Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Despite their rich history of important games between the two, only once have both these teams met in an AFC Championship game. That was ’73, a not so suspenseful 27-10 Dolphin win. However, they came close on quite a few other occasions.

For starters, there’s the year prior; the Immaculate Reception preventing such a thing. It’s assumed by many that Oakland at least gives Miami an even better game than Clev or Pitt did in such a hypothetical, quite a few of those thinking they win such an affair. This should be the most popular pick in here.

Hop to the next decade, and you got three of them; and within a four-year period. First you got 8-1 Raiders averting that loss to lower-seeded Jets and then hosting Miami the following week (no rain). Then the very next year, Dolphins averting that Seahawk-upset and making it to LA the following week; this time Dan starting the game unlike their affair earlier in the season. Finally, two years later, another close upset (this time Pats playing spoiler) preventing yet another Mia@LA meeting - winner plays da Bears!

No, not an almost-AFCCG in ’84 - and that WCG-loss at Seattle not quite as close as its 13-7 score indicates - but if defending-Champ Raiders do get past Hawks, a divisional date at Miami the following week likely a much more dangerous matchup for the 14-2 top-seed. Raiders had Miami’s number at the time, beating them for a 5th-straight time on Week #14 (MNF) that very year.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:It’s assumed by many that Oakland at least gives Miami an even better game than Clev or Pitt did

Who?

THe fact that neither franchise has really been that good for about thirty years now has really helped the fact that they have only squared off in one conference championship game thus far.

Here are the years since '85 that both teams have appeared in the playoffs in the same season.

'16 '
'01
'00
'90


That is it. Outside of that short stretch in the early '00's where they were good neither franchise has done much of note since they were getting to Super Bowls in the '80's.

No names to give, Bryan, and perhaps I shouldn’t have said “an even better game than Clev or Pitt did”, but it always seemed to me like it was generally assumed, on and off this site, that Raiders give Miami a good game in such a hypo-’72 AFCC. I agree that it would have at least been a good game. Of course I’m biased in saying that it’s the almost-AFCC that I would have least preferred to see between the two.

Yes, lastcat, for the past 30+ years both teams have hardly been good at the same time yet alone had too many good years in-general. Early-’70s, and then early-’80s, Raiders & Dolphins had an almost-Dallas/San Fran-like rivalry going. The two meeting in ’85 would have been a ‘last-hurrah’ of sorts in that each franchise would never have quite a run again - neither would return to the playoffs until 1990. Such a matchup would’ve been a treat for those who would’ve preferred that either team, instead of NE, play da Bears in SBXX. However, IMO, the Raiders win, and not by a little. LA wasn’t the team they were in ’83 (but they were still...“deh Raidehs”/still the swagger, mystique, and characters if only for that one last year), but Miami to me fell off even more so from their 14-2 SB-run the previous year; and Raiders did have their # anyway.

I guess my pick would be ’83. This despite me being glad that Seattle finally made the playoffs and making the run they did, as well as rooting for them in that AFCCG. That Dolphin installment can arguably be their best or at least most-balanced post-’73 Shula team. A better offense than ’82, a better defense than ’84. And as I already said, Marino would have started. Raiders still win IMO, and maybe not a nail-biter either, but it would have been interesting.

The two meeting in ’85 would have been a ‘last-hurrah’ of sorts in that each franchise would never have quite a run again - neither would return to the playoffs until 1990. Such a matchup would’ve been a treat for those who would’ve preferred that either team, instead of NE, play da Bears in SBXX. However, IMO, the Raiders win, and not by a little. LA wasn’t the team they were in ’83 (but they were still...“deh Raidehs”/still the swagger, mystique, and characters if only for that one last year), but Miami to me fell off even more so from their 14-2 SB-run the previous year; and Raiders did have their # anyway.

While the Raiders would have been favored over Miami in a hypo 1985 AFC Title game, the Dolphins would have had a decent chance. The awful Marc Wilson was the Raider QB.