When the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins met in the divisional round of the 1982 playoffs, the game was initially uncompetitive. But what began as a decisive blowout turned into one of the greatest postseason games in NFL history. For more than four quarters, both teams put on what was then the highest-scoring output in postseason history, while a plethora of records along the way.

San Diego's prolific offense, led by coach Don "Air" Coryell, was thought to have been the greatest of all time. Starting quarterback Dan Fouts passed for over 4800 yards; three receivers collected over a thousand yards; running back Chuck Muncie led the league in rushing; and James Brooks produced almost 2000 all-purpose yards.

The Chargers demonstrated their record-setting prowess in the first quarter. A botched kick return and interception set up the Chargers with easy scores. Only thirteen minutes in, San Diego had opened up a 24-0 lead, much to the distress of the Dolphins fans inside the Orange Bowl.

Facing a deficit that no team had ever come back from in a playoff game and won, Don Shula substituted Don Strock in at quarterback early in the second period. Starter David Woodley was struggling and had only produced a single first down. Strock had frequently replaced Woodley during the regular season, leading many to call the tandem: "WoodStrock."

Strock, a lifetime backup, had the greatest performance of his career, throwing for four touchdowns and 403 yards. He revitalized Miami by producing a Uwe von Schamann field goal on his first possession. The Dolphins then recovered a fumble when Fouts lost the ball on a sack. Strock continued to move the ball and found Joe Rose in the end zone coming out of the two-minute warning, cutting the lead to 14.

In the final minute of the half, Chargers kciker Rolf Benirschke missed a 55-yard field goal, giving the Dolphins the ball at their own 37. It didn't appear that Miami had enough time to capitalize with a touchdown. However with six seconds left, on the San Diego 40, Strock completed a 15-yard pass to Duriel Harris, who lateraled it to Tony Nathan before hitting the ground; Nathan then took it the remaining 25 yards, leaving the Orange Bowl crowd in complete hysteria. Thanks to the "hook and lateral" play, Miami trailed by only seven at the half.

"I was standing next to Charlie Joiner on the sidelines," Fouts later said, remembering the play. "We weren't happy. But in a sick way, we kind of admired it."

The Dolphins carried the momentum into the second half, and by the time Strock had completed his thirteenth pass in a row -- a 15-yard touchdown to Joe Rose -- the game was tied at 24.

After not scoring for more than twenty minutes, the Chargers were suddenly against the ropes. Dan Fouts, who himself had a sensational game, regained the advantage for San Diego with a 25-yard TD to Kellen Winslow, making the score 31-24. Winslow, the leading receiver in the NFL, later had to leave the game due to an injured shoulder, a pinched nerve and dehydration from the humidity.

Miami answered with a pair of touchdowns to make it 38-31 in their advantage. With under five minutes to go in regulation, Strock was driving the Dolphins deep into San Diego territory -- Miami was set to either run out the clock or make it a double-digit game with a field goal. On second-and-8 though, the ball was knocked out of the hands of running back Andra Franklin and onto the turf, where Pete Shaw of San Diego recovered the crucial fumble.

With under sixty seconds to go and the Chargers still trailing by a touchdown, Dan Fouts -- who had led his team into the red zone -- faked a pass, stepped forward and aimed for the right side of the goal area. The pass was intended for Kellen Winslow, who was unable to get to the ball in time. But wide receiver James Brooks darted out from behind Winslow and caught it near the corner of the end zone. The extra point was good, and -- thanks to the shabby defense of the Miami Dolphins -- the score was locked up at 38.

With time running down, San Diego's defense struggled to stop Don Strock, who continued to push the ball into Charger territory. A huge break came when one of Strock's throws was temporarily intercepted; however the ball came out as the defender hit the ground, allowing Miami to regain control. Had the same play happened not twenty years later, it would've been ruled as an incomplete pass, but in 1982, it was good for an unconventional eleven-yard gain.

That and a few other key completions set up von Schamann with a 43-yard field goal to win the game. Winslow, against the urges of his teammates, hobbled onto the field to try to deflect the kick. The snap to von Schamann was high, the kick was a little low, and Winslow managed to sky high enough to just get a hand on the football, causing it sputter sideways and sending the game to an extra period. "It was the biggest thrill of my life," said Winslow. "I felt like I scored three touchdowns."

San Diego won the coin toss for the overtime session. Winslow rejoined the offense intermittently before being treated by the trainer, and caught two monster passes on the drive that gave the Chargers two new sets of downs. That set the stage for Rolf Benirschke, who had not missed all season from within thirty yards. He lined up to attempt a 27-yard chip shot to end the game once and for all. The snap was good, the hold was good, but Benirschke's kick sailed to the far left . The game continued.

Eleven minutes into the overtime, von Schamann got his second chance to kick the game-winner -- this one from 34 yards. Yet once again, his kick was far too low and was deflected for the second time in the game.

With double overtime looming, Fouts led the Chargers down the field and positioned Benirschke for a 29-yarder, the contest's fourth attempt to end via field goal. At last, the kick was good, and the fourth longest game in NFL history came to a climactic close. Kellen Winslow, having poured his soul into the Chargers' victory, famously had to be helped off the field by a pair of teammates.

Eleven different single-game records were set by Miami and San Diego. Both Strock and Fouts passed the record for completions in a game; both QB's passed for over 400 yards (the first time that had ever happened in a game); and Winslow -- who had the best performance of his gritty, Hall of Fame career -- recorded 13 catches for 166 yards.

"I've never felt so close to death before," Winslow said afterward. "That's what Muhammad Ali said in Manila and that's how I felt out there at the end."

David Woodley returned as the starter for Miami the following season and led them all the way to the Super Bowl. Along the way, the Dolphins reconvened with the San Diego Chargers and avenged themselves with a 34-13 win. After the "Epic in Miami," the fatigued Chargers traveled to Cincinnati where they met the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. The "Freezer Bowl" proved to be too tough for San Diego, who had their season end in below-zero weather.

Further reading:

Rolf Benirschke's Comeback from Ulcerative Colitis [About.com]