NFL Power rankings: Miami Dolphins offense a sight to behold in 70-point eruption
Holy offense, Batman.
The Miami Dolphins had a performance for the ages Sunday, when they hung 70 points on the Denver Broncos in the most eye-catching offensive outburst I’ve ever seen.
Tua Tagovailoa — remember when the Detroit Lions passed on him in the 2020 NFL draft? — was 23 of 26 for 309 yards and four touchdowns in about three quarters of work. Two Dolphins running backs scored four touchdowns each. Tyreek Hill went 54 yards for a TD on the game’s third offensive play. And Miami did it all without one of its best offensive weapons, Pro Bowl-caliber receiver Jaylen Waddle.
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The Dolphins are blessed with speed, speed, speed. They have a heady, accurate quarterback and an offensive-minded head coach who knows how to put it all together. And if they stay healthy, they might go down as one of the most prolific offenses the league has ever seen.
Miami’s offensive explosion was not lost on other players across the league, including in the Lions’ locker room after their big win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.
“That 70 was nuts,” Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill said immediately after the game. “I thought that was fake. I ain’t going to lie, that’s nuts. I got to go home and watch that.”
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The Dolphins right now are the most entertaining team in the NFL, but I still have them third in this week’s power rankings. Yes, they scored the second most points in NFL history (and could have had the record if they would have kicked a field goal instead of taking a knee on their final possession), but I don’t think they’re as complete as the two teams I have in front of them.
Miami has already played a relatively tough schedule so far, going on the road to beat the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots in the first two weeks, but we’ll find out more about how good they are here over the next month.
The Dolphins visit the Buffalo Bills this week in the NFL’s marquee matchup and have road games on tap against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs before their Nov. 12 bye.
One other thought: Miami’s 70-point eruption was so outlandish it served as a reminder of just how difficult it is to stop teams in today’s NFL, which makes defensive performances like the one the Lions had Sunday — holding a solid Falcons team to six points — all the more impressive.
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This week’s power rankings
1. San Francisco 49ers (3-0)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
3. Miami Dolphins (3-0)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (2-1)
5. Buffalo Bills (2-1)
6. Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
7. Detroit Lions (2-1)
8. Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (1-2)
10. Seattle Seahawks (2-1)
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1)
12. Cleveland Browns (2-1)
13. Green Bay Packers (2-1)
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-1)
16. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (1-2)
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
19. Indianapolis Colts (2-1)
20. Washington Commanders (2-1)
21. New York Giants (1-2)
22. Tennessee Titans (1-2)
23. Las Vegas Raiders (1-2)
24. New England Patriots (1-2)
25. New York Jets (1-2)
26. Los Angeles Rams (1-2)
27. Minnesota Vikings (0-3)
28. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
29. Houston Texans (1-2)
30. Denver Broncos (0-3)
31. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
32. Chicago Bears (0-3)
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL Power rankings: Miami Dolphins offense a sight to behold
