Eagles not undefeated anymore: Has there ever been a perfect season in the NFL?

All good things come to an end, unless you are the 1972 Miami Dolphins who remain the only undefeated team in NFL history after the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Washington Commanders on Monday Night.

Csonka pops the champs

Larry Csonka and the Dolphins had to wait until Week 10 to pop the champagne that they ceremoniously toast every year when the last undefeated teams falls. The champagne may be flat by now, but the legacy lives on for at least another season as they stand alone on the undefeated summit.

Miami had only been around as a franchise for seven years, and 1972 was only their third year in the NFL, but it didn’t take long for them to set a historic milestone that has not been matched in the last 50 years.

After winning three and losing three games in the preseason, Bob Griese, Larry Csonka, and Paul Warfield led a stacked Dolphins team to an opening week win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium. The first scare came in Week 3 against the Vikings when they beat Minnesota on the road in a 16-14 thanks to a 4th quarter TD pass from Griese to Jim Mandich.

Miami’s undefeated run in ‘72

Disaster struck in Week 5 when starting QB Bob Griese broke his ankle against the San Diego Chargers, and back up Earl Morrall took over until the second half of the AFC Championship game.

In Morrall’s first start the week after, the Dolphins were nearly taken down by division rival, the Buffalo Bills, but were able to hold on for a 24-23 win. That was really their last scare, as they won eight of their next nine by double digits. They wrapped up their perfect regular season with a 16-0 win over the Baltimore Colts to secure a their perfect 14-0 record heading into the playoffs.

The post season came and the going got tough for the Dolphins, who won every game by one possession. Their first playoff game came against the Cleveland Browns, who they beat 20-14 thanks to a Jim Klick fourth quarter touchdown and that earned them the right to play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship.

Griese takes over in playoffs

Morrall was pulled in the game against the Steelers after going 7-11 for 51 yard with one touchdown and one interception and Griese came into to led the Dolphins the rest of the way. Jim Klick scored two second half touchdowns to defeat the Steelers 21-17, and Miami had a date with the Washington Redskins in the LA Coliseum in Super Bowl VII.

Griese thew for just 88 yards with a TD and one INT, but Larry Csonka led a rushing attack that Washington’s defense couldn’t contain. He went for 112 of the 184 yards on the ground and Jim Klick would score what would be the Super Bowl winning touchdown in the second quarter to give the Dolphins the 14-7 win and etch their names in NFL history books forever.

Bears in ‘85 and Pats in ‘07 closest contenders

There has only been one other team that has survived the regular season without suffering a loss. That was the 2007 New England Patriots, who had one of the best offenses ever assembled with Tom Brady at quarterback and Randy Moss Donte’ Stallworth and Wes Welker at wide receiver.

The cruised through the regular season, and it looked like no one was going to slow them down, but the New York Giants pulled the biggest upset in Super Bowl history thanks to David Tyree’s helmet catch that helped take down the Pats 17-14.

Since then the closest any team has come to finishing a season undefeated was the Carolina Panthers in 2015 when they went 14-0 before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15. The Panthers would reach the Super Bowl, but lost out to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl L.

We all remember the 1985 Bears who went 15-1 in the regular season, holding on to their undefeated record until Week 13, when they were coincidentally beaten by the Dolphins. They went on to win the Super Bowl that year, but being the last standing undefeated doesn’t always mean success.

In the 50 years since the Dolphins won the Super Bowl, 11 teams who were the last remaining undefeated side in the league have gone on to lift the Lombardi Trophy. The last of which was in the Indianapolis Colts who went 9-0 before losing to the Dallas Cowboys. Peyton Manning would win his first Super Bowl as the Colts would go on beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI.