The Epic in Miami The Epic in Miami is the name given to a National Football League AFC divisional playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins that took place on January 2 , 1982 in the Miami Orange Bowl . The game is one of the most famous in National Football League lore because of the conditions on the field , the performances of players on both teams , and the numerous records that were set . It was also referred to in the " Miami Herald " as The Miracle That Died , while " Sports Illustrated " dubbed it The Game No One Should Have Lost . The game aired on NBC with Don Criqui and John Brodie calling the action and Bryant Gumbel serving as the anchor . Background . The Dolphins finished the 1981 regular season by winning the AFC East with an 11 - 4 - 1 record . Their offense was led by quarterbacks David Woodley and Don Strock . Woodley had a rather mediocre year , throwing for only 2 , 470 yards and 12 touchdowns , with 13 interceptions , but he was a good scrambler , gaining 272 yards and four touchdowns on the ground . Strock was widely considered to be one of the best reserve quarterbacks in the league and had played in 15 of 16 regular - season games . Receivers Jimmy Cefalo ( 29 receptions , 631 yards , three touchdowns ) and Duriel Harris ( 53 receptions , 911 yards , two touchdowns ) provided the main deep threat on the team . Halfback Tony Nathan was the top rusher on the Dolphins with 782 yards on just 147 carries , giving him a league - leading 5 . 3 - yards - per - carry average , while also catching 50 passes for 432 yards and scoring eight touchdowns . Fullback Andra Franklin provided the team with good blocking , and he was also a good ball carrier , rushing for 711 yards and seven touchdowns . Miami ’ s offensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl guard Ed Newman and center Dwight Stephenson . Miami ’ s defense ranked fifth in the NFL in fewest points allowed ( 275 ) . Pro Bowl defensive tackle Bob Baumhower anchored the line , while linebackers A . J . Duhe and Earnie Rhone excelled at blitzing and pass coverage , combining for four interceptions . The Dolphins ' secondary , consisting of Mike Kozlowski , Fulton Walker and brothers Lyle and Glenn Blackwood was also extremely talented . The Dolphins had allowed just 27 points in their last three games prior to their playoff matchup against San Diego . San Diego won their 3rd straight AFC West title in 1981 with a 10 - 6 record , based on a better division record over both Denver & Kansas City , who both also finished 10 - 6 . The Chargers ' high - powered offense led the NFL in scoring ( 478 points ) , passing yards ( 4 , 873 ) , and total yards ( 6 , 878 ) . Quarterback Dan Fouts made the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row , completing 360 of 609 passes for an NFL record 4 , 802 yards and 33 touchdowns , with only 17 interceptions . His favorite targets were receivers Charlie Joiner ( 70 receptions , 1 , 188 yards , seven touchdowns ) and Wes Chandler ( 69 receptions , 1 , 142 yards , six touchdowns ) , along with Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow ( 88 receptions , 1 , 070 yards , 10 touchdowns ) . San Diego also had an outstanding rushing attack , led by Pro Bowl running back Chuck Muncie , who rushed for 1 , 144 yards and a league - leading 19 touchdowns , while also catching 46 passes for 362 yards . Rookie running back James Brooks was also a major contributor , rushing for 525 yards , catching 46 passes for 329 yards , and adding another 1 , 239 yards returning punts and kickoffs . Up front , their line was anchored by Pro Bowl guard Doug Wilkerson . However , San Diego ' s defense ranked only 26th in the league ( at the time there were only 28 teams ) in points allowed ( 390 ) and 27th in total yards allowed ( 6 , 520 ) . Only defensive tackle Gary Johnson from the Chargers defense made the Pro Bowl . One of the few other bright spots on their defense was defensive back Willie Buchanon , who led the team with five interceptions . The game . First quarter . San Diego started out the game by driving down the field , featuring a 47 - yard completion from Dan Fouts to Wes Chandler on 3rd and 14 , and scoring with kicker Rolf Benirschke ' s 32 - yard field goal . The Chargers ' defense then forced Miami to punt on their ensuing possession , and Chandler returned the ball 56 yards for a touchdown , increasing his team ' s lead to 10 - 0 . Then on the ensuing kickoff , the Chargers caught another break when the high , short kick surprisingly bounced back in their direction and was recovered by San Diego . Several plays later , Chuck Muncie scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run . Then on the Dolphins ' next drive , David Woodley was intercepted by Chargers safety Glen Edwards , who returned the ball 35 yards , setting up Fouts ' 8 - yard touchdown pass to James Brooks . By the time the first quarter ended , San Diego had a commanding 24 - 0 lead . It looked like the outcome of the game was already decided . Second quarter . But the Dolphins didn ' t give up . After Miami ' s next drive resulted in an incompletion , two sacks , and a fumble ( which Miami recovered ) , Coach Don Shula replaced Woodley with Don Strock early in the second quarter to see whether he could spark Miami ' s offense , and that ' s precisely what he did , completing a 17 - yard pass to Duriel Harris on his first play and leading them down the field to score their first points of the game