led the offense down the field for an 80-yard opening-drive touchdown, finishing things off with a 9-yard scoring pass to Howard Twilley.
But the Jets took over after that, answering with back-to-back long drives and finding the end zone both times, first on a John Riggins 1-yard run and then a 29-yard Namath-to-Rich Caster scoring pass to go up 14-7.
When W.K. Hicks picked off a Morrall pass and returned it to the Miami 9 four minutes before halftime, the Dolphins were staring at a two-touchdown deficit going into the second half.
But the game swung here as the defense stiffened, forcing a short Bobby Howfield field goal before the offense came through with a clutch seven-play, 80-yard drive in the final two minutes to cut the deficit to 17-14 when Mercury Morris scored from a yard out 40 seconds before the half.
Even after Morrall’s heroics, the Jets didn’t flinch, answering with a 10-play, 80-yard drive as Namath found tight end Wayne Stewart for a 4-yard score putting New York back back in front 24-21.
The Miami defense set up the winning touchdown when Dick Anderson recovered a Cliff McLain fumble at the Jets 27. Five plays later, Morris darted around the left side for a 14-yard touchdown with 11:12 left in the game. The defense took it from there never allowing the Jets to cross the 50 on their final three possessions to preserve the win.
“We’re in the playoffs,” Shula said. “We started out the year thinking we had to accomplish things in stages. Now that we’re in the playoffs, our next objective is to try and get this team in the best possible condition and ready to go when we start the postseason.”