The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team in NFL history to go an entire season without a single loss or tie. Everyone knows that. We see the surviving members pop champagne every year when the last undefeated team finally falls. But if you talk to the guys who were actually on that roster—men like Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, or the late Don Shula—they don't usually point to Super Bowl VII as their toughest hurdle. They point to the 1972 AFC Championship Game.
It was a weird afternoon in Pittsburgh.
December 31, 1972. New Year's Eve. The Dolphins weren't even playing at home, despite being undefeated. Back then, the NFL used a rotating system for home-field advantage in the playoffs rather than seeding based on record. So, the 15-0 Dolphins had to travel to Three Rivers Stadium to face a Pittsburgh Steelers team that was riding high on the momentum of the "Immaculate Reception" just a week prior.
The Quarterback Controversy Nobody Remembers
Most people assume Bob Griese steered the ship the whole way. He didn't. Griese had been out since Week 5 with a fractured leg and a dislocated ankle. Earl Morrall, the veteran backup who Shula had coached back in Baltimore, had been the guy keeping the streak alive. But by the time the 1972 AFC Championship Game kicked off, Morrall was struggling.
The Steelers' defense, the early iteration of the "Steel Curtain," was suffocating Miami.
Miami trailed 7-3 at halftime. Morrall was 7-of-15. He looked old. He looked slow. Don Shula, a man not known for his sentimental side, had to make a choice that would either cement his legacy or make him the biggest scapegoat in sports history. He benched the guy who won 10 straight games for him.
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He put Griese in.
It wasn't a fairy-tale entrance. Griese was rusty. His first pass was a completion, sure, but the Dolphins were still fighting for every inch against Jack Ham and Mean Joe Greene. Honestly, it's kind of miraculous Griese didn't get snapped in half given how that Pittsburgh turf felt like concrete during a Pennsylvania winter.
Larry Seiple: The Punter Who Saved the Perfect Season
If you ask a hardcore Dolphins fan who the hero of the 1972 AFC Championship Game was, they won't say Griese or Csonka. They’ll say Larry Seiple.
Seiple was the punter.
In the second quarter, Miami was stalled. The offense couldn't move the ball. It was 4th and 5 at their own 37-yard line. Seiple noticed the Steelers were turning their backs early to set up a return. He didn't have a call from the sidelines. He just tucked the ball and ran.
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"I saw them leaving," Seiple later recalled in various interviews. He sprinted 37 yards down the sideline. It shifted the entire energy of the stadium. It led to Miami’s first score. Without that gutsy, unscripted gamble by a punter, the "Perfect Season" likely dies in a cold Pittsburgh parking lot. It’s those small, messy moments that sports documentaries often gloss over in favor of the big touchdowns, but that run was the heartbeat of the game.
Grinding Out the Win in the Trenches
The second half was a slog. It was physical, ugly football. The Dolphins' "No-Name Defense" had to deal with Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris. Bradshaw actually got knocked out of the game with a finger injury, forcing Terry Hanratty into the lineup.
Miami’s ground game eventually started to wear Pittsburgh down. You had Larry Csonka, who looked like he was carved out of granite, and Mercury Morris, who was just pure lightning. They didn't need to be flashy; they just needed to be consistent. Griese’s presence seemed to settle the team down. He hit Paul Warfield for a massive 52-yard gain that set the tone.
The final score was 21-17.
It wasn't a blowout. It wasn't dominant. It was survival. When the clock hit zero, the Dolphins were 16-0, but they were exhausted. They had survived the loudest crowd in the league and a defensive unit that was arguably more talented than their own.
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Why This Game Matters More Than the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl against the Redskins was actually a bit of a letdown in terms of drama, outside of Garo Yepremian’s hilarious passing attempt after a blocked field goal. The 1972 AFC Championship Game was the real test of the Dolphins' character.
There are a few things people get wrong about this era:
- The Schedule: Critics often say the '72 Dolphins had an "easy" path. While it's true their regular-season opponents had a combined winning percentage under .400, they beat the best of the best in the postseason.
- The Weather: People think the Dolphins were just a "warm weather team." Winning in Pittsburgh in December proved they could play "Blue Collar" football.
- The Quarterback: It wasn't just Griese. It was the transition. The psychological impact of Shula making that switch at halftime cannot be overstated. It was a cold-blooded coaching move.
The Steelers were the team of the 70s eventually, but in 1972, they were still the "little brothers" learning how to win. The Dolphins were the veterans who knew how to not lose. That distinction is what separated a 17-0 season from a 16-1 "what if" story.
Actionable Insights for Football Historians and Fans
To truly understand the weight of the 1972 AFC Championship Game, you have to look past the box score. If you're researching this era or just want to win an argument at a sports bar, focus on these specific nuances:
- Study the Punters: Watch the film of Larry Seiple’s run. It’s a masterclass in situational awareness that you rarely see in today’s highly scripted NFL.
- Analyze the Coaching: Look at Shula’s decision to bench Morrall. In the modern era, a coach might be afraid of "losing the locker room" by benching a winning replacement. Shula didn't care. He wanted the best arm on the field.
- Contextualize the Home Field: Remember that the Dolphins played this game away. If the current seeding rules existed in 1972, Pittsburgh would have had to travel to the Orange Bowl, and the game likely wouldn't have been nearly as close.
- Check the Film: Many of these highlights are available through the NFL Vault. Look for the interactions between Griese and Shula on the sideline; the tension is palpable even through grainy 1970s film stock.
Understanding the 1972 Dolphins requires acknowledging that "perfection" wasn't always pretty. It was often a series of desperate, improvised plays made by guys who refused to let a streak die. The Pittsburgh game was the closest they ever came to the edge.