History of the Miami Dolphins This article details the history of the Miami Dolphins American football club . Origins . Miami joined the American Football League ( AFL ) when an expansion team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965 for $ 7 . 5 million , although Thomas would eventually sell his stake in the team to Robbie . During the summer of 1966 , the Dolphins ' training camp was in St . Pete Beach with practices in August at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport . The 1970s : The perfect season and the Super Bowl titles . The Dolphins had a combined 15 – 39 – 2 record in its first four seasons when Shula , a former Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after first losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFL ' s New York Jets and finishing 8 – 5 – 1 the following season , was hired as head coach . The Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in gaining Shula , which cost them their first round draft pick in 1970 . Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didn ' t have any magic formulas and that the only way he knew to make his teams successful was through hard work . Shula ' s early training camps with the Dolphins would soon be the stuff of sweltering , painful legend . But Shula ' s hard work paid immediate dividends , as Miami improved to a 10 – 4 record and their first - ever playoff appearance , losing 21 – 14 at Oakland . The Dolphins were a successful team during the early 1970s , becoming the first team to advance to the Super Bowl for three consecutive seasons . They captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese and wide receiver Paul Warfield . The AFC Divisional Playoff Game , in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs , was the longest contest in NFL history ( 82 minutes 40 seconds ) . In Super Bowl VI , however , Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24 – 3 . In 1972 the Dolphins completed the NFL ' s first perfect season , winning every regular season game , two playoff games and Super Bowl VII , defeating the Washington Redskins 14 – 7 . ( The 1948 Cleveland Browns had accomplished an undefeated season , but as members of the All - America Football Conference . ) During this season , Griese fell victim to a broken ankle in Week 5 versus the San Diego Chargers and was replaced by veteran Earl Morrall for the rest of the regular season , with Griese returning to the field as a substitute during the AFC Championship game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and would once again start for Miami in Super Bowl VII . On the ground , running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to each rush for more than 1 , 000 yards in a season . The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little and Pro Bowler Bob Kuechenberg . The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit , called the No - Name Defense because Miami ’ s impressive offense received much more publicity , was the league ’ s best that year . It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti , end Bill Stanfill , and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott . The Dolphins finished 12 – 2 after the 1973 regular season and repeated as NFL Champions , beating the Minnesota Vikings 24 – 7 in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston . Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974 but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders , in what has entered NFL lore as the " Sea of Hands " game , considered one of the greatest games ever played . This devastating loss , which Shula called his toughest ever ( he cried in the locker room after the game ) and which haunts Dolphin players and fans to this day , marked the end of the Dolphins ' dynasty . It would be eight years before the Dolphins would win another playoff game . After the disappointing defeat , several players , including Csonka , Warfield , and running back Jim Kiick , joined the short - lived World Football League . The Dolphins managed to win ten games in 1975 , aided by Griese ’ s consistency and the fine play of wide receiver Nat Moore . They did not make the playoffs however , losing on tiebreakers to the Baltimore Colts . Miami rebounded from a 6 – 8 losing record in 1976 by winning ten or more games in four of the next five seasons . Shula built a solid defense around a new set of stars , including linebacker A . J . Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and Doug Betters . The Dolphins went 10 – 4 again in 1977 , but again lost the division title ( and playoff spot ) to the Colts . They made the playoffs as a wild card in 1978 , but lost in the first round to the Houston Oilers 17 – 9 . Csonka returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season . After winning the division with a 10 – 6 record , the Dolphins lost the divisional playoff 34 – 14 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium . The Dolphins also accomplished another feat never done before or since by another NFL team . They beat their division rival Buffalo Bills 20 consecutive times in a decade . The Bills were " 0 for the seventies " against the Dolphins . The 1980s : The Marino era ( Part 1 ) . 1980 . In 1980 , David Woodley , an athletic quarterback out of LSU , took over for Bob Griese , who severely injured his shoulder in a game against the Baltimore Colts . Griese would never play again , retiring after the season . The Dolphins finished 8 – 8 and did not make the playoffs . Their season ender with the Jets was notable for being the only NFL game ever broadcast without commentary . 1981 . The Dolphins were back on top of the AFC East in the 1981 NFL season , with an 11 – 4 – 1 record . That season , the Dolphins quarterback position was actually manned by both Woodley and back - up quarterback Don Strock , causing the local media to identify the Miami quarterback as " Woodstrock . " They reached the divisional playoff against the San Diego Chargers , regarded by some as one of the most memorable games in NFL history , known as The Epic in Miami . After being down 24 – 0 after the end of the first quarter , back - up quarterback Don Strock entered the game and engineered a frenetic comeback , culminating in the historic " Hook and Lateral " play , in which wide receiver Duriel Harris caught a pass from Strock and immediately lateralled the ball to the streaking running back Tony Nathan for the score on the last play of the half , which cut the Chargers lead to 24 – 17 . After the Dolphins took the lead in the 4th quarter , San Diego tied it up 38 – 38 with under a minute to play . Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow , playing through exhaustion , blocked Uwe von Schamann ' s field goal try on the last play of regulation . Von Schamann had another field goal attempt blocked in overtime , and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game - winner for San Diego in overtime . Strock finished the game with 403 passing yards and 4 touchdowns . 1982 . In the strike - shortened 1982 NFL season , the Dolphins , led by the " Killer B ' s " defense ( Baumhower , Bill Barnett , Brothers Lyle Blackwood , Glenn Blackwood , Kim Bokamper , Doug Betters , and Bob Brudzinski ) , held five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points " en route " to their fourth Super Bowl appearance . During the first two rounds of the playoffs , they got revenge for previous losses , crushing the Patriots , 28 – 13 ( revenge for the infamous Snow Plow game at Schaeffer Stadium played earlier in the season ) and the San Diego Chargers , 34 – 13 at the Orange Bowl . Late in the season , in a snowy game against the New England Patriots , a convicted felon on work - release cleared a path for Patriots kicker John Smith to score the game - winning field goal . In the first round in Miami , they met again , with the Dolphins winning easily . In the second round against San Diego the Dolphins got revenge for their loss the previous year , winning even more handily . After shutting out the New York Jets in the AFC Championship 14 – 0 , they lost Super Bowl XVII to Washington , 27 – 17 . After enjoying success rooted in a defense - first philosophy , and employing a ball control offense to take pressure off of lack - luster quarterbacks , the next 17 seasons would be marked by an average rushing game and defense that limited a great quarterback . 1983 . The Dolphins began 1983 with the offense struggling . In the opener game at Buffalo , David Woodley only passed for 40 yards and they had to simply kick their way to victory with four FGs in a 12 - 0 win . Although he played well against New England in Week 2 , a loss to the Raiders prompted Don Shula to bench him in favor of rookie Dan Marino , drafted from the University of Pittsburgh , who went on to win the AFC passing title helped by a ratio of 20 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions and rookie of the year award . Seldom sacked by defenders , Marino was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper . Despite the regular season success ( the Dolphins went 12 – 4 winning their last five regular season games , the only team in the AFC East with a winning record ) , they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle Seahawks at the Orange Bowl . Defensive end Doug Betters was named the Defensive Player of the Year . 