Pre-season Regular season Two bye weeks were necessary in
1966, as the league expanded to an odd-number (9) of teams; one team was idle each week (three teams were idle in week one). The Dolphins played three teams from each division twice, and one in each once (Boston, San Diego)
Game summaries Week 1 The Dolphins' regular season debut was a home game against the
Oakland Raiders on Friday night, September 2; Miami
running back Joe Auer returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for An extra point kick by
Gene Mingo allowed the Dolphins to lead 7–0 barely into the start of the game. Miami was unable to retain the lead, however, with the Raiders scoring a field goal in the second quarter and two touchdowns (one each in the second and third quarters) – a total of 17 points. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins narrowed the score with a touchdown reception from
Rick Norton to
Rick Casares. However, Oakland responded with another touchdown – a 16-yard pass to
Tom Mitchell from
Tom Flores. The game ended with a 23–14 loss for Miami.
Week 2 In their first ever intradivisional game, the Dolphins played against the
AFL Eastern Division rival New York Jets at the Orange Bowl on Friday night, Miami trailed the entire game, with the Jets scoring a safety (by tackling Rick Norton in the end zone) and a touchdown in the first quarter. New York added a field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter, while holding Miami scoreless until the fourth quarter. By then, the Dolphins scored a touchdown – a 43-yard reception from Norton to
Dave Kocourek. Later in the quarter, Jets quarterback
Joe Namath was intercepted by defensive back
Pete Jaquess, who returned the ball 27 yards for another touchdown. However, Miami was unable to complete a comeback and lost
Week 3 For their first division rivalry game against the
Buffalo Bills on September 18, Miami traveled to the
War Memorial Stadium in
Buffalo. The Bills dominated the Dolphins throughout the game. In the first quarter, the Buffalo scored three touchdown before Miami kicked a field goal. The Bills then added four touchdowns in the second quarter, versus one by the Dolphins. After the first half, the score was 48–10 in favor of the Bills. The only score in the third quarter was a field goal by
Booth Lusteg of Buffalo. Three touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarter, two for Miami and one for Buffalo. The Bills defeated the Dolphins by a score of 58–24, which remains one of the worst losses by Miami in the history of the
Bills–Dolphins rivalry.
Week 5 Coming off their first bye week, the Miami Dolphins traveled to
Balboa Stadium in
San Diego in week 5 in search for their first win. The Dolphins began the game with a 10-point lead – a field goal by Gene Mingo and a Karl Noonan touchdown via a 20-yard pass from Dick Wood. However, the
Chargers took the lead in the third quarter following two touchdowns and a field goal, with a score of 16–10 as the quarter ended. In the fourth quarter, San Diego put the game away and delivered another blowout for Miami, scoring four touchdowns (28 points), while preventing the Dolphins from receiving additional points. The game ended with a score of 44–10 in favor of the Chargers. The Dolphins win–loss record fell to 0–4.
Week 6 In a second game against the Oakland Raiders on October 9, the Miami Dolphins traveled to the
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. Miami took the lead in the first quarter, with a 47-yard field goal by Gene Mingo. In the second quarter, Oakland took the lead after a touchdown, while Miami re-took the lead with a touchdown of their own. However, before the end of the second quarter, Oakland again re-took the lead with another touchdown. The first half of the game ended with a score of 14–10 in favor of the Raiders. Neither team received additional points in the third quarter. Oakland put the game away in the fourth quarter by scoring another touchdown. The match ended with a 21–10 loss for Miami.
Week 7 After being on the road since week 3, the Miami Dolphins returned home in week 7 for a contest against the
Denver Broncos on October 16. Miami scored a touchdown and field goal in the first quarter, with a 67-yard pass from George Wilson to
Billy Joe and a Gene Mingo field goal. The Broncos scored a touchdown later in the first quarter. Subsequently, the Dolphins scored one touchdown each in the third and fourth quarters – 1 yard and 3 yard rushes by Joe Auer, respectively. However, Denver was unable to earn additional points following the first quarter. As a result, the Miami Dolphins won the game by a score of 24–7. This was the first win by the franchise and raised their win–loss record to 1–5.
Week 8 The Dolphins returned to the road again in week 8, traveling to
Rice Stadium to take on the
Houston Oilers on October 23. Miami scored first with a touchdown in the first quarter – an 80-yard reception from George Wilson to
Bo Roberson.
George Blanda of the Oilers kicked a field goal in the second quarter, but the Dolphins responded with another touchdown. In the third quarter, Blanda kicked another field goal, but
Gene Mingo of the Dolphins also scored a field goal. Houston finally reached the endzone later in the third quarter to narrow the match to a 4-point game. However, Mingo kicked another field goal in the fourth quarter, ending the game with a 20–13 win for Miami. The Dolphins improved to 2–5.