on a 34 - yard field goal from Uwe von Schamann . This seemed to fire up the Dolphins defense , who forced and recovered a fumble from Fouts on the ensuing drive , giving the ball back to the offense with great field position on the Chargers ' 39 - yard line . Several plays later , Strock converted the turnover into points with a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Joe Rose , cutting their deficit to 24 - 10 . Later in the quarter , San Diego faced a fourth down on the Dolphins 37 - yard line . The Chargers decided to send in Benirschke to attempt a 55 - yard field goal , but he missed , giving the ball back to the Dolphins near midfield . Three plays later , the Dolphins moved the ball to San Diego ' s 40 - yard line with only 6 seconds left in the quarter and attempted one last play to score before halftime . In a play known as the " hook and lateral " , Strock took the snap and threw a pass intended for Duriel Harris at the 20 - yard line . Harris caught the ball and immediately lateraled it to Tony Nathan , who then took it 25 yards to the end zone , cutting the deficit to 24 - 17 at halftime . Third and fourth quarters . The Dolphins ' momentum continued into the next quarter . Early in the third quarter , Strock led the Dolphins 74 yards down the field and finished the drive with a 15 - yard touchdown pass to Rose , tying the game at 24 . But this time , San Diego managed to counter with a score of their own . Fouts led the Chargers 60 yards in six plays , scoring on a 25 - yard touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow to regain the lead . However , Miami stormed right back with Strock completing six consecutive passes , the last one a 50 - yard scoring strike to tight end Bruce Hardy , tying the game again at 31 . With less than a minute left in the third period , San Diego receiver Charlie Joiner slipped while running a deep post route , causing Fouts ' pass to go right into the arms of Miami ' s Lyle Blackwood . After intercepting the pass , Blackwood quickly lateraled the ball to Gerald Small , who returned it to the Chargers 15 - yard line , setting up Nathan ' s 12 - yard touchdown run of the first play of the fourth quarter and giving Miami their first lead of the game . Later in the quarter , with Miami just trying to maintain their lead and run out the clock , Chargers safety Pete Shaw recovered a fumble from Andra Franklin on San Diego ' s 18 - yard line with 4 : 39 left in regulation . Fouts then led his team down to Miami ' s nine - yard line . With only 58 seconds left in the game , a heavy Dolphins pass rush forced Fouts to throw a blind pass intended for Winslow in the end zone . The pass sailed over Winslow ' s head , but went right into the arms of Brooks for a touchdown to tie the game . Miami took over on their own 40 - yard line following Benirschke ' s squib kick , needing only a field goal to win . Following an incomplete pass , Strock ' s next throw was intercepted by Willie Buchanon , but as he made the diving catch , he fumbled the ball back to Miami when he hit the ground . After that , Nathan ' s 17 - yard reception and Tommy Vigorito ' s 6 - yard run moved the Dolphins to the Chargers 26 - yard line where Von Schamann attempted a 43 - yard field goal , but at the last second , Winslow extended his 6 ' 5 frame at the line just enough to deflect the kick with his fingers , causing it to fall short of the goal posts and sending the game into overtime . Overtime . With the players of both teams exhausted and dehydrated , everyone was hoping for a quick end in the extra period , but that would not be the case . San Diego won the coin toss and marched down the field , driving inside the Dolphins ' ten - yard line . Benirschke then attempted a game winning 27 - yard field goal , but a bad snap and poor hold threw off his timing and the kick sailed wide left . Miami then drove deep into Chargers territory , setting up a 34 - yard field goal attempt for Von Schamann , but his kick was low , and defensive lineman Leroy Jones managed to leap in the air and block it . San Diego took over at their own 16 - yard line after the blocked field goal . Aided by a pair of receptions by Joiner for gains of 20 and 29 yards , Fouts led his team 74 yards to Miami ' s ten - yard line , where Benirschke attempted a 29 - yard field goal . This time , his kick was good , giving the Chargers a 41 - 38 win after 13 minutes and 52 seconds of overtime play . Post - game quotes . Said Chargers coach Don Coryell after the game : " I have coached for 31 or 32 years and this is tremendous . . . There has never been a game like this . It was probably the most exciting game in pro football history . " Shula agreed : " A great game . . . Maybe the greatest ever . " Chargers running back Hank Bauer : " The locker - room celebration was more low key than other locker rooms I ’ d been in . It was more of " Thank God that ’ s over . Thank God we got out alive . " Miami QB Don Strock on the hook and lateral used in the second quarter : “ We called it 87 Circle Curl Lateral , and , believe me , the damn thing never worked in practice . ” Anchor Bryant Gumbel : “ If you didn ' t like this game then you don ' t like football . ” Records and individual performances . The game featured many new records by players of both teams . By the time it was over Miami and San Diego had set playoff records for the most points scored by both teams ( 79 ) , most total yards by both teams ( 1 , 036 ) , and most passing