The Miami Dolphins played a masterpiece of a football game. They put up video game numbers in doing it.
Seventy points scored broke the franchise’s single-game scoring record of 55 points scored in 1977.
Dolphins could not be stopped as they put up the most points since 1966 blowing out the Denver Broncos 70-20.
Dolphins had a chance to attempt a field goal inside the 30 with under a minute to play to break the NFL record set in 1966 when Washington scored 72 points against the Giants—but decided to take a knee respectfully and turn the ball over on downs to the Broncos.
Many of Miami’s starters, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and star receiver Tyreek Hill, were pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter.
“This doesn’t compare to anything I have been a part of. This talks about the resilience of our team,” Tagovailoa said. “All though we were up at halftime. I am very proud of the guys and the way they continued to play. no one took their foot off the gas; that is the result that we got.”
Tagovailoa, the NFL’s leading passer, completed each of his first 17 pass attempts.
Tagovailoa’s first incompletion came with 9:44 left in the third when he slightly underthrew Hill. He finished one completion shy of Miami’s franchise record, set by Ryan Tannehill in 2015 when he completed 18 consecutive passes over a two-game span.
“I take a lot of pride in how we perform and do things offensively. It’s like anything else, like a week one deal,” Tagovailoa said. “You are either Super Bowl contenders or the worst team in the league.”
Tagovailoa finished 23 of 26 309 yards and four touchdowns. He has the most passing yards through three games in Dolphins history, with 1,024.
Hill finished with nine receptions, 157 yards and one touchdown. He currently has the most receiving yards through three games in Dolphins history with 412.
“I have never been a part of anything like it, never seen 70 on a scoreboard. Not even in high school, and that is a very good Denver team with talent,” Dolphins offensive lineman Terron Armstead said. “We came out and executed at a very high level. We did some things today that were unstoppable.”
Dolphins punt the ball for the first time with 12:04 to play in the 4th quarter. Mike White was in at quarterback with most of the offensive second team and 56 points on the scoreboard.
“At halftime or the third quarter, I told them, let’s go get 70, we did it,” Dolphins wide receiver Robbie Chosen said. “Once we got to 70, I said, let go get 100, there was tons of time. That is how I was feeling.”
Dolphins broke or tied 13 records in the 70-point performance. One of them had the most total yards in a game in team history, with 726.
“It is an incredibly coachable locker room, and they definitely earned that victory,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said.
Rookie running back De’Von Achane rushed for 203 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and two receiving touchdowns.
“70 points is crazy; that is like video game stuff,” Achane said. “I have never been on this side of it.”
With the four, Achane has the most touchdowns in a game by a rookie in Dolphins franchise history.
“The points don’t carry over, but I do think this is meaningful for a lot of guys to understand not to let an opportunity on the field together slip through your fingers in any shape or form,” McDaniel said. “We have all the right people to do some pretty cool stuff on the football field.”
Dolphins scored 70 points, with receiver Jaylen Waddle missing the first game of his career while in the concussion protocol after a helmet-to-helmet hit last week. Waddle has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons, but Miami’s offense recorded 726 total yards of offense without him.
“This is some of the best Mike has done. It is not necessary the play call as much as how fast Mike gets the play in,” Tagovailoa said. “And how we can operate with our motions and our pre-snap deals. He has done a good job getting guys in the right positions. It is something we worked on in the offseason.”
It will be a long flight back to Denver, Colorado, for the Broncos.
Seventy points are the most allowed by a Denver defense.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson started a season 0-3 for the first time in his career as Denver could not keep pace with Miami’s scoring.
“From a leadership standpoint, I think the biggest thing we have to do is learn everything that we can from the film. Learn what we did well. Learn what we didn’t do so well,” Wilson stated. “Learn that every game has a history of its own. That was one we want to put in — not think about anymore, but we have to learn from it still. I think the best thing we can do is come back on Monday and have the best film session we can have, have the best work ethic we can have. Everybody is giving their all, but there is more that we can do and we’ll make sure we do that.”
Wilson was 23 of 38 with 306 yards and an interception. He gave Courtland Sutton a 12-yard TD pass on Denver’s second possession. It was Sutton’s second TD catch of the season, who led Denver with 91 yards on eight catches Sunday.
Sutton had two fumbles, both knocked out by Dolphins safety Jevon Holland.
The only person who had a more arduous day than the Broncos was the scoreboard operator at Hard Rock Stadium.
What Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has built with this offense is scary. Defensive coordinators are victims to so many moving parts and speed. Defenses are not doing anything to derail Hill at the line of scrimmage. Defensive coordinators are backing up, preventing the big play, and you can’t play that way against this Dolphins team, giving the offense so much room and space.
The Dolphins scored 70 points without Waddle, who was in concussion protocol. It took a lot of work to figure out what the Dolphins would look like missing Waddle. In the first half, Hill was sensational. The Broncos defense put little or no resistance at the line of scrimmage. He ran untouched for most of the first half, averaging 20 yards per catch on just six catches in the first half. Three defensive coordinators have failed in trying to stop Hill after week three.
The Dolphins visit the Buffalo Bills in week four. A 50-point win is all the confidence they need to beat the Bills on the road. However, they need to keep the offensive game consistent since the Bills have scored back-to-back 35-plus-point games this season. The message should be do not get complacent after this historic win.
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