Dan Marino Went 19 Straight Games Without Taking a Sack

Published on November 11th, 2024 6:44 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was sacked during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on September 25th, 1988.

Little did the people in attendance know that they were witnessing the start of a record that still stands to this day and may easily stand for another 35 years.

Dan Marino would go a remarkable 19 straight games without taking a sack. After getting sacked by the Colts on September 25th, 1988, Marino would not be sacked again until October 29th, 1989.

From September 25th, 1988 until October 29th, 1989, Dan Marino would throw a total of 789 passes.

For all of his dropbacks, Marino would not be sacked ONCE during this stretch.

Marino would throw for about 285 yards per game during this stretch. Marino would throw 33 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.

Marino did not have a fantastic offensive line during this stretch of 19 games without taking a single sack. So how did he pull it off?

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When watching Dan Marino's tape, the first thing that you will likely be struck by is how quickly Marino threw the ball.

Marino would make lightning quick passes and he wouldn't think too much about his decisions. Marino would have no problem throwing a sidearmed toss to a wide receiver in the blink of an eye.

This made it very hard for defenders to get their hands on Marino, as the ball was usually out of his hands in a flash.

On top of that, Marino would not hesitate to make a dangerous and reckless throw. Try to thread the needle between three defenders? Marino would try it without hesitation.

This willingness to throw meant that Marino would rarely overthink a potential decision, meaning that the ball was out of his hand in an instant, even into double or even triple coverage.

This resulted in a high number of interceptions (33 in 19 games) but zero sacks.

Combine a quick release and a willingness to throw into any coverage and you had a recipe for a very low sack total.