NFL game summary for 12/23/1973:
The Dolphins reached the AFC title game for the third straight year with a victory over Cincinnati's Central Division champions in a game in which the Bengals spotted the Eastern titleholder a 21-3 lead and fought back to within five points at the half. Bob Griese threw touchdown passes to Paul Warfield and Jim Mandich while Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris scored on runs and Garo Yepremian came through with two long field goals. Morris had 106 yards on 20 carries and Csonka 71 yards on 20 carries. The only Bengals' scores came on a 45-yard interception return by Neal Craig and 3 field goals by Horst Muhlmann.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 159.7 (7) | 162.6 (8) | 322.3 (5) | 26 |
| DEFENSE | 129.1 (8) | 135.6 (13) | 264.6 (8) | 34 | |
 | OFFENSE | 180.1 (3) | 113.0 (21) | 293.1 (10) | 28 |
| DEFENSE | 142.2 (12) | 92.1 (1) | 234.4 (3) | 29 |
Line: n/a
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals (10-5-0) | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Miami Dolphins (13-2-0) | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 34 |
( 0- 7) MIA Paul Warfield 13 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3- 7) CIN Horst Muhlmann 24 yard field goal
( 3-14) MIA Larry Csonka 1 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
( 3-21) MIA Mercury Morris 4 yard rush (Garo Yepremian kick)
(10-21) CIN Neal Craig 45 yard interception return (Horst Muhlmann kick)
(13-21) CIN Horst Muhlmann 46 yard field goal
(16-21) CIN Horst Muhlmann 12 yard field goal
(16-28) MIA Jim Mandich 7 yard pass from Bob Griese (Garo Yepremian kick)
(16-31) MIA Garo Yepremian 50 yard field goal
(16-34) MIA Garo Yepremian 46 yard field goal
CIN MIA
First Downs: 11 27
Rushes-yards: 20-97 52-241
Yards/rush: 4.8 4.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 14-27-113-1 11-19-159-2
Sacked-yards: 3-16 0-0
Net pass yards: 97 159
Net yards/pass: 3.2 8.4
Total net yards: 194 400
Total plays: 50 (40% run) 71 (73% run)
Yards/play: 3.9 5.6
Fumbles-lost: 0-0 2-1
Turnovers: 1 3
Penalties-yards: 2-19 1-5
Attendance: 74,651
Passing:
CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 27 for 113 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 11 of 18 for 159 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Marlin Briscoe, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 7 for 40 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 7 for 15 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 26 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 17 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for -1 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 20 for 106 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 20 for 71 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 10 for 51 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 8 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 9 for 53 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 33 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 18 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 9 yards MIA: Paul Warfield, 4 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 19 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 25 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 14 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 15 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 11 yards MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 4 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Neal Craig, 1 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 7 for 254 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 2 for 98 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 3/3 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/2
CIN: Ken Anderson, 14 of 27 for 113 yards (1 int) MIA: Bob Griese, 11 of 18 for 159 yards and 2 TDs (1 int); Marlin Briscoe, 0 of 1 for 0 yards (1 int)
Rushing:
CIN: Boobie Clark, 7 for 40 yards; Lenvil Elliott, 7 for 15 yards; Ken Anderson, 3 for 26 yards; Essex Johnson, 2 for 17 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for -1 yards MIA: Mercury Morris, 20 for 106 yards and 1 TD; Larry Csonka, 20 for 71 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 10 for 51 yards; Charlie Leigh, 1 for 8 yards; Don Nottingham, 1 for 5 yards
Receiving:
CIN: Lenvil Elliott, 9 for 53 yards; Charlie Joiner, 2 for 33 yards; Boobie Clark, 2 for 18 yards; Isaac Curtis, 1 for 9 yards MIA: Paul Warfield, 4 for 95 yards and 1 TD; Jim Mandich, 3 for 28 yards and 1 TD; Jim Kiick, 3 for 19 yards; Marlin Briscoe, 1 for 17 yards
Kick returns:
CIN: Lemar Parrish, 1 for 25 yards; Bernard Jackson, 1 for 17 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 14 yards; Mercury Morris, 1 for 0 yards
Punt returns:
CIN: Tommy Casanova, 1 for 15 yards; Lemar Parrish, 1 for 11 yards MIA: Jake Scott, 1 for 4 yards; Dick Anderson, 1 for 2 yards
Interceptions:
CIN: Neal Craig, 1 for 45 yards and 1 TD; Tommy Casanova, 1 for 0 yards MIA: Dick Anderson, 1 for 19 yards
Punting:
CIN: Dave Lewis, 7 for 254 yards MIA: Larry Seiple, 2 for 98 yards
Field Goals:
CIN: Horst Muhlmann, 3/3 MIA: Garo Yepremian, 2/2