After a 2-0 start on the road, the Miami Dolphins’ 2023 home opener against the Denver Broncos was a resounding 70-20 victory for the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
When Miami scored 70 points, they became the first NFL team to do so since the 1950 Los Angeles Rams. Total offence for the Miami Dolphins (726 yards) was a club high and only nine yards short of the NFL record set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1951. The team’s 350 running yards were also a new franchise high for a single game.
Miami Dolphins
With 1:33 left on the clock, Mostert ran it in to extend Miami Dolphins lead to 35-10. In the last seconds before halftime, Will Lutz kicked a field goal for the Broncos to increase their lead to 35-13.
Tagovailoa had a perfect 158.3 passer rating after completing 16 of 16 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
After only four plays in the second half, the Miami Dolphins defence forced the Broncos to punt, continuing its excellent performance from the first half.
The offence took that momentum and scored their sixth touchdown of the day on the next drive. Fourth-and-one from the one-yard line, Mostert scored again to extend Miami’s lead to 42-13 with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter.The fireworks began after only 83 seconds, much to the delight of the home audience of 65,522.
Tagovailoa connected with wide receiver Tyreek Hill for an easy touchdown on the third play from scrimmage. Hill made a break towards the near corner pylon and scored Miami’s first point of the game by beating a Broncos defender.
After a quick three-and-out by the Miami Dolphins’ defence, Tagovailoa returned to the field.
After nine plays, Achane scored his first NFL touchdown on his fourth career carry, covering eight yards to the end zone.
After Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 12-yard touchdown throw to wide receiver Courtland Sutton in an effort to weather the storm, Tagovailoa answered with a touchdown drive of his own that took 11 plays to cover 75 yards.
He capped off the drive by throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Achane out of the back of the end zone without even looking at the receiver. This gave Miami a 21-7 lead.
Mostert, meanwhile, rushed 20 yards for a touchdown with 1:55 remaining in the first half. The next time the Broncos had the ball, safety Jevon Holland punched it out of Sutton’s hands, and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel returned it 29 yards to the Denver 3-yard line.
Both De’Von Achane (four carries for 236 yards) and Raheem Mostert (four carries for 142 yards) contributed to the team’s success on offence.
In just over three quarters of work, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns on 23 of 26 attempts. His 155.8 passer rating was a career high.
Five minutes later, Mostert scored his fourth touchdown of the day after Tua Tagovailoa: Every Compl Holland forced his second fumble of the game, which was recovered by cornerback Kader Kohou.
For this touchdown, the New Smyrna Beach, Florida native received the ball behind the line of scrimmage, outraced one Broncos defender, sidestepped another and walked into the end zone. It was the second time he had scored a touchdown in a game by either rushing or receiving.
In the fourth quarter, the Miami Dolphins scored three more touchdowns to add to their massive point total.
Then, with 9:28 remaining in the game, Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Mike White threw a deep ball to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida resident Robbie Chosen, who returned it 68 yards for a touchdown.
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Denver’s last points came on a 99-yard return by wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. on the ensuing kickoff. It was not over for Achane (203 yards), who had just became the fifth different Dolphins player to dash for 200+ yards in a game and had just broken the club’s rookie rushing record.
He scored on a 67-yard run two plays into the ensuing drive, giving the Dolphins 70 points for the game.
