2010 Miami Dolphins season The 2010 Miami Dolphins season was the organization ' s 41st season in the National Football League and 45th overall . The Dolphins are entering the 2010 season coming off a third place finish in the AFC East 7 – 9 Offseason personnel moves . Coaching staff . The Dolphins lost their first coach of the offseason — outside linebackers coach Jim Reid — on January 8 , when Reid was named defensive coordinator and associated head coach under Mike London at the University of Virginia . That same week , inside linebackers coach George Edwards was named defensive coordinator at the University of Florida under Urban Meyer and acting head coach Steve Addazio . He would later go on to fill the Buffalo Bills ' defensive coordinator position . On January 11th , the Dolphins fired defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni after the team finished 25th in the league in points allowed during the season . He was quickly replaced by former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator , Mike Nolan , less than 24 hours after resigning his post in Denver . Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was named linebackers coach to replace both Edwards and Reid . Players . 2010 NFL Draft . After finishing the 2009 season with a record of 7 – 9 , the Dolphins were slotted for the 12th overall pick in the draft . However , on draft day , they ended up trading down with San Diego for the No . 28 pick . Notes Staff and roster . Staff . Team Captains Yeremiah Bell , Patrick Cobbs , Karlos Dansby , and Jake Long . Schedule . Preseason . The Dolphins preseason schedule was announced on March 31 , 2010 . Regular season . The 2010 regular season schedule was announced on April 20th , 2010 . Game results . Week 1 : at Buffalo Bills . The Miami Dolphins began their season at Ralph Wilson Stadium for an AFC East duel with the Buffalo Bills . In the first quarter , Miami struck first when kicker Dan Carpenter nailed a 32 - yard field goal , which was increased in the second quarter when running back Ronnie Brown got a 1 - yard TD run . The Bills replied when kicker Rian Lindell made a 51 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Miami scored first with Carpenter hitting a 43 - yard field goal . Then , the Bills replied with quarterback Trent Edwards making a 31 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roscoe Parrish . The final score was made when long snapper Garrison Sanborn fumbled out of bounds for a safety . With the win , the Dolphins began the season at 1 – 0 . Week 2 : at Minnesota Vikings . Hoping to increase their winning streak , the Dolphins flew to Mall of America Field at Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome for an interconference duel with the Vikings . In the first quarter , the Dolphins got the early lead as QB Chad Henne made a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Brian Hartline . In the third quarter , the Dolphins increased their lead when LB Koa Misi recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown , but Minnesota scored with RB Adrian Peterson completing a 1 - yard TD run . The Vikings tried to fight back in the 4th quarter with kicker Ryan Longwell nailing a 28 - yard field goal , but Miami ' s defense prevented anything else from happening , giving Miami a win . With the win , Miami improved to 2 – 0 . Week 3 : vs . New York Jets . Coming off their win over the Vikings , the Dolphins went home , donned their alternate uniforms , and played their Week 3 home - opener against their AFC East foe , the New York Jets , on Sunday night . Miami trailed early in the first quarter as Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez completed a 24 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller . The Dolphins ' deficit would increase in the second quarter as Sanchez hooked up with Keller again on a 3 - yard touchdown pass . Miami would respond with quarterback Chad Henne completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Anthony Fasano , followed by kicker Dan Carpenter making a 44 - yard field goal . The Dolphins would take the lead in the third quarter as Henne connected with wide receiver Brandon Marshall on an 11 - yard touchdown pass , but New York would immediately respond as Sanchez found wide receiver Braylon Edwards on a 67 - yard touchdown pass . Miami would answer with Carpenter ' s 20 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Jets would add onto their lead as kicker Nick Folk got a 30 - yard field goal . The Dolphins would chip away as their deficit as Carpenter booted a 50 - yard field goal , but New York would pull away as running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 1 - yard touchdown run . Miami tried to rally , but the Jets ' defense held on for the win . With the loss , the Dolphins fell to 2 – 1 . Week 4 : vs . New England Patriots . Hoping to rebound from their divisional loss to the Jets , the Dolphins stayed at home for a Week 4 AFC East duel with the New England Patriots on Monday night . Miami delivered the opening punch in the first quarter as quarterback Chad Henne hooked up with wide receiver Davone Bess on a 19 - yard touchdown pass . In the second quarter , the Patriots answered with kicker Stephen Gostkowski making a 23 - yard and a 30 - yard field goal . New England took the lead in the third quarter as wide receiver Brandon Tate returned the second half ' s opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown , followed by running back BenJarvis Green - Ellis ' 12 - yard touchdown run . The Dolphins responded with Henne completing a 28 - yard