Larry Csonka and the rest of the '72 Dolphins capped off their 17-0 season by defeating Washington in Super Bowl VII. In a twist of irony, it was Washington that ensured that the '72 Dolphins would spend another year as the NFL's only undefeated team after the Football Team defeated the previously undefeated Steelers on Monday, 23-17.
Csonka, one of six Hall of Famers that played for the '72 Dolphins, lights up a victory cigar during the final moments of Washington's victory.
"Tonight, I'm a Washington fan!" declared Csonka, who chuckled as he sipped his celebratory drink.
#WashingtonFootball #FinsUp #WASvsPIT pic.twitter.com/Ji824PF3P4
— Larry Csonka (@Larry_Csonka39) December 8, 2020
The '72 Dolphins usually get together to celebrate whenever the NFL's last undefeated team suffers their first defeat. In 1985, Csonka and several of his former teammates roamed the Dolphins sideline when Dan Marino led Miami to an upset win over the previously undefeated Bears on "Monday Night Football." It would be the only loss for the '85 Bears, who would go onto dismantle the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, Chicago's first and only Super Bowl title.
The Steelers were the 13th team during the Super Bowl era to win their first 11 games. But they were unable to join the '72 Dolphins, '85 Bears, '98 Broncos, '07 Patriots, '09 Colts, '09 Saints, '11 Packers and '15 Panthers as the only teams during that span to win their first 12 games. Among those teams, the '72 Dolphins, '85 Bears, '98 Broncos and '09 Saints ended the season as Super Bowl champions.
While not many defenses compare to the '72 Dolphins' "No Name" unit, the modern day Steelers defense continues to be arguably the league's best group despite losing inside linebacker Devin Bush in Week 6 and Bud Dupree last week to ACL tears. Conversely, the Steelers' rushing attack, which has been in decline since Le'Veon Bell's departure, continues to be among the league's least productive. In Monday's loss to Washington, the Steelers gained just 21 yards on 14 carries, as the Steelers failed to rush for at least 50 yards for the fourth time in their last six games.
A dominant running game was among the reasons why the '72 Dolphins completed their undefeated season. That season, Csonka and fellow running back Mercury Morris became the first set of teammates to each run for over 1,000 yards in the same season. The Dolphins' powerful rushing attack set up the passing game for Bob Griese, who had little issue getting the ball to fellow Hall of Famer Paul Warfield.
If the Steelers are going to join the '72 Dolphins as champions, they will likely have to get more production out of their running game. They will also have to have better execution after dropping a slew of passes over their last two games. And while they can still join the Dolphins as champions, the 2020 Steelers will not join them as the NFL's only perfect teams, an achievement that remains in sole possession of Csonka and his teammates for last least one more year.