1984 . In 1984 , the Dolphins won their first 11 games " en route " to a 14 – 2 season ( the franchise ' s best 16 - game season to date ) . Marino , in his first full season , produced the most impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history , setting single - season records for most yards ( 5 , 084 ) , touchdown passes ( 48 ) , and completions ( 362 ) . He was voted NFL MVP . Miami avenged the Seahawks 31 – 10 and crushed the Steelers 45 – 28 in the playoffs to get to Super Bowl XIX . In the title game , however , Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38 – 16 . It would be Marino ' s only Super Bowl appearance and the Dolphins ' last one to date . 1985 . In 1985 Miami finished 12 – 4 and was the only team that beat the 15 – 1 Chicago Bears all year . After just getting by the Cleveland Browns 24 – 21 after rallying from a 21 – 3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs . Many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX . The Cinderella New England Patriots , the Dolphins ' opponents in the AFC Championship , had different plans . New England forced six turnovers on the way to a 31 – 14 win – the Patriots ' first in Miami since 1966 . The Patriots has lost 18 games in a row at the Orange Bowl . In 1969 , The Boston Patriots beat the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium . 1986 – 1989 . In 1986 , the Dolphins , hampered by defensive struggles , stumbled to a 2 – 5 start and finished 8 – 8 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1980 . The Dolphins lost their Orange Bowl finale to the New England Patriots 34 – 27 on Monday Night Football . The problems continued in 1987 , with an 8 – 7 ( 7 – 5 in non - strike games ) record in a strike - shortened year , their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium . Miami had their first losing season ( 6 – 10 ) since 1976 in 1988 , and finished 8 – 8 following the 1989 regular season . The 1990s : The Marino era ( Part 2 ) . 1990 . By 1990 the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense , and finished with a 12 – 4 record , second in the AFC East . They beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round , but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff . 1991 . The team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991 , and narrowly missed the playoffs on an overtime loss to the New York Jets the final week of the season . 1992 . The Dolphins finished 11 – 5 in 1992 , capturing the AFC East title behind Mark Higgs having his best season as a running back and Keith Jackson ( newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles ) as an unrestricted free agent , leading the team in receiving . They beat the Chargers in the divisional playoff 31 – 0 , but were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 29 – 10 in the AFC Championship . 1993 . 1993 turned into a disastrous year for the Dolphins . Both Marino and backup Scott Mitchell suffered injuries , and following a memorable win over Dallas on Thanksgiving Day with Steve DeBerg as starting Quarterback , Miami lost its final 5 games to miss the playoffs at 9 – 7 . 1994 . With Marino back for the 1994 season they won the AFC East again with a 10 – 6 record . After beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round 27 – 17 , they suffered a heart - breaking last - second loss to the San Diego Chargers in the divisional playoff 22 – 21 , where the locker room lights " failed " at halftime at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium . 1995 . In 1995 Marino broke the career passing records formerly held by Fran Tarkenton for yards ( 48 , 841 ) , touchdowns ( 352 ) , and completions ( 3 , 913 ) . The Dolphins finished 9 – 7 , second in the AFC East , but still made the playoffs as a wild card , losing to Buffalo in the first round . Following the 1995 season Don Shula ( pressed to retire ) became an executive in the Dolphins ’ front office . Jimmy Johnson , who had won a collegiate national championship at the University of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys , was named as Shula ’ s replacement . 1996 - 1997 . In 1996 Miami finished 8 – 8 and out of the playoffs , with rookie Karim Abdul - Jabbar ' s 1 , 116 - yard rushing season one of the lone bright spots . In 1997 Miami stumbled late and backed into the playoffs with a 9 – 7 season , losing to the New England Patriots in the wild card round . 