touchdown pass to running back Ricky Williams , but the Patriots came right back with quarterback Tom Brady ' s 11 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Danny Woodhead . New England would continue its dominance on special teams in the fourth quarter as cornerback Kyle Arrington returned a blocked field goal 35 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , the Patriots sealed the win as safety Patrick Chung returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown . With the loss , Miami went into its bye week at 2 – 2 . Week 6 : at Green Bay Packers . Coming off their bye week the Dolphins flew to Lambeau field for an Interconference duel against the Packers . In the first quarter the Dolphins trailed early with kicker Mason Crosby nailing a 46 - yard field goal . But they replied with QB Chad Henne making a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Davone Bess . The lead didn ' t last very long after QB Aaron Rodgers made an 86 - yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings . The Dolphins tied the game in the second quarter with kicker Dan Carpenter hitting a 53 - yard field goal . He also made a 41 - yard field goal to put the Dolphins up 13 – 10 . In the fourth quarter the Packers tied the game with Crosby making a 46 - yard field goal , but the Dolphins got the lead back when Henne found TE Anthony Fasano on a 22 - yard TD pass . Green Bay replied with Rodgers scrambling 1 yard to the endzone for a touchdown to put the game in overtime . After overtime , the decision was made when Carpenter successfully put away a 44 - yard field goal to give the Dolphins the win . With the win , the Dolphins improved to 3 – 2 . Week 7 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Coming off their road win over the Packers , the Dolphins went home for a Week 7 intraconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers . The Dolphins delivered the opening splash in the first quarter with a 39 - yard and a 23 - yard field goal from kicker Dan Carpenter . In the second quarter , the Steelers took the lead with kicker Jeff Reed getting a 22 - yard field goal , followed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 21 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward . Miami would respond with Carpenter ' s 22 - yard field goal , but Pittsburgh struck back with Roethlisberger ' s 53 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace . The Dolphins would close out the half as quarterback Chad Henne found wide receiver Davone Bess on a 25 - yard touchdown pass . The Steelers added onto their lead in the third quarter as Reed got a 39 - yard field goal . Miami would answer with Carpenter ' s 37 - yard field goal . The Dolphins regained the lead in the fourth quarter as Carpenter booted a 40 - yard field goal , but Pittsburgh answered with Reed making an 18 - yard field goal . The Dolphins tried to rally , but the Steelers ' defense held on for the win . With the loss , Miami fell to 3 – 3 . Week 8 : at Cincinnati Bengals . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Steelers the Dolphins flew to Paul Brown Stadium for an AFC duel with the Bengals . In the first quarter the Dolphins trailed early as QB Carson Palmer got a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens . They soon replied with kicker Dan Carpenter hitting a 38 and a 42 yard field goal . The Dolphins fell further behind with Palmer finding Owens again on a 37 - yard TD pass . The Dolphins caught up and eventually took the lead with Carpenter hitting a 24 , 54 , and a 31 - yard field goal in the third quarter to put the Dolphins up 15 – 14 . They increased their lead with RB Ricky Williams making a 1 - yard TD run . With the win , the Dolphins improved to 4 – 3 . Week 9 : at Baltimore Ravens . The Dolphins ' eighth game was an AFC duel with the Ravens . The Dolphins trailed early after QB Joe Flacco completed a 32 - yard TD pass to RB Willis McGahee . They replied with RB Ronnie Brown getting a 12 - yard TD run . The Ravens got the lead back after kicker Billy Cundiff made a 26 and a 39 - yard field goal . The Dolphins narrowed the lead with kicker Dan Carpenter nailing a 19 - yard field goal . The Dolphins fell further behind after Flacco found WR Derrick Mason on a 12 - yard TD pass . This was followed in the 4th quarter by Cundiff hitting a 20 and a 24 - yard field goal . With the loss , Miami fell to 4 – 4 . Week 10 : vs . Tennessee Titans . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Ravens the Dolphins played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Titans . In the first quarter the Dolphins took the lead as RB Ronnie Brown got a 2 - yard TD run . The Titans replied with RB Chris Johnson getting a 17 - yard TD run . They fell behind after kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 40 - yard field goal . They eventually took the lead after kicker Dan Carpenter made a 23 and a 26 - yard field goal , which was soon followed by QB Chad Henne completing a 13 - yard TD pass to RB Patrick Cobbs . The Titans replied with QB Vince Young completing a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Nate Washington , but the Dolphins continued to score after Carpenter got a 42 - yard field goal , followed by QB Tyler Thigpen making a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Anthony Fasano ( With a failed 2 - point conversion ) . Then FS Reshad Jones intercepted a pass in the end zone for a touchback . With the win , the Dolphins improved to 5 – 4 . Week 11 : vs . Chicago Bears . Coming off their win over the Titans , the Dolphins stayed at home for a Week 11 