Super Bowl VIII — 1973 Season

Result

Super Bowl MVP

Larry Csonka, RB, Miami Dolphins

Starting lineups

Starting offense

Starting defense

Note: Larry Csonka's 33 carries were a Super Bowl record at the time (53 of Miami's 65 offensive plays were runs); Griese's 6/7 passing again reflects the Dolphins' run-dominant game plan, not an injury.

Box score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Game context

The Miami Dolphins followed their perfect 1972 season with a second consecutive Super Bowl title, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 in Super Bowl VIII to become the first AFL/AFC franchise to win back-to-back championships. Where the prior year's title had been defined by defense and a perfect record, this one was built almost entirely on the ground, as Miami's offensive line dictated the game from the opening whistle. The Dolphins scored touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, both ten-play drives that chewed up the clock and established total control, building a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Miami extended the margin to 17-0 with a field goal in the second quarter after Minnesota's best drive of the half stalled at the Dolphins' 6-yard line and ended in a fumble, and the Dolphins pushed the lead to 24-0 with a third-quarter touchdown before Minnesota finally got on the board with a Fran Tarkenton rushing score in the fourth quarter, making the final 24-7. Fullback Larry Csonka was the singular story of the game, carrying the ball 33 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, both figures Super Bowl records at the time (surpassing Matt Snell's 30 carries and 121 yards from Super Bowl III), en route to becoming the first running back ever named Super Bowl MVP. Csonka's punishing, downhill running, mostly to the right side behind guard Larry Little and tackle Norm Evans, wore down Minnesota's defensive front over four quarters, and he was aided by a complementary Miami backfield of Mercury Morris and Jim Kiick. Quarterback Bob Griese needed to throw only seven passes all game, completing six for 73 yards with no interceptions, a testament to how thoroughly Miami's ground game controlled the game's tempo. Minnesota's Fran Tarkenton, by contrast, completed 18 of 28 passes for 182 yards but could never generate consistent rhythm against Miami's disciplined "No-Name Defense," which limited the Vikings to their only points on Tarkenton's own scramble. The victory made Miami just the third team to win consecutive NFL/AFL championships and the first AFC franchise ever to repeat, cementing the early-1970s Dolphins, coached by Don Shula, as one of the sport's defining dynasties alongside Vince Lombardi's Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers squads that would soon follow. Center Jim Langer later noted that Miami actually faced a tougher 1973 regular-season schedule than during its unbeaten 1972 campaign, facing playoff-caliber opponents throughout the year, which made the repeat title arguably a more complete team accomplishment even if it lacked the historic novelty of perfection. The dynasty, however, would prove short-lived: injuries and the departure of several key players to the rival World Football League after this season prevented Miami from sustaining the run, and the Dolphins would not return to the Super Bowl again until 1982.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Super Bowl VIII
• Pro-Football-Reference: Super Bowl Game Summaries