Tua Tagovailoa led touchdown drives on eight of nine possessions before taking the rest of the day off, and the Miami Dolphins not only continued their perfect start, but did so in historical fashion on Sunday.
The Dolphins cruised past the Denver Broncos, 70-20, at Hard Rock Stadium, becoming the first team in NFL history with five passing touchdowns to go along with five rushing touchdowns in a single game.
The league’s hottest offense also featured a 203-yard effort from rookie running back De’Von Achane, as the Dolphins (3-0) remained in first place in the AFC East by themselves, and kept Denver (0-3) winless in the process.
“It’s a lot of players executing a lot of things to a standard that’s unrelenting. I think that you see where guys are at, for me, when you have a lead,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said after the win. “I’ve said it, time and time again, that it’s an incredibly coachable locker room, and they definitely earned that victory.”
Playing in their first home game of the season, the Dolphins delighted the South Florida crowd with a dominant first half that essentially ended the game before the teams hit the locker room. Miami running back Raheem Mostert posted two rushing scores in the second quarter as the Broncos trailed, 35-13, at the break.
“I’m very proud of the guys and the way they continued to play. No one took their foot off the gas,” Tagovailoa after the victory. “Everyone continued to play. That’s the result that we got.”
In the end, Tagovailoa finished 23-of-26 passing, with 309 yards and four touchdowns. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the standout statistics.
The Dolphins became just the fourth team in NFL history to score 70 points in a single game, and the first since 1966, when the Washington Redskins scored 72. They also became the first team in NFL history to score 70 points and gain 700 yards in a single game.
“It was tough to watch,” Denver coach Sean Payton said after the loss. “It’d be one thing to say, we’re getting on to the next game, but we have to watch that tape. So, (Monday) is going to be tough for some players, and tough on the coaches, too.”
With the Baltimore Ravens losing to the Indianapolis Colts, 22-19, on Sunday, the Dolphins are the lone unbeaten team in the AFC. They will shoot for a 4-0 mark next Sunday, when they travel to take on the Buffalo Bills (2-1) for the first time since losing to their AFC East rival, 34-31, in January’s wild-card round.
“You’ve got weapons everywhere from receiver, running back, quarterback. I mean, if we go out there and we’re all clicking on all cylinders, I feel like that’s something,” Achane said in his postgame availability. “I wouldn’t say that I came out here like, ‘OK, we’re going to score 70 points.’ But we’re capable of doing a lot of great stuff with this team.”
