# 1991 Miami Dolphins season

The 1991 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 26th as a member of the National Football League. The Dolphins failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games and failing to qualify for the playoffs.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
| 1 | 23 | Randal Hill | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 60 | Aaron Craver | Running back | Fresno State |
| 5 | 113 | Bryan Cox | Linebacker | Western Illinois |
| 5 | 121 | Gene Williams | Guard | Iowa State |
| 7 | 191 | Chris Green | Defensive back | Illinois |
| 8 | 220 | Roland Smith | Defensive back | Miami (FL) |
| 9 | 246 | Scott Miller | Wide receiver | UCLA |
| 10 | 275 | Michael Titley | Tight end | Iowa |
| 11 | 302 | Ernie Rogers | Guard | California |
| 12 | 331 | Joe Brunson | Defensive tackle | Tennessee-Chattanooga |

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | July 26 | Chicago Bears | L 0–6 | 0–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 49,939 |
| 2 | August 4 | vs. Los Angeles Raiders | W 19–17 | 1–1 | Tokyo Dome | 51,122 |
| 3 | August 10 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 29–13 | 2–1 | Tampa Stadium | 51,387 |
| 4 | August 19 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–21 | 2–2 | Mile High Stadium | 72,555 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 1 | at Buffalo Bills | L 31–35 | 0–1 | Rich Stadium | 80,252 |
| 2 | September 8 | Indianapolis Colts | W 17–6 | 1–1 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 51,155 |
| 3 | September 15 | at Detroit Lions | L 13–17 | 1–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | 56,896 |
| 4 | September 22 | Green Bay Packers | W 16–13 | 2–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 56,583 |
| 5 | September 29 | at New York Jets | L 23–41 | 2–3 | Giants Stadium | 71,170 |
| 6 | October 6 | at New England Patriots | W 20–10 | 3–3 | Sullivan Stadium | 49,749 |
| 7 | October 13 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 7–42 | 3–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,021 |
| 8 | October 20 | Houston Oilers | L 13–17 | 3–5 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 60,705 |
| 9 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 10 | November 3 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 10–6 | 4–5 | Hoosier Dome | 55,899 |
| 11 | November 10 | New England Patriots | W 30–20 | 5–5 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 56,065 |
| 12 | November 18 | Buffalo Bills | L 27–41 | 5–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 71,062 |
| 13 | November 24 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–13 (OT) | 6–6 | Soldier Field | 58,288 |
| 14 | December 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 33–14 | 7–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 51,036 |
| 15 | December 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 37–13 | 8–6 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 60,616 |
| 16 | December 15 | at San Diego Chargers | L 30–38 | 8–7 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 47,731 |
| 17 | December 22 | New York Jets | L 20–23 (OT) | 8–8 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 69,636 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

AFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Buffalo Bills | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 458 | 318 | L1 |
| $^{(6)}$ New York Jets | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 314 | 293 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 5–7 | 343 | 349 | L2 |
| New England Patriots | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–4 | 5–9 | 211 | 305 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–11 | 143 | 381 | L6 |

## Team Performance

The Miami Dolphins of 1991 were far less competitive than in the prior year, winning only 8 games, and missing the playoffs for the 6th time in 8 years. The Dolphins saw a drastic decline in their defensive performance in 1991 dropping from 4th in the NFL in 1990, to 24th. In 4 of their 8 losses, the defense blew 4th quarter leads. The offense, however, led by 29 year old future hall of fame QB Dan Marino improved from 14th in the NFL in 1990, to 6th. Marino earned a Pro Bowl berth after finishing 2nd in passing yards (3,970), 4th in passing TDs (25), and while throwing only 13 interceptions. The Dolphins offense continued to be among the best in the league, finishing first in 4th Down conversions. The dismal Dolphins running attack was 25th in the league in rushing yards and 24th in rushing TDs which failed to provide balance, causing the team to be one-dimensional offensively. With respect to team discipline the Dolphins were excellent, being the least penalized team in 1991.