The Miami Dolphins Didn't Lose A Single Game in 1972
Published on July 18th, 2022 1:57 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
Every season, former members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins "celebrate" when the last perfect team in the NFL loses a game.
After all, the 1972 Miami Dolphins were the last team to ever win every game in the regular season and playoffs.
The "perfect" season.
In 2007, the New England Patriots came agonizingly close to achieving the perfect season, as they went 16-0 in the regular season, only to lose in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants.
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The 1972 Miami Dolphins would go 14-0 in the regular season and win three straight postseason games to win the Super Bowl.
There are a number of interesting facts and figures regarding the Dolphins' 1972 season, including:
1. The team went undefeated despite losing their starting quarterback in Week 5.
Bob Griese broke his ankle in Week 5, only to be replaced by 38 year-old career backup Earl Morrall.
Morrall obviously did a phenomenal job in leading the Dolphins' offense.
Griese would take the starting job back just in time for the Super Bowl.
2. The Dolphins led the league in both offense and defense.
A well-balanced attack is the key to any team winning the Super Bowl.
The Dolphins led the league in points for (385, or 27.5/game) and points against (171, 12.2/game).
3. The Dolphins only had one Hall of Famer on defense.
Nick Buoniconti led the Dolphins defense, though the rest of the defensive unit was filled with "no name" players - hence the nickname, the "No-Name Defense".
A number of the team's defensive players were selected to the Pro Bowl, though Buoniconti was the only Hall of Famer.
4. The Dolphins won their three playoff games by a combined 17 points.
The Dolphins certainly didn't dominate in the postseason - instead, they eked out 20-14, 21-17 and 14-7 wins.
This is in stark contrast to a team like the 1985 Chicago Bears, who absolutely torched their opponents in the post-season.
5. The Dolphins had some very close calls in the regular season.
The Dolphins very nearly lost their Week 3 and Week 10 games, as they managed to barely get by the Vikings and New York Jets.
While the majority of their regular season games resulted in fairly easy wins, these two games were very close and settled late in the fourth quarter.
6. The defense was a turnover machine.
Including the postseason, there were four games in which the Dolphins defense produced 5 or more turnovers. In three of the last four games of the regular season, the Dolphins defense produced six turnovers.
There were only two games in the 1972 season when the Dolphins produced less than two turnovers on defense.
7. Earl Morrall went 9-0 as a starter despite throwing for just 1,360 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Earl Morrall made 9 starts and threw for just 1,360 passing yards, though the Dolphins would still go undefeated.
In fact, over 14 regular season games, the Dolphins had just 2,235 passing yards.
8. The Dolphins had two 1,000 yard rushers.
The Dolphins had an offensive line that was nearly impossible to deal with, and this helped to produce two 1,000 yard rushers - Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris.
In addition, Jim Kiick added another 521 yards on the ground.
9. The 1972 Miami Dolphins sent nine players to the Pro Bowl.
Not a surprise at all, given how good the team was.
Dick Anderson, Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Norm Evans, Larry Little, Mercury Morris, Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill and Paul Warfield all made the Pro Bowl in 1972.
10. 1972 was the Dolphins' seventh season in the league.
The Miami Dolphins were a relatively new franchise in 1972, as they had been in the league for just 7 years.
The team had been admitted to the NFL just three years before.
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Will we see another undefeated team in the NFL again, especially in this age of parity?