1998 . Miami had a solid 10 – 6 season in 1998 with a career season for receiver O . J . McDuffie , but it was not enough to get past the New York Jets into first place in the division . The Dolphins beat the Bills in the wild card round , but lost in the next round to the eventual champion Denver Broncos . ( The Broncos lost only two regular season games in 1998 , one of which was to the Dolphins . ) 1999 . In 1999 Marino was injured during a game in which backup Damon Huard led a comeback . During the previous two years , the Broncos had won the Super Bowl , ending years of futility for their QB John Elway . Dan Marino was now being hailed as the next great success story , but it was not to be . Miami proceeded to go 2 – 6 in their last eight games , but still backed into the playoffs at 9 – 7 . After a close win at Seattle in the wild card round 20 – 17 , they faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round and suffered a disastrous 62 - 7 rout , the second most lopsided postseason game in NFL history after the 1940 championship . Marino subsequently announced his retirement and Jimmy Johnson also left the team . The 2000s . 2000 . The post - Marino era saw the Dolphins shuffle nine quarterbacks in seven years . Before the 2000 season , Dave Wannstedt , formerly of the Chicago Bears , became the new coach , and ex - Jacksonville Jaguars backup Jay Fiedler became the new quarterback , even though Damon Huard had been considered the favorite . Despite lowered expectations , the defense broke through with Jason Taylor and Trace Armstrong each getting 10 sacks , and four players ( Sam Madison , Brian Walker , Brock Marion and Patrick Surtain ) tallying at least five interceptions . In addition , Lamar Smith rushed for 1 , 139 yards , and Miami finished atop the AFC East with an 11 – 5 record . In the first round of the playoffs , Miami took the Indianapolis Colts to overtime and won on a Lamar Smith touchdown run . Lamar finished with 209 yards on 40 carries , but in the next round , the Dolphins were shut out by the Oakland Raiders , and Smith was barely able to run . 2001 . The 2001 offseason brought in rookie Chris Chambers at wide receiver , but Trace Armstrong left , as did two offensive linemen , Richmond Webb and Kevin Donnalley . In the 2001 season the Dolphins finished 11 – 5 . Mediocre offensive line play and a pedestrian offense kept Miami from being successful running the ball , and they were shut out twice on the year . Despite it all , the solid defense kept them in it and they earned a wild card with an 11 – 5 record , finishing second in the AFC East title behind eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots . The Dolphins lost in the first round of the playoffs 20 – 3 to the Baltimore Ravens . 2002 . Miami revitalized its running game in time for the 2002 season by trading for New Orleans Saints running back Ricky Williams . In addition , rookie tight end Randy McMichael made his presence felt . The Dolphins , behind a new offensive scheme under freshly hired offensive coordinator Norv Turner , and a power running game led by Ricky Williams , quickly rushed out to a 5 – 1 start , including an incredible last minute comeback by Fiedler against the Broncos . However , Fiedler injured his thumb and would be out for an extended period of time . This had excited many Dolphins fans , as many believed backup Ray Lucas could outdo the much - maligned Fiedler . However , Lucas was abysmal in his first two games and merely average in his third , and the team dropped three straight . Miami rebounded with wins over Baltimore and an impressive thumping of San Diego , but lost to Buffalo . Still , Miami pulled off an impressive win over the Oakland Raiders and sat at 9 – 5 with two weeks left in the season , in prime position to steal the AFC East . However , despite dominating the New England Patriots for most of the game in week 17 , the Dolphins blew an 11 - point lead with mere minutes remaining in the game led to a heartbreaking loss . Due to a tiebreaker , both the Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the AFC East title . Fans wanted Wannstedt ' s firing , but he was kept on for the 2003 season . Despite it all , the team believed it had plenty to look forward to , as Ricky Williams broke Dolphins records with 1 , 853 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground . The real culprit of Miami ' s demise was their poor play on the road , in which the team finished 2 – 6 and the defense surrendered over 370 yards a game . 2003 . The 2003 Miami Dolphins were a hard team to pinpoint . The defense was again solid and forced a lot of turnovers , and running the ball was extremely difficult against these boys . However , poor offensive line play ( despite most of the starters returning ) gave little room for Ricky to run , and the offense was stagnant . The Dolphins began with a repeat of 2002 ' s season end , with a complete meltdown against the Houston Texans , but they rebounded to win four straight games . During a crushing overtime loss at the hands of the Patriots , Jay Fiedler was injured , forcing newly acquired backup Brian Griese to lead the Dolphins to victory the next week over San Diego . That , however , was Griese ' s high point , and after a good showing against Indianapolis in a losing effort , he was lousy against the Titans and highly ineffective against the Ravens . When Griese had the Dolphins losing to the mediocre Washington Redskins , Jay Fiedler came off the bench and saved their season , leading them to a comeback victory , 24 – 23 . Miami looked like it might rebound , with a victory that same week over the Dallas Cowboys to take them to 8 – 4 , but two key losses to the Patriots and the Eagles ended Miami ' s chances at the playoffs . Miami finished 10 – 6 , but was still short of a playoff spot . 