January 12, 1986: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
Never mind the Bears; this was an impressive win by Raymond Berry’s Patriots before they got destroyed by Buddy Ryan’s defense in Super Bowl XX. An unexpected result for a team that finished behind the Dolphins and Jets in the AFC East, and had to beat the Jets, Raiders, and Dolphins on the road in the playoffs to even arrive at their Super Bowl slaughter. No wonder they were worn out! The conference championship win wasn’t even close, though. Patriots quarterback Tony Eason threw three touchdown passes on just 12 attempts, while Dan Marino threw two touchdowns and two interceptions in 48 attempts. Playing from behind will do that, as the Pats rolled to a 24-7 third-quarter lead, and the desperate Dolphins lost four of their five fumbles.