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears on Thursday night . Miami trailed early in the first quarter as Bears kicker Robbie Gould got a 46 - yard field goal . Chicago added onto their lead in the second quarter with Gould making a 24 - yard field goal . The Bears continued to increase their lead with Gould ' s 50 - yard field goal , followed by a touchdown scored by running back Matt Forté . This was the final score of the game , with Chicago ' s defense preventing any score by the Dolphins . With the loss , the Dolphins fell to 5 – 5 . Week 12 : at Oakland Raiders . The Dolphins ' eleventh game was an AFC duel with the Raiders . In the first quarter the Dolphins trailed immediately as Jacoby Ford returned a kick - off 101 yards to their own endzone for a touchdown . They overcame this deficit with kicker Dan Carpenter nailing a 49 - yard field goal , followed by QB Chad Henne completing a 29 - yard TD pass to RB Patrick Cobbs . The Raiders replied as QB Bruce Gradkowski made a 44 - yard TD pass to Ford . The Dolphins got the lead back as Carpenter got a 23 - yard field goal , followed by Henne getting a 57 - yard TD pass to WR Marlon Moore , and with Carpenter nailing a 44 - yard field goal . The lead was narrowed when kicker Sebastian Janikowski hit a 30 - yard field goal , but the Dolphins pulled away with Carpenter getting a 25 - yard field goal , and with RB Ricky Williams getting a 45 - yard TD run . With the win , Miami improved to 6 – 5 . Week 13 : vs . Cleveland Browns . Coming off their win over the Raiders the Dolphins played on home ground for an AFC duel with the Browns . The second quarter saw the Dolphins trailing early as kicker Phil Dawson made a 32 - yard field goal . They replied with kicker Dan Carpenter hitting a 60 - yard field goal . They trailed again with QB Jake Delhomme completing a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Benjamin Watson . But they replied in the fourth quarter with QB Chad Henne making an 11 - yard TD pass to TE Anthony Fasano . The Browns scored again after Dawson nailed a 23 - yard field goal . With the loss , Miami fell to 6 – 6 . Week 14 : at New York Jets . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Browns the Dolphins flew to New Meadowlands Stadium for an AFC East rivalry match against the Jets . The Dolphins took the lead with kicker Dan Carpenter nailing a 47 - yard field goal , followed by QB Chad Henne completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . The Jets responded with kicker Nick Folk hitting a 35 and a 42 - yard field goal . With the win , Miami improved to 7 – 6 . Week 15 : vs . Buffalo Bills . The Dolphins ' fourteenth game was a must - win matchup against the Buffalo Bills . The Dolphins lost . The final score was seventeen ( 17 ) to fourteen ( 14 ) and the Dolphins never lead during the game . The second quarter saw Miami trailing early with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick completing an 18 - yard TD pass to WR David Nelson . This was followed by kicker Rian Lindell nailing a 29 - yard field goal . The Dolphins responded with RB Ronnie Brown getting a 6 - yard TD run , but trailed further in the third quarter with Fitzpatrick throwing a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Johnson . The Dolphins tried to cut the lead with QB Chad Henne getting a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall , but the Bills defense denied any more offensive chances . With the loss , Miami fell to 7 – 7 , and was officially eliminated from playoff contention . Reaction around the Miami area was palpable , with many fans and the media calling for head coach Tony Sparano to resign at the end of the season . Week 16 : vs . Detroit Lions . The Dolphins fifteenth game was an inter - conference duel against the Lions . The Dolphins trailed early as kicker Dave Rayner nailed a 39 - yard field goal . They re - tied the game with kicker Dan Carpenter hit a 40 - yard field goal . The Lions scored again with QB Shaun Hill completing a 20 - yard TD pass to TE Brandon Pettigrew , but the Dolphins got the lead back with FB Lousaka Polite getting a 4 - yard TD run , followed by QB Chad Henne getting a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Davone Bess . The Lions tied the game with RB Maurice Morris getting a 5 - yard TD run , but the Dolphins scored to take the lead again with RB Ronnie Brown getting a 1 - yard TD run , followed by Carpenter hitting a 28 - yard field goal . They failed to maintain this lead after QB Shaun Hill completed a 53 - yard TD pass to RB Jahvid Best , followed by Rayner making a 47 - yard field goal , then with MLB DeAndre Levy returning an interception 30 yards for a touchdown . With the loss , Miami fell to 7 – 8 . Week 17 : at New England Patriots . The Dolphins ' final game was an AFC East rematch against the Patriots . They trailed early with QB Tom Brady throwing a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Rob Gronkowski , followed by BenJarvus Green - Ellis getting a 1 - yard TD run , then with kicker Shayne Graham nailing a 28 - yard field goal . The Dolphins continued to struggle after a three - and - out was converted into a 94 - yard punt return for a touchdown by Julian Edelman , followed by Brady making a 10 - yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler , then with QB Brian Hoyer completing a 42 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Tate . The Dolphins made their only score of the game with QB Tyler Thigpen throwing a 21 - yard TD pass to WR Davone Bess . With the loss , Miami finished their season with a 7 – 9 record .