yards by both teams ( 809 ) . Strock had the best single game performance of his career , completing 29 of 43 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns . Harris caught six passes for 106 yards . Nathan rushed for 48 yards , caught nine passes for 114 yards , and scored two touchdowns . Hardy caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown . Fouts finished the game completing 33 of 53 passing attempts for a franchise record 433 yards and three touchdowns . His attempts , completions , and passing yards were all NFL postseason records . Joiner caught seven passes for 108 yards . Muncie rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown . In addition to his 56 - yard punt return touchdown , Chandler caught six passes for 106 yards . Brooks recorded 143 all - purpose yards ( 19 rushing , 31 receiving , 85 kickoff return , eight punt return ) and a pair of touchdown catches . But perhaps the best performance of the game was put in by Kellen Winslow . In addition to his blocked field goal , he recorded an NFL playoff record 13 receptions for 166 yards and a touchdown , despite suffering numerous injuries . During the contest , he was treated for a pinched nerve in his shoulder , dehydration , severe cramps , and a gash in his lower lip that required three stitches . A picture of an exhausted Winslow being helped off the field by two teammates after the game is an enduring image in NFL lore and has been replayed constantly ever since . " I ' ve never felt so close to death before , " Winslow said afterward . " That ' s what Muhammad Ali said in Manila and that ' s how I felt out there at the end . " Aftermath . San Diego Chargers . One week after their victory over the Dolphins in Florida ' s scorching heat , the Chargers traveled to Cincinnati to face the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game in the coldest game in NFL history based on the wind chill . The air temperature was - 9 degrees Fahrenheit ( - 23 °C ) , and wind chill was - 59 °F ( - 51 °C ) . This ended up being another famous game in NFL lore , and has since became known as the Freezer Bowl . But this time , it did not end well for the Chargers , they were defeated 27 - 7 by the Bengals , ending the Chargers season one game short of the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year . The following season , which was shortened to nine games because of a players strike , Fouts led the Chargers to a 6 - 3 record and back to the divisional playoffs with a 31 - 28 wildcard win over the Pittsburgh Steelers , throwing for 333 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions . But this time , they could not make it to the AFC title game , losing a divisional game to the Dolphins 34 - 13 . The loss to Miami in the playoffs after the 1982 season was the last postseason game that Fouts , Winslow , Joiner , and coach Coryell would ever participate in , as the Chargers did not return to the postseason again until 1992 . Fouts , Winslow and Joiner all went on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame , without playing in a Super Bowl . The only significant contributors in " The Epic in Miami " who did go to a Super Bowl were Brooks , who made it to Super Bowl XXIII as a member of the Bengals , guard Ed White , who was a Minnesota Viking for four Super Bowls and Gary " Big Hands " Johnson , who joined former Chargers , and fellow " Bruise Brothers , " Louie Kelcher and Fred Dean winning Super Bowl XIX with the San Francisco 49ers . Miami Dolphins . Woodley recovered from his poor performance in " The Epic in Miami " and regained his position as the Dolphins starting quarterback in the following season . In the strike shortened 1982 NFL season , David Woodley led Miami to a 7 - 2 record and 3 playoff wins to lead the Miami Dolphins to a NFL championship appearance in Super Bowl XVII . One of the playoff wins was a 34 - 13 divisional win against the Chargers , avenging their loss from the previous season . This time , Woodley was a key contributor for his team , completing 17 of 22 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns , with one interception , while also rushing for 14 yards and a touchdown on the ground . Miami ' s defense also dominated Fouts , limiting him to 15 of 34 completions and intercepting him five times . However , Miami ended up losing Super Bowl XVII to the Washington Redskins , 27 - 17 . With the exception of a 76 - yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Cefalo in the first quarter , Woodley had a poor performance , completing only 4 of 14 passes for 97 yards and one touchdown , with one interception . The following season , Woodley lost his starting spot to rookie Dan Marino . Woodley was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1984 and spent the rest of his career as a backup before retiring after the 1985 season . Don Strock ' s incredible performance in " The Epic in Miami " ended up being the main highlight of his career . He spent the rest of his career as a backup and retired after 1988 as a backup to the Cleveland Browns . Miami made it back to the Super Bowl in 1984 , but they lost Super Bowl XIX to the San Francisco 49ers 38 - 16 . None of the primary players in " The Epic in Miami " ever won a Super Bowl ring , except for left guard Bob Kuechenberg , who was a member of the Dolphins ' Super Bowl - winning teams in 1972 and 1973 . Two participants , coach Don Shula and center Dwight Stephenson were enshrined in the Hall of Fame .