2004 . The 2004 offseason was disastrous for the Dolphins . Tight end Randy McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver David Boston ( signed from San Diego ) suffered an injury in training camp and missed the entire season ( Boston also failed a drug test for steroids later in the season ) . But the biggest shock came when Ricky Williams retired for then - unspecified reasons , until it was eventually revealed that a ) Williams had recently suffered his third strike under the NFL ' s substance abuse policy , and b ) to a lesser degree felt he was unnecessarily overused by Wannstedt . Many experts predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins . These predictions proved right as Miami dropped their first six games of the 2004 year , marking the worst start in franchise history . After a 1 – 8 start , Wannstedt resigned on November 9 , 2004 . He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates . The Dolphins fared better under Bates , winning three of their final seven games , including a 29 – 28 upset victory over the defending champion Patriots on December 20 in a nationally televised Monday Night Football contest . Despite this , the Dolphins decided not to hire Bates for the permanent coaching position . Instead , they hired LSU coach Nick Saban . 2005 . In 2005 , the offseason saw many changes for the Dolphins as Saban began to mold the team in his image . The team selected Auburn running back Ronnie Brown in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft . The Dolphins also signed veteran quarterback Gus Frerotte , who would win the starting job over A . J . Feeley , who was a disappointment in 2004 , after Miami gave up a second - round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Feeley . At the 2005 trade deadline , Feeley and a seventh - rounder were dealt to the San Diego Chargers for Cleo Lemon . Cornerback Patrick Surtain was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for their second - round pick . Finally , Ricky Williams returned to the team . However , he had to sit out the first four games of the 2005 season due to violations of the NFL ' s substance abuse policy that he had ducked out on in 2004 . The Dolphins began their 2005 regular season with a bang . The Dolphins won their Week 1 home - opener against the Denver Broncos 34 – 10 , giving Nick Saban his very first NFL win . Despite going on the road and losing to division rival New York Jets ( 17 – 7 ) , the Dolphins won a tough game at home against the Carolina Panthers 27 – 24 . After their Week 4 bye , they lost their next two road games to their division rival Buffalo Bills ( 20 – 14 ) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ( 27 – 13 ) . Not even Ricky Williams ' s return against the Bucs was enough . On Friday , October 21 , the Dolphins had to play their home game against the Kansas City Chiefs two days early , because of Hurricane Wilma . The Dolphins lost 30 – 20 , making them 0 – 3 in home games that had to be rescheduled because of a hurricane since the 2004 season . They would win next week at LSU ' s Tiger Stadium against the New Orleans Saints 21 – 6 , but would lose their next three games . During that time , they lost two home games to the Atlanta Falcons ( 17 – 10 ) and their division rival New England Patriots ( 23 – 16 ) before getting shut out on the road against the Cleveland Browns ( 22 – 0 ) . When things looked grim , the Dolphins regrouped and began gaining steam , winning six games in a row . First , they won on the road against the Oakland Raiders ( 33 – 21 ) . Then Miami gained a measure of revenge against their division rival Buffalo Bills at home ( 24 – 23 ) with a late fourth quarter comeback engineered by backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels , Then the Dolphins pulled off an upset victory over the San Diego Chargers ( 23 – 21 ) . Finally Miami beat the New York Jets by a score of 24 – 20 , extending their winning streak to four games . The win also put them at the . 