Bills vs. Dolphins history: 5 best games of Jim Kelly-Dan Marino rivalry
From the time Jim Kelly joined the Buffalo Bills in 1986, until his retirement following the 1996 season, there was only one AFC East rival fans truly cared about and that was Miami Dolphins.
During that 11-year span, Kelly, coach Marv Levy and the rest of the Bills were almost always in direct conflict with Dan Marino, Don Shula and the Dolphins for division supremacy, and some of their showdowns - including three in the playoffs - were legendary.
And now more than a quarter century since the end of that era, the Bills-Dolphins rivalry has re-emerged with Josh Allen and Sean McDermott leading the way against Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel.
Sunday afternoon, the Dolphins will be at Highmark Stadium for what will be the early Game of the Year in the 2023 NFL season, and while there will be many more “games of the year” to come in the NFL, this is the first true must-see matchup.
Before Kelly sauntered into Buffalo, the Dolphins had owned the Bills in their head-to-head rivalry thanks mainly to a 20-game winning streak that encompassed the entire decade of the 1970s. But things took an immediate turn when Kelly took the reins of the Buffalo offense and between 1986-96 Buffalo went 17-8 against Marino and the Dolphins including a perfect 3-0 in the postseason.
Given the incredible start Miami’s offense is off to, and the fact that Allen and the Bills remain one of the best offenses in the league with 75 points in their last two games, Sunday’s game could morph into an epic shootout.
Here’s a look back at five Kelly vs. Marino games where points and yards were as plentiful as middle fingers raised by the fans of both teams.
Oct. 25, 1987: Buffalo returns from 1987 NFL strike to rally in OT
Buffalo fell behind by three touchdowns but won the coin toss in overtime and made a game-winning field goal for one of the Bills' best-ever comebacks.
Jan. 12, 1991: Before Allen and Tua, Kelly and Marino lit up the scoreboard in AFC playoffs
Jim Kelly returned from a knee injury to throw for 339 yards and three touchdowns in the highest-scoring regulation game in NFL playoff history.
Sept. 1, 1991: 'Tough son of a gun' Jim Kelly leads Bills on injured ankle to thrilling win over Dolphins
Jim Kelly was ruled out of the game with a sprained ankle but he came back in and the Bills tore apart the Dolphins for a 35-31 victory.
Dec. 19, 1993: Ralph Wilson had a premonition in Bills beatdown over Dolphins
Buffalo swaggered into rabid Joe Robbie Stadium and kicked the living you know what out Miami to take over first place in 1993.
Dec. 4, 1994: Buffalo comes back from dead to keep 1994 playoff hopes alive
Miami had a chance to eliminate Buffalo from playoff contention but choked and the Bills scored 35 points in the second half for a 42-31 win.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills vs. Dolphins history: 5 best games of Jim Kelly-Dan Marino rivalry
