Miami Dolphins 1 win from division title, which would end fourth-longest drought in NFL
MIAMI GARDENS — It has been every bit as long as it seems.
If the Dolphins beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, they’ll be AFC East champions. It will be their first division title since 2008, a year Dolphins fans have heard about for ages.
If it’s true what they say about the company you keep, the Dolphins are not in good company when it comes to the length of their wait.
In fact, they’re in the worst company.
A check of the NFC, for example, shows that no team has waited longer to win a division title. The Detroit Lions had the longest NFC drought going, dating to 1993 when Wayne Fontes was coach and Barry Sanders their leading rusher. That all ended this season when there was dancing in the streets of Motown thanks to Dan Campbell’s crew.
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As for the AFC?
The longest drought belongs to the Cleveland Browns. You’d have to go back to 1989 for the last time they won their division, but even that carries an asterisk. It would have been difficult for them to win anything from 1996-98 since there were no Cleveland Browns, having moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens.
The only other teams waiting longer than Miami are the New York Jets and Whatever City You Want to Name Raiders, who last won division titles in 2002.
So the Browns, Jets, Raiders and Dolphins are the lonesome foursome. Just missing out are the Chargers, who last won their division in 2009.
In ’08, the Dolphins were coached by Tony Sparano. Chad Pennington was their quarterback and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams the running backs. And there was the wildcat. Bill Parcells was running the front office.
Also in 2008: Barack Obama was elected president; the average American income was $40,000; "The Dark Knight" was big in theaters; there was a financial crisis; gas cost $3.39 and (this sounds familiar) Hollywood was hit with a writers strike.
The NFC has experienced much more parity over the years, with the longest drought now owned by the New York Giants (2011), followed by the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals (2015).
In fact, 11 of the 16 NFC teams have won a division title in this decade alone. The AFC has only six such teams.
Can the Dolphins divorce themselves from this list? Tune in Sunday night to find out.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins have not win AFC East since 2008, among longest NFL droughts
