Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa makes himself clear front-runner for NFL MVP

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

Tua Tagovailoa pulled off a no-look, off-hand touchdown pass on the way to the Miami Dolphins‘ 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 3. And the play might get overlooked because it was just one of the team’s 10 touchdowns on Sunday.

I’ll let all that sink in for a moment.

Yes, on arguably the wildest touchdown of the day, Tagovailoa wasn’t looking at his intended target — nor was he throwing with his dominant hand for a shovel pass to running back De’Von Achane. The throw would’ve been tricky enough with his left hand, given that Tagovailoa couldn’t see where he was throwing. But Tua and coach Mike McDaniel designed it so the quarterback threw it with his right hand. It was merely one of the many highlights the Dolphins generated during their thorough dismantling of the Broncos defense.

Tagovailoa finished the day 23-of-26 for 309 yards and four touchdowns. Backup Mike White came in at the end and was 2-for-2 for 67 yards and another touchdown. Receiver Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. Achane had 18 carries for 203 yards and two touchdowns to go with his four receptions for 30 yards and two more touchdowns. And Raheem Mostert added four more touchdowns.

That meant five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns, the first time a team has ever done that in the Super Bowl era.

“We’re not going out there to humiliate teams,” Tagovailoa said after the game in Miami. “That’s just what it happened to look like.”

The scoreline certainly speaks to bad blood. The Dolphins’ only mercy came at the end of the fourth quarter when they kneeled the ball rather than kicking a field goal, which would have tied the NFL record for points scored in a game.

“I think it’s the most points since ‘66. I think that’s awesome,” McDaniel said.

But what about the record?

“I think that’s not really what I’m about,” McDaniel said. “I try to keep good karma with the Miami Dolphins.”

Hey, it’s his day. He gets to decide which records he does and doesn’t break, apparently. But maybe there was something personal happening here. Broncos coach Sean Payton, after all, predicted in 2022 that the Dolphins would bench Tua for poor play in favor of Teddy Bridgewater. That was right before Tagovailoa had a terrific season. He did miss time, but only due to concussions.

And now, he’s the clear front-runner for the MVP award — partially at the expense of Payton’s Broncos.

So maybe there’s an element of settling that score.

“Obviously, that was embarrassing and tough to watch,” Payton said after the game. “It would be one thing to say we’re going to get onto the next game, but we have to watch that tape. So tomorrow will be tough for a lot of players — tough for us too as coaches.”

Personal or not, the Dolphins proved they have the best offense in the world.

Miami is off to a historic start, one of the highest-scoring and most efficient offenses ever to see the field over the field three weeks of the regular season. Tagovailoa has a .58 EPA per dropback average in Weeks 1 through 3, which is the second-best for any QB since at least 2000, per TruMedia. The only QB to post a higher EPA? Well, it was Tom Brady in 2007 (.64). You know … when he shattered basically every passing record in existence? Yeah, that year.

The Dolphins are averaging 43.3 points per game, sixth-most in AFL/NFL history through three weeks. Their 130 points are the second-most ever by a team through its first three games of a season, trailing only the 1968 Dallas Cowboys (132 points).

“This doesn’t compare to anything that I’ve seen or been a part of,” Tagovailoa said.

Miami’s unit has been roughly the same as last year. It’s not like they have changed monumentally from a personnel standpoint. The offensive line is exactly the same. The receivers are exactly the same (though the Dolphins didn’t even have WR2 Jaylen Waddle against Denver). Achane is a new addition to the running back room. And tight end Durham Smythe, while he was on the team last year, has replaced Mike Gesicki, now with the Patriots.

So what’s different? That sameness seems to have helped the unit mesh. The offense is all about timing and precision. It makes perfect sense that the players would execute at a higher level as they get to play together more often.

It also seems like McDaniel has unlocked new elements in the offense, particularly in the run game — but also in the passing game, where the Dolphins are using more pre-snap motion than ever.

“I think this is some of the best Mike’s done,” Tagovailoa said. “And it’s not necessarily even the play-call. It’s how fast Mike gets the call in. We can operate with our motions, our pre-snap deals, get our guys in the right positions. I think he’s done a really, really good job. That’s something that we’ve wanted to work on this offseason and it’s paying dividends for us.”

McDaniel was quick to make sure his quarterback got plenty of credit.

“What Tua’s doing is beyond the stat sheet, because we’re doing a lot of movement. … There’s a lot of timing involved with everything that he’s doing, not just passing the ball,” the Dolphins coach said.

The Dolphins’ only weakness might be on defense, where the unit still seems to be acclimating to new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system. But they’re probably just fine with giving up 20 points to the Broncos. They’ll have a good test in Week 4 when they take on the Buffalo Bills, the reigning AFC East champions.

Miami’s takeover could continue next Sunday.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.