Let me get this out of the way: I was not covering the NFL when a team last scored 70 points in a game before the Miami Dolphins did it Sunday.
Yes, I was alive when it happened in 1966, but I was 6, so I sure don’t remember it.
But I can now say I saw an NFL team demoralize an opponent by putting up a 70 spot on the scoreboard — and this one I will remember. Miami did that to the Denver Broncos on Sunday in a 10-touchdown, 70-20 beatdown that had to make the Denver flight home one of the worst in NFL history.
Hey, the Dolphins just scored again.
Miami, which is now 3-0, is up to the fourth spot in my Power Rankings thanks to a dynamic offense that can run it, throw it and basically used the Denver defense as a welcome mat to put them in a football hell of a day.
The Dolphins had two backs go for four touchdowns each, with Raheem Mostert and rookie De’Von Achane both scoring the four pack. Tua Tagovailoa threw four touchdown passes, which makes him the favorite right now to win the league MVP. Hear that, Tua-anon. I just said he’s the favorite to win the MVP, but I still wouldn’t take him over Justin Herbert.
The Miami defense did its part, too, with three takeaways. That unit has made big improvements since the past two weeks. Imagine if they had Jalen Ramsey?
I didn’t think the Dolphins would be a playoff team before the season, but I will be proven wrong. They have won two road games, dominated in their only home game, and have done so with different styles of offense.
Coach Mike McDaniel is an offensive wizard who sometimes got in his own way last season with his brilliance. Now he’s figured it and out, and this team is downright fun to watch.
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They are the fastest team in the league, which is what makes the offense go. Teams are terrified of them when the line up to face all that speed, which makes calling plays a lot easier. Tagovailoa is making the right reads and getting the ball out. He’s playing at a high level.
The Dolphins avoided the upset pitfalls of some of the other teams that entered Week 3 in the top 10 of these power rankings. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Indianapolis Colts at home, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Houston Texans at home, and the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
The Dolphins just keep on rolling. This week will be their biggest challenge, a road game against the Buffalo Bills.
I can guarantee you they won’t get 70 in that game. 40? 50? The way they run it and throw, who are we doubt them?
| 1 | 49ers | They showed against the Giants how dominant they can be on defense. Brock Purdy fits in perfectly in this system as they keep racking up regular-season victories. | — | 3-0-0 |
| 2 | Eagles | The Eagles team we saw in Tampa is the team we expected to see this season. The defense was dominant. They are back. | 1 | 3-0-0 |
| 3 | Chiefs | They got the offense on track against the Bears, which is not a good sign for the rest of the league. The defense has been really good so far. | 1 | 2-1-0 |
| 4 | Dolphins | They are downright scary on offense. The Bills game Sunday will be their biggest proving game of the season so far. | 2 | 3-0-0 |
| 5 | Bills | After losing in Week 1, they are rolling now. The defense came up big against Washington with five takeaways and nine sacks. Now they have to face Miami’s explosive offense. Good luck. | 2 | 2-1-0 |
| 6 | Cowboys | Let’s give them a mulligan for that loss to the Cardinals, but it needs to be a wake-up call. Maybe they were reading how great the defense was heading into that game, but it wasn’t that day. | 4 | 2-1-0 |
| 7 | Packers | That was an impressive come-from-behind victory for Jordan Love and the Packers. Those are big-boy moments for a young quarterback — especially since he didn’t play well for much of the game. | 6 | 2-1-0 |
| 8 | Ravens | That was a horrible home loss to the Colts. The injuries are impacting this team in a big way, but scoring 19 points isn’t at good look. The passing game has to be better. | 3 | 2-1-0 |
| 9 | Seahawks | They’ve won two straight to put that opening-day loss in the rear-view mirror. The offense has come alive. | 6 | 2-1-0 |