500 mark ( 7 – 7 ) , although wins by the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers put them out of playoff contention . The next week , on Christmas Eve , they achieved their fifth victory in a row with a 24 – 10 victory over the Tennessee Titans , which guaranteed them not to finish with a losing record . The team closed out their 40th season with a 28 – 26 victory at New England to finish the 2005 campaign at 9 – 7 . On a side note , this was the first time since January 24 , 2000 that the Dolphins were able to beat the Patriots in Foxborough . 2006 . During the 2006 preseason , " Sports Illustrated " touted the Dolphins to be one of the teams heading to the Super Bowl XLI . They were predicted to lose by a field goal to the Carolina Panthers in their own Dolphin Stadium . Before the season began , Ricky Williams tested positive for the 4th time for violating the NFLs substance abuse policy , ending his season . The season started out with a rough loss to the defending Super Bowl Champions The Pittsburgh Steelers . The Dolphins went on to start the season with a record of 1 – 6 . However they had seemed to have turned something around midseason , much like the previous year ' s late - season surge . However , with a 6 – 8 record after a loss to Buffalo in Week 15 , they were assured to once again miss the playoffs . The team finished 6 – 10 after a loss to the Colts in their final game . Nick Saban then abandoned the Dolphins and took the head coaching position at the University of Alabama Crimson Tide after insisting that he was not interested . The Dolphins then hired Cam Cameron as a replacement . 2007 . The Dolphins hit rock bottom in 2007 , losing eight games in a row before the bye week , five of which were by three points or less . A loss to Philadelphia in Week 11 sealed their fate for the season , and the next game was a rare 3 – 0 defeat in Pittsburgh . A win in Week 15 over the Baltimore Ravens ensured that the Dolphins would not have a winless season , but the last two matches were lost , ending Miami ' s 2007 campaign at 1 – 15 . 2008 . The Dolphins performed a 180 - degree turnaround , aided by new coach Tony Sparano , and by the fact that their rival New England ( who had long dominated the division ) lost Tom Brady to a leg injury on the season opener . The team ended at 11 – 5 and won the division title , making for the greatest single - season turnaround in NFL history . However , they were routed out of the playoffs by Baltimore . 2009 . Tom Brady returned to action , and so another Dolphins division title seemed unlikely . A difficult schedule held the team back , although they managed to beat New England in Week 13 . The last three matches were lost , and Miami finished with a 7 – 9 record and third in the division after falling to Pittsburgh at home . During this game , quarterback Pat White was taken off the field on a stretcher after being hit in the head . 2010 . Off - season moves included acquiring WR Brandon Marshall from Denver . The Dolphins got off to a good start by winning their first two matches ( both on the road ) against Buffalo and Minnesota , but lost at home in Week 3 to the Jets . Week 4 saw another divisional loss at home versus New England before the Dolphins headed on the road again , beating Green Bay 23 - 20 . After a heart breaking loss at home to Pittsburgh 23 - 22 on a controversial fumble call the Dolphins hit the road to Cincinnati to win 22 - 14 . Their perfect road streak was finally ended in Week 9 after losing to the Ravens 26 - 10 . The following week , they beat Tennessee for what proved to be their only home win of 2010 . Miami went 2 - 2 down the stretch before being eliminated from playoff contention by Buffalo in Week 15 . Two meaningless games against Detroit and New England were lost to end with another middling 7 - 9 season and a 1 - 7 home record . 2011 - present . History again repeated itself as the Dolphins failed to improve the offensive side of the ball in the 2011 draft . Veteran QB Chad Pennington meanwhile announced that he would take the year off to recover from injuries . With the team showing little faith in Chad Henne , it was widely assumed they ' d take Kyle Orton from Denver and pair him up again with Brandon Marshall , but negotiations failed and Henne was booed in training camp by Dolphins fans who wanted the team to sign Orton . The Dolphins seemed destined for a repeat of the 2007 season as they began 0 - 4 with losses to New England , Houston , Cleveland , and San Diego . By Week 5 , Chad Henne had suffered a season - ending injury , forcing Matt Moore into the role of starting quarterback , who had recently been acquired from Carolina . Week 5 was worse , as the Dolphins , looking lethargic , fell to the Jets 24 - 6 , making them 0 - 5 to start the season . Miami remained winless until Week 9 when they routed Kansas City , following it up with an easy win over Washington .