Week 10 After the second bye week, Miami returned home for another game against the Buffalo Bills on November 6. As during week 3, the Bills again dominated the match. After neither club scored in the first quarter, Buffalo scored a touchdown and a field goal in both the second and third quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Bills scored a third touchdown. Later, Buffalo received two points from a safety after
Marty Schottenheimer blocked a punt. Miami was unable to score points throughout the game and lost 29–0, their first regular season shutout loss. The Dolphins fell to 2–6.
Week 11 In the following week, the Dolphins traveled to
Municipal Stadium to take on the
Kansas City Chiefs. However, Miami was quickly overtaken. Kansas City reached a 23-point lead – three touchdowns (one missed extra point) and one field goal – before the Dolphins finally scored a field goal in the second quarter. Miami followed up with a touchdown, but Kansas City scored another touchdown before the end of the quarter. In the third quarter, the Chiefs added another field goal to their score. The Dolphins scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the team fell well short of making a comeback. The game ended with a 34–16 loss for Miami, with their record falling to 2–7.
Week 12 During week 12, the Dolphins traveled to
Shea Stadium in
New York City for their second match-up against the Jets on November 20. Miami built a six-point lead in the first quarter with two field goals by Gene Mingo. However, they would not maintain their lead. In the second quarter, the Jets scored a touchdown and a field goal, before adding another touchdown and two additional field goals in the third quarter. Miami, down 23–6 at the close of the third quarter, finally scored again with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Dolphins were unable to overcome the deficit, and New York scored another touchdown before the end of regulation. The game ended with a 30–13 loss for Miami, dropping their record to 2–8.
Week 13 In their first game against the division rival
Boston Patriots, the Dolphins hosted the Patriots at the Orange Bowl on November 27. After neither team scored in the first quarter, the Patriots scored twice in the first quarter, with a touchdown pass from
Babe Parilli to
Art Graham and then a 32-yard field goal by
Gino Cappelletti. The first half of the game closed with a 13–0 lead for Boston. A rushing touchdown by
Jim Nance allowed the Patriots to increase their lead to 20–0. Later in the third quarter, the Dolphins finally scored with a 32-yard pass from
Dick Wood to
Frank Jackson. In the fourth quarter, another Miami touchdown pass from Wood to
Joe Auer for 38 yards further reduced the Patriots lead to 20–14. However, with no additional scores by either team, the game ended with a 20–14 loss for the Miami Dolphins, causing them to fall to 2–9.
Week 14 For week 14, the Dolphins traveled to
Bears Stadium in Denver for another game against the Broncos on December 4. The game was a low-scoring affair. After neither team scored in the first quarter, Denver put points on the board with a
Gary Kroner field goal, before Miami countered with
Tom Erlandson scoring a touchdown after returning an interception 26 yards. However, the Broncos responded with a touchdown before the end of the second quarter. Denver scored another touchdown in the third quarter. Following that, neither Miami nor Denver any additional points in the third or fourth quarter. The game ended with a 17–7 loss for Miami, dropping their record to 2–10.
Week 15 Miami returned home for their second match against Kansas City on December 11. The Chiefs opened up with two
Mike Mercer field goals, with one each in the first and second quarters. Later in the second quarter, the Dolphins scored a field goal and a touchdown (with a 2-point conversion) to close the first half 11–6. After no scores in the third quarter, Kansas City was the first team to put more points on the board with a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Miami then scored another touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter. However, the Chiefs countered with a touchdown before the game ended. Miami lost by a score of 19–18.
Week 16 In the final game of their inaugural season, the Dolphins hosted the Oilers at the Orange Bowl on December 18. The Oilers mounted a 14–0 lead before the Dolphins scored – a 27-yard pass from
Don Trull to
Hoyle Granger in the first quarter and an 11-yard pass from Trull to
Larry Elkins. Miami then responded with a 27-yard pass from
John Stofa to
Joe Auer and a successful 2-point conversion. Houston added seven more points with a 2-yard pass from Trull to
Bob McLeod. By the end of the first half of the game, the Oilers led by 21–8. The third quarter saw a 48-yard touchdown pass from Stofa to Frank Jackson, cutting the Oilers' lead to 21–15. In the fourth quarter, Houston scored again with a 1-yard rush from Trull. The Dolphins scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, via a 4-yard pass from Stofa to
Bill Cronin and a 14-yard pass from Stofa to Auer. With no further scores by either team, the game ended with a 29-28 win for the Miami Dolphins. Miami ended their season with a win–loss record of 3–11. == Standings ==