Miracle in Miami
A walk-off touchdown via multiple laterals stunned the Patriots.
The Miami Miracle, also called the Miracle in Miami, refers to a play in a National Football League regular-season game on December 9, 2018, between the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. It stands as the only walk-off touchdown in NFL history that involved multiple lateral passes, and it was the first such multi-lateral touchdown since the River City Relay in December 2003.
In NFL history, desperation lateral attempts have been tried before. The only successful conversion of a lateral pass for a touchdown at the end of a game in the 21st century before this play happened on December 21, 2003, when the New Orleans Saints completed three lateral passes for a 75-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but kicker John Carney missed the extra point, leading to a 20–19 loss. On December 8, 2013, Miami nearly lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers via lateral passes, but referees correctly ruled that Antonio Brown, the last Steeler to touch the ball, stepped out of bounds at the 13-yard line, ending the game in a Miami victory.
Before the game, the Patriots led the AFC East with a 9–3 record, while the Dolphins were 6–6. A Patriots win would have clinched their tenth consecutive division title. After the Patriots scored first with a touchdown, the game saw eight lead changes. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed an extra point on the first touchdown and later missed a field goal attempt. Leading 30–28 after failing to score a touchdown in the final seconds, Gostkowski kicked a field goal to put the Patriots up 33–28 with 16 seconds left.
Trailing by five points with seven seconds remaining, the Dolphins had the ball at their own 31-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a pass over the middle to wide receiver Kenny Stills, who lateraled the ball to the right side of the field, where DeVante Parker caught it at midfield. Parker then tossed the ball backward to running back Kenyan Drake, who ran 52 yards for a touchdown, winning the game 34–33. The Dolphins declined to kick the extra point, following a rule change for the 2018 season after the Minneapolis Miracle. A key element was Dolphins left guard Ted Larsen, who followed the play 40 yards downfield and delivered a vicious block on Patriots safety Patrick Chung, who might otherwise have tackled Drake.
Quick Facts
- Visitor
- New England Patriots
- Visitor Abbr
- NE
- Visitor Coach
- Bill Belichick
- Visitor Record
- 9–3
- Home
- Miami Dolphins
- Home Abbr
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- Adam Gase
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Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The play occurred with seven seconds remaining and the Dolphins trailing 33–28, having the ball at their own 31-yard line. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw a pass over the middle to wide receiver Kenny Stills, who lateraled to DeVante Parker at midfield. Parker then tossed the ball backward to running back Kenyan Drake, who ran 52 yards for a touchdown to win the game 34–33. The Dolphins declined to kick the extra point under the rule change for the 2018 season following the Minneapolis Miracle.
A key element was left guard Ted Larsen following the play 40 yards downfield and delivering a block on Patriots safety Patrick Chung, who might otherwise have tackled Drake. Rob Gronkowski, who had been substituted in for safety Devin McCourty, was out of position to make the tackle as Drake scored. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was criticized for substituting Gronkowski for McCourty, as both McCourty and fellow safety Duron Harmon noted after the game that they expected a lateral play, not a Hail Mary, based on field position.
The play was called by CBS commentators Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts, who had also called a near-miraculous lateral play in Pittsburgh against Miami five years earlier. Eagle's call included the line, 'A lateral... heard 'round the world!'
Reader's Guide
The Miracle in Miami is significant as a rare successful multi-lateral touchdown in NFL history, the first since the River City Relay in 2003, and the only walk-off touchdown of its kind. It won the Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year award at the 8th NFL Honors. The play proved inconsequential for the season: the Dolphins lost all remaining games to finish 7–9 and miss the playoffs, while the Patriots clinched the AFC East, earned a first-round bye, and won Super Bowl LIII. However, the game was the final victory for Dolphins head coach Adam Gase and quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the team; both departed after the season. The loss also prevented the Patriots from clinching the division that week, though they maintained their lead. The play's legacy includes Belichick's 'Nobody died' comment at the postgame press conference, and it is often cited in discussions of lateral plays and defensive substitutions. Four years later, the Patriots attempted a similar lateral play against the Las Vegas Raiders that failed disastrously, resulting in a walk-off touchdown for the Raiders.
Did You Know?
- Dolphins left guard Ted Larsen ran 40 yards downfield to deliver a key block on Patrick Chung.
- Patriots safety Devin McCourty was substituted out for Rob Gronkowski, who missed the final tackle.
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