Miami is a weird place for football history. You've got palm trees, 90-degree heat in December, and a fan base that essentially lives on the fumes of 1972. Honestly, it’s hard to blame them. When you’re the only team in NFL history to go an entire season without losing a single game—playoffs and Super Bowl included—you get to brag forever.
But the Miami Dolphins records by year tell a much more chaotic story than just one perfect run. It’s a franchise that went from expansion dregs to world champions in six years, then spent nearly two decades watching Dan Marino break every passing record known to man without ever winning the "big one." Lately? Well, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster.
The Don Shula Gold Standard (1970–1995)
Don Shula arrived in 1970 and immediately flipped the script. Before him, the Dolphins were, frankly, bad. They spent their first four years in the AFL losing way more than they won. Shula changed that instantly, going 10-4 in his first year.
The 1972 season is the obvious peak. 17-0. It's the record every other team chases and eventually fails to match. They didn't just win; they strangled teams with a "No-Name Defense" and a rushing attack featuring Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris. They followed that up with another Super Bowl win in 1973, going 12-2. People forget how dominant that two-year stretch was. They went 32-2 over two seasons. That is a level of winning that feels impossible in the modern NFL.
By the early 80s, the roster was shifting. Then came 1983.
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The team drafted Dan Marino, and the Miami Dolphins records by year entered the "Air Marino" era. In 1984, Marino had perhaps the greatest individual season a quarterback has ever had, throwing for 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. Remember, this was 1984. Those are Madden numbers in an era where defenders could basically clothesline receivers. The Dolphins went 14-2 that year but lost the Super Bowl to the 49ers. It was the last time they’d get that close.
The Post-Marino Drought
When Marino retired after the 1999 season (a year that ended in a horrific 62-7 playoff loss to Jacksonville), the identity of the team vanished. The 2000s were... rough.
- 2000: 11-5 record, won a playoff game against the Colts. It’s the last time Miami fans felt true postseason joy.
- 2007: The absolute floor. 1-15. They were a Greg Camarillo overtime touchdown away from going 0-16.
- 2008: The "Wildcat" year. They pulled off a miracle 11-5 turnaround, jumping from worst to first in the AFC East.
For the next decade, the team defined "mediocrity." If you look at the Miami Dolphins records by year from 2009 to 2021, you see a lot of 7-9 and 8-8 finishes. It was the era of Ryan Tannehill and various coaching experiments that never quite stuck.
The Mike McDaniel Experiment (2022–2025)
The arrival of Mike McDaniel in 2022 brought a track-star offense back to South Florida. With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins became the fastest team in the league. They put up 70 points on the Denver Broncos in 2023—a feat that felt like it belonged in the 1940s.
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However, the records show a frustrating trend. In 2022, they finished 9-8. In 2023, they went 11-6. Both years ended in immediate Wild Card exits. The "can't win in the cold" narrative became a heavy anchor. By 2024 and 2025, the magic faded a bit. The 2024 season saw them slide to 8-9, and 2025 ended with a 7-10 record, leading to the team moving on from McDaniel in early 2026.
Breaking Down the All-Time Numbers
If you’re looking at the total history, the Dolphins have 25 playoff appearances. That sounds like a lot until you realize how front-loaded it is.
| Era | Key Takeaway |
|---|---|
| 1966-1969 | Expansion struggles (AFL years). |
| 1970-1974 | The Apex. Two Super Bowls and the Perfect Season. |
| 1983-1999 | The Marino Era. High-flying offense, constant playoff presence, no rings. |
| 2000-Present | The Search. Longest playoff win drought in the NFL. |
It’s kind of wild that a team with such a storied past is currently holding the record for the longest postseason win drought. Every January, the 1972 team still pops champagne when the last undefeated NFL team loses, but current fans are just waiting to see a "W" in the playoff column again.
What's Next for the Record Books?
Looking at the Miami Dolphins records by year, it’s clear the franchise is at a crossroads. They have the talent, but the consistency isn't there. To fix the trajectory, the front office has to figure out the late-season collapses. Since 2022, the Dolphins have struggled mightily once the calendar turns to December.
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If you're tracking these stats, pay attention to the turnover at the head coaching position and how the team manages the salary cap heading into the 2026 season. The window with the current core is closing fast.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts:
- Study the Home/Road Splits: Miami’s record is significantly better at home in the early months due to the heat advantage at Hard Rock Stadium.
- Watch the December Record: This has been the "make or break" month for Miami's playoff seeding for the last five years.
- Historical Comparison: Contrast the 1972 rushing-first approach with the modern 2023 passing-first approach to see why the modern team struggles in physical, cold-weather games.
The history is there. The perfection is there. Now, the Dolphins just need to find a way to make the 2026 record look a little more like 1972 and a little less like 2007.