On This Date in Sports December 23, 1973: Playoffs Begin (50 Years of Following Up Perfection Divisional Round)
The Dolphins' quest to reach a third straight Super Bowl begins in earnest as they upend the Cincinnati Bengals 34-16 at the Orange Bowl. The Dolphins dominated the Bengals, outgaining them 400-194. After a close first half, Miami shut down Cincinnati in the second half to reach the AFC Championship Game for the third straight season. Bob Griese passed for 159 yards with two touchdowns, while the Dolphins' ground game ran for 241 yards, led by Mercury Morris, who rushed 106 yards on 20 carries. Larry Csonka also had 20 carries, rushing for 71 yards, with Jim Kiick adding 51.
The Cincinnati Bengals, coached by Paul Brown, won their second division title in 1973, posting a record of 10-4. Cincinnati won their final six games and took the division, while the Pittsburgh Steelers settled for the AFC's Wild Card spot. When Dolphins coach Don Shula was a player with the Cleveland Browns from 1951 to 1952, he was coached by Paul Brown. The Bengals had a solid passing game, led by Ken Anderson, one of the best passers in the NFL, with 2,428 yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Dolphins got off to a fast start, scoring on the game's first drive, with Bob Griese connecting with Paul Warfield on a 13-yard touchdown pass. The Bengals also scored on their first drive, as Horst Muhlmann hit a 24-yard field goal. On Miami's second drive, the ground game was used as Mercury Morris had a 33-yard run, helping Larry Csonka set up a one-yard touchdown plunge. The Dolphins continued to dominate in the second quarter, as Bob Griese completed a 48-yard pass to Warfield to set up a four-yard touchdown run by Morris.
Late in the first half, the Bengals got back in the game, capitalizing on some Dolphins' turnovers as Neil Craig intercepted Griese and went 45 yards for a touchdown. Following a punt, Ken Anderson was able to get the Bengals in position for a second field goal by Muhlmann. On the ensuing kickoff, Mercury Morris fumbled setting up another field goal as the Bengals scored 13 points in the final 3:26 of the first half to cut the deficit to 21-16.
With the momentum of the end of the first half, the Bengals got the ball first in the second half, but Ken Anderson was picked off by Dick Anderson. The Dolphins would go down the field with Jim Mandich catching a seven-yard touchdown pass from Griese, to give Miami control of the game, once again. The Dolphins would smother the Bengals in the second half, with Garo Yepremian hitting a pair of field goals to close out the scoring.