Although the Dolphins were unable to match their 17–0
perfect season of 1972, many sports writers, fans, and Dolphins players themselves felt that the 1973 team was better. While the 1972 team faced no competition in the regular season that had a record of better than 8-6 and/or .500, the 1973 team played against a much tougher schedule that included games against
the Oakland Raiders,
Pittsburgh Steelers, and
Dallas Cowboys (all playoff teams), plus two games against
a resurgent Bills squad that featured 2,000-yard rusher
O. J. Simpson, and a
Cleveland Browns team that finished over .500. Miami finished with a 12–2 regular season, including their opening game victory over the defending 1972
NFC West champions,
the San Francisco 49ers that tied an NFL record with eighteen consecutive wins. The Dolphins' streak ended in week two with a 12–7 loss to the Raiders in
Berkeley, California. Miami then won the next 10 games. In November, the Dolphins scored 92 consecutive points against opponents, recording back to back shutout wins, before Dallas broke the string with a score on Thanksgiving Day. Just like the two previous seasons, Miami's offense relied primarily on their rushing attack. Fullback
Larry Csonka recorded his third consecutive 1,000 rushing yard season (1,003 yards), while running back
Mercury Morris rushed for 954 yards and scored 10 touchdowns, while leading the league with 6.4 yards per carry. Running back
Jim Kiick was also a key contributor, rushing for 257 yards, and catching 27 passes for 208 yards. Quarterback
Bob Griese, the AFC's second leading passer, completed only 116 passes for 1,422 yards, but threw about twice as many touchdown passes (17) as interceptions (8), and earned an 84.3
passer rating. Wide receiver
Paul Warfield remained the main deep threat on the team, catching 29 passes for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns. The offensive line remained strong led by center
Jim Langer and right guard
Larry Little. Griese, Csonka, Warfield, Langer, and Little would all eventually be elected to the
Pro Football Hall of Fame. Miami's "No Name Defense" continued to dominate their opponents. Future Hall of Fame linebacker
Nick Buoniconti recovered three fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. Safety
Dick Anderson led the team with eight interceptions, which he returned for 163 yards and two touchdowns. And safety
Jake Scott, the previous season's Super Bowl MVP, had four interceptions and 71 return yards. The Dolphins were still using their "53" defense devised at the beginning of the 1972 season, where
Bob Matheson (#53) would be brought in as a fourth linebacker in a
3–4 defense, with
Manny Fernandez at
nose tackle. Matheson could either rush the quarterback or drop back into coverage. In 2007,
ESPN.com ranked the 1973 Dolphins as the eight-greatest defense in NFL history, noting that the team "held 11 opponents to 14 points or less, setting a record by allowing just 150 points in a 14-game season". Through 11 games and the first half of a Monday night against Pittsburgh, they had permitted only 104 points. Defensive end Bill Stanfill set a Dolphins'
sack record that still stands, with 18.5. In the playoffs and Super Bowl, they allowed only 33 points against
Cincinnati,
Oakland and
Minnesota. Stanfill, Manny Fernandez, Hall of Fame middle linebacker Nick Buoniconti, and safeties Dick Anderson (AP Defensive Player of the Year) and Jake Scott were all named to the
1973 All-Pro team. They also held record-breaking rusher O. J. Simpson to his lowest total yardage of the season, a mere 55 yards in Week Six. To date, the 1973 Miami Dolphins remain one of two teams (the
2019 Baltimore Ravens being the other) in NFL history with 12 players on their roster to be selected for the Pro Bowl. == Offseason ==