As the Miami Dolphins look to claw their way back into playoff contention in this 2025 regular season, older fans of the team always can reflect on the glory days of the franchise.

There were a lot of memorable moments and victories when the Dolphins stood as one of the elite franchises in the NFL, and one of those came 40 years ago Tuesday.

It was a Monday night game at the Orange Bowl when the 8-4 Dolphins hosted the 12-0 Chicago Bears, who featured legendary running back Walter Payton and one of the most dominant defenses the NFL has ever seen.

But on this night, the Bears were no match for the Dolphins, whose heavy of three-wide receiver sets with Mark Clayton, Mark Duper and Nat Moore proved the perfect antidote for the vaunted “46 Defense.”

The Dolphins were in control the whole night and led 31-10 before the Bears made the final score more respectable at 38-24. It would be the only loss Chicago would suffer all season on its way to a Super Bowl title, which was one step away from featuring a Dolphins-Bears rematch before the New England Patriots got in the way with a 31-14 upset victory at the Orange Bowl in the 1985 AFC Championship Game.

But where would this December 2, 1985 game rank among the most memorable in franchise history? In honor of its 40-year anniversary, let’s count down the top 10 with the factors being significance, uniqueness and game details.

THE TOP 10 DOLPHINS VICTORIES COUNTDOWN

10 — Sept. 24, 2023, Dolphins 70, Broncos 20: This one was just wild, to the point where the Dolphins were within striking distance of the NFL record for most points in a game before Mike McDaniel called three consecutive running plays from the Denver 23 followed by a fourth-down kneel-down. This also was the game where De’Von Achane, in his second NFL appearance, showed what he would become when he rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

9 — Sept. 23, 2001, Dolphins 18, Raiders 15: With a giant flag draped across the field as the NFL resumed games after the events of 9/11, this was bound to be a memorable day regardless. It became even more memorable when Jay Fiedler scrambled for a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds, his triumphant fist-raising in the end zone captured for the front page of Sports Illustrated.

8 — Dec. 31, 1972, Dolphins 21, Steelers 17: Because of the playoff setup in those days, the Dolphins had to travel to Three Rivers Stadium for the AFC Championship Game despite their 14-0 regular season record. The Dolphins trailed 7-0 early in the second quarter before Larry Seiple’s famous run on a fake punt turned the momentum.

7 — Jan. 2, 1972, Dolphins 21, Colts 0: The Dolphins earned their first trip to the Super Bowl, with Don Shula beating his former team thanks to a pick-six by safety Dick Anderson and a 75-yard touchdown pass from Bob Griese to Paul Warfield to open the scoring.

6 — Jan. 13, 1974, Dolphins 24, Vikings 7: The Dolphins’ domination (they led 24-0 before Minnesota scored in the fourth quarter) and reliance on the running game (53 rushing attempts, 7 pass attempts) made this a rather unexciting game, but it capped one of the greatest two-year runs in NFL history.

5 — Sept. 4, 1994, Dolphins 39, Patriots 35: The 1994 season opener at muddy Joe Robbie Stadium featured a classic shootout between Drew Bledsoe and Dan Marino, made even more remarkable by the fact this was Marino’s first regular season game since his Achilles injury. As a bonus, the game-winning touchdown came on a fourth-and-5 when Marino connected with Irving Fryar for a 35-yard score.

4 — Dec. 30, 2000, Dolphins 23, Colts 17 (OT): Lamar Smith capped the most remarkable individual playoff performance in Dolphins history with his game-winning TD in overtime, but that was just part of the excitement of this game. The Dolphins sent the game to overtime with a TD pass from Fiedler to tight end Jed Weaver in the final minute, then watched Mike Vanderjagt miss a 49-yard field goal attempt in overtime before Smith’s 17-yard score finished off his 209-yard performance.

3 — Dec. 2, 1985, Dolphins 38, Bears 24: This just might be the most impressive victory in Dolphins history given the way they handled the Bears in handing them their only loss of the 1985 season. The atmosphere at the Orange Bowl on this Monday night also was unparalleled. The only thing keeping this game from being higher in the countdown is that it lacked suspense at the end, being that the Dolphins led 31-10 at halftime.

2 — Jan. 14, 1973, Dolphins 14, Redskins 7: The Dolphins completed the only perfect season in NFL history the way they won most of their games, with a strong running game and strong defensive effort. The outcome never really was in doubt and the lack of drama keeps this from being at the top of the list, though an argument certainly could be made for it.

1 — Dec. 25, 1971, Dolphins 27, Chiefs 24 (2 OT): More than 50 years later, this remains the longest game in NFL history. It’s the game that catapulted the Dolphins to their great heights in the 1970s. Interestingly, the Dolphins never led in this game until Garo Yepremian’s game-winning 37-yard field goal short after Larry Csonka broke through for a 29-yard run. This came after both teams missed field goal attempts in overtime and after the Chiefs missed another field goal attempt near the end of regulation.