3-0 Dolphins Dominate Broncos in Historic 70-20 Blowout

MIAMI GARDENS, FL – As ridiculous as it sounds a day later, what happened Sunnday at Hard Rock Stadium did, in fact, happen. The Miami Dolphins had one of the best offensive performances you’ll ever see in the sport, racking up 10 touchdowns, 726 total yards, 30 first downs, and three forced turnovers to demolish the Denver Broncos by a score of 70-20.

70 points.

The Statistics Are as Crazy as They Sound

The last time an NFL team scored 70 points in a game was in 1966 when the Washington Redskins (Now Commanders) beat the New York Giants by a score of 72-41. It’s still the most points scored in an official NFL game.

It goes without saying, 70 is the most points the Dolphins have scored in franchise history. They beat out their record of 55 points in 1977 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Now, let’s talk about yards. 726 yards – 376 passing and 350 rushing – is the most in franchise history. It’s also the second-most yards ever produced by a single team in a game in NFL history. It’s just behind the 1951 Los Angeles Rams who earned 735 against the New York Yanks. That team doesn’t exist anymore, by the way. You can Google them.

Dolphins put up video game numbers 😱🎮

Tua: 309 YDS, 4 TD
Raheem Mostert: 142 TOT YDS, 3 TD
Devon Achane: 233 TOT YDS, 4 TD
Tyreek: 9 REC, 157 YDS, 1 TD

726 TOTAL YARDS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gKCzQvmWFz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 24, 2023

To put things into perspective, Miami’s 726 yards in this game are more than the 675 yards that their divisional rival, the New York Jets, have produced in THREE GAMES.

Let’s talk about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s stat line – 23/26 with 309 yards and four passing touchdowns. On top of that, he also had no interceptions or sacks.

Funnily enough, that means that Tua threw more touchdowns (Four) than incompletions. (Three) Absolutely absurd numbers from one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks right now.

This is also Tua’s 10th straight win vs. a Super Bowl-winning head coach. Sean Payton won the Super Bowl as the coach for the New Orleans Saints back in 2010. That’s the longest streak in NFL history.

The good times keep rolling at Hard Rock Stadium for the Fins. They’ve now won 13 out of their last 15 home games in Miami Gardens. It’s their best stretch since the early 2000s. And yes, it was pretty hot on the field.

As far as the Denver Broncos go, this is clearly the worst game in their team’s history, stat-wise. It’s the franchise record for both points and yards given up and is also the first time that a team led by Payton has even given up over 50 points in a game.

Statistics, Part Two (It Gets Even Better)

Even backup quarterback Mike White, who subbed in for Tua in the fourth quarter, walked away with two completions for 67 yards and another touchdown.

However, it was running back De’Von Achane who may have been the most impressive player for Miami at Hard Rock Stadium, as the rookie from Texas A&M ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and also caught two shovel passes from Tua at the goal line for two extra touchdowns.

Also, running back Raheem Mostert collected 82 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground and another 60 yards and a touchdown in the air.

Yes, between Achane and Mostert alone, EIGHT TOUCHDOWNS were scored.

Lastly, that leaves two more touchdowns. Tyreek Hill caught one and celebrated by jumping into the stands. He racked up 157 yards off of nine catches. The other, Robbie Chosen, who caught one pass for 68 yards to the house and called it a day.

And here’s an interesting fact behind all of this – Miami was missing their second-best wide receiver, Jaylen Waddle. He sat out this game due to concussion protocols. Thankfully, offensive lineman Terron Armstead was back in the lineup after missing the first two games.

There are EIGHT TOUCHDOWNS in this photo pic.twitter.com/CjUEfp8oii

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 24, 2023

Their Defense is Offensive

For as historically amazing as their offense was, Miami’s defense was also impressive. Early on, the Broncos began the game looking solid and scoring a touchdown in their second drive. Yet, the Dolphins D locked in and only allowed two field goals. That’s it.

A big reason for that was the three turnovers by the Broncos. Linebacker Jevon Holland forced two fumbles which were collected by both Andrew Van Ginkel and Kader Kohou. In addition, defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah picked off Denver quarterback Russell Wilson in the trenches. As you may have guessed, all of these Dolphins takeaways resulted in touchdowns for Miami.

The only other touchdown for Denver was a 99-yard kickoff return by rookie receiver Marvin Mims Jr. Still, it was in the middle of the fourth quarter and they were losing by 40 points at the time.

There were only four offensive drives for Miami that didn’t result in touchdowns. A failed fourth-down conversion, a one-play drive right before halftime, a punt, and another loss of downs with less than a minute to go in the game.

On that final drive, the Dolphins were in Denver territory and COULD have gone for a field goal. This would have given them the scoring record with 73 points but they elected not to do so. It is what it is.

The Best Touchdown of the Day? Take Your Pick

The @MiamiDolphins really dropped a 70 Burger 🍔 pic.twitter.com/AsoCbPc5iO

— NFL (@NFL) September 25, 2023

Were there negatives to take away from this game? Certainly. Broncos QB Russell Wilson still achieved 306 yards, which is a lot. Also, That 99-yard kickoff return TD was definitely a Dolphins miscue on special teams.

Lastly, linebacker Jaelan Phillips, wide receiver River Cracraft, center Connor Williams, and defensive back Eli Apple all went down with different injuries for Miami. Hopefully, they’ll all be okay in the long run.

All that being said, when you have a game for the ages like this one, those negatives can be glossed over, at least for a little while. The 0-3 Broncos were outright outmatched in every single aspect of this game. The future of that team just got a lot darker thanks in part.

The 3-0 Fins will have a real test as they’ll head to western New York to take on the Buffalo Bills on October 1st at 1 p.m.

📸Credit: Miami Dolphins