Tua Tagovailoa threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, while Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane combined for 285 rushing yards and five touchdowns to propel the Miami Dolphins to a team-record 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos
Last updated: 09/24/23 11:34 PM
The Miami Dolphins posted more than 700 yards of offense on Sunday en route to a franchise-record 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos.
Mike McDaniel’s squad recorded the most points in a game by an NFL team since 1966 and the fourth 70-point game in history, falling short of Washington’s regular season record of 72 points.
Tua Tagovailoa, who was 16 of 16 in the first half, completed 23 of 26 passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns before backup Mike White threw for 67 yards and a score when he entered the game late. Rookie running back De’Von Achane, meanwhile, rushed for 203 yards and two scores to join Raheem Mostert’s 82 yards for three touchdowns and Chris Brooks’ 63 yards on the ground.
“Shame on us when you put a ceiling on what you’re capable of,” McDaniel told reporters. “If you only worry about the right things, don’t worry about anything other than your technique, the fundamentals and the mission within the team, don’t worry about statistics or creditworthiness, it’s amazing what a group of people can do when they go in one direction…
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A smart play design from the Miami Dolphins, perfectly executed by Tua Tagovailoa as he finds De’Von Achane with this smart no-look pass for the touchdown
“The points don’t transfer, but I do think this is a meaningful game for a lot of guys to understand that they shouldn’t let an opportunity on the field slip through your fingers in any way, shape or form, because together we we all have the right people to do cool things on the field.
“It’s just incredible, it goes through my mind all the intentional work that goes into it.
“I was most proud of the ruthless nature we had. I think it was the first one outside of the game in Houston last year where we had a lead of maybe three touchdowns or more at halftime and it ended up being pretty close at the end. So we want guys to learn from things. It’s so important that you don’t let the ebb and flow of the game interfere with the way you play football, that’s the biggest thing the guys can learn from this game.”
Tagovailoa enjoyed another incredible day under center for the Dolphins
Miami had a chance to surpass Washington’s all-time record when they reached field goal range, but opted to take a knee to ice the win.
“It felt like we were chasing points, chasing a record is not what we came here for,” McDaniel said. “Ten times out of ten you give in and kneel down. The message it would convey didn’t really match how I see things.”
The win moved the Dolphins to 3-0 on the year and, despite all of Denver’s struggles, cemented their Super Bowl credentials behind a red-hot Tagovailoa.
Miami’s previous record was 55 points against St. Louis on November 24, 1977, with the Dolphins surpassing that mark on Achane’s 10-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter and Jason Sanders’ subsequent extra point.
According to ESPN statistics, the Dolphins are the first team to score five rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns in the Super Bowl era. Their 726 total yards, meanwhile, are second only to the Rams’ 735 against the Yanks in 1951.