| 10 | Lions | That was a nice bounce-back victory against the Falcons. The defense came up big in that game in dominating the day. | 8 | 2-1-0 |
| 11 | Steelers | They are 2-1 thanks to the defense. But at least the offense and Kenny Pickett showed some life against the Raiders. | 5 | 2-1-0 |
| 12 | Browns | The defense is special. Is it enough to carry them to the playoffs? Deshaun Watson was better against the Titans, which he had to be. | 5 | 2-1-0 |
| 13 | Saints | The injury to Derek Carr is a bad thing, but blowing a 17-point lead late still shouldn’t have happened. Carr’s injury bears watching. | 4 | 2-1-0 |
| 14 | Colts | Beating the Ravens on the road is a good look for this team, which is in first place. Doing it with a backup quarterback in Gardner Minshew makes it even more impressive. | 10 | 2-1-0 |
| 15 | Commanders | Was that loss to the Bills who the Commanders really are as a team? Sam Howell looked bad, throwing four picks and getting sacked nine times. Not a good sign. | 7 | 2-1-0 |
| 16 | Buccaneers | They didn’t look good in losing to the Eagles. Both sides of the ball struggled. Now comes a key division game against New Orleans and likely former Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston. | 5 | 2-1-0 |
| 17 | Falcons | The offense failed to show up in the loss to the Lions. Three points won’t win a lot of games. Now they head to London to play a desperate Jacksonville team. | 5 | 2-1-0 |
| 18 | Bengals | That was a season-saving victory against the Rams. Give Joe Burrow credit for toughing it out with the injured calf. He had to do so. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| 19 | Texans | C.J. Stroud is the best of the rookie quarterbacks so far. He was impressive the past two weeks, and the Texans impressed in blowing out the Jaguars for their first victory. | 12 | 1-2-0 |
| 20 | Jaguars | What was that against the Texans? Or were they simply overrated by many — including me? They sure don’t look like a playoff team. | 10 | 1-2-0 |
| 21 | Titans | The offense was non-existent against the Browns. That’s a good defense, but the offensive line issues are a problem. | 7 | 1-2-0 |
| 22 | Chargers | They saved their season by winning at Minnesota, but Brandon Staley did what he could to lose the game. Why did he go for it late? | — | 1-2-0 |
| 23 | Rams | They are 1-2, but they’ve played a rough schedule and they’ve competed in every game. They will be a tough out every week. | — | 1-2-0 |
| 24 | Patriots | They beat the Jets for their first victory of the season, but it was far from impressive. The defense has been solid all year. | 4 | 1-2-0 |
| 25 | Giants | That showing against the 49ers on the road was terrible. The offensive line is a disaster with injuries and poor play. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
| 26 | Cardinals | Give this team credit for beating the Cowboys in impressive fashion. They are 1-2 and have been in every game. So much for the tanking idea. | 6 | 1-2-0 |
| 27 | Jets | They can’t score with Zach Wilson at quarterback. What do they do now? Do they get a veteran? Do they make a deal? Do they call Joe Namath at his advanced age? | 7 | 1-2-0 |
| 28 | Raiders | At 1-2, they face a huge division game this week with the Chargers. The offense has to get more help from people not named Davante Adams. | 3 | 1-2-0 |
| 29 | Vikings | At 0-3, their season is all but done. Climbing out of that hole won’t be easy, and the defense probably won’t make it possible. | 3 | 0-3-0 |
| 30 | Broncos | Wow, 70 points given up in an NFL game? Sean Payton better talk to his players about quitting. That’s what it looked like in the loss to Miami. | 3 | 0-3-0 |
| 31 | Panthers | At 0-3, they have put themselves in a big hole. Bryce Young missing the Seahawks game isn’t a good thing, even if Andy Dalton did OK. Young needs to play. | 2 | 0-3-0 |
| 32 | Bears | This team is a disaster right now with all the stuff going on. Justin Fields has regressed, and the rest of the group hasn’t helped him. | 2 | 0-3-0 |
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Author: Pete Prisco
September 26, 2023 | 8:35 am
