Kelly: Takeaways From Dolphins Offensive Explosion Against Broncos

A look at seven aspects of Sunday's 70-20 win over the Broncos that proves the 2023 Miami Dolphins are improving

Maybe it was the hometown ties, the fact Mike McDaniel was playing against the franchise that gave him his NFL start as a ball boy, and assistant coach years later.

Or maybe the Miami Dolphins’ second-year head coach wanted Dolphins owner Steve Ross to walk away from Sunday’s 70-20 beatdown of the Denver Broncos bragging that the decision he made to hire McDaniel was the right choice, and the draft picks lost for tampering with the coach on the other side was insignificant.

Those are all logical explanations for why the Broncos, who are led by Sean Payton, the coach Miami tried to lure out of retirement and got caught tampering with during the 2022 offseason before they hired McDaniel, got trampled by McDaniel's team.

Based on how the Dolphins played Sunday in the home opener, setting 13 franchise records, the Dolphins organization doesn't need to live with regret about losing out on Payton because Miami looks like a force in the NFL this season.

Here are six takeaways from Sunday’s win.

Efficiency of Dolphins is record-setting

The Dolphins broke or tied 13 team or individual records in Sunday’s win over the Broncos, and that includes setting a new team record of 350 rushing yards.

But McDaniel credits quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for being the catalyst for the offensive explosion and the success Miami’s had in the first three games, which produced the NFL's No. 1-ranked offense. McDaniel pointed out that Tagovailoa was critical of himself after the New England win last week because he wasn’t calling the plays off the call sheet fast enough after the coach called it in.

“What Tua is doing is beyond the stat sheet because we’re doing a lot of movement ... all that orchestration and lack of pre-snap penalties starts with the quarterback,” McDaniel said.

No turning back from De’Von Achane

Now we know why McDaniel was giddy on draft day when Miami took De’Von Achane in the third round. The speedster from Texas A&M used Sunday’s game as a showcase opportunity, gaining 203 rushing yards and scoring two touchdowns on 18 carries, and scoring another two touchdowns on four receptions he turned into 30 yards. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Achane, and his role when Jeff Wilson Jr. comes back from injured reserve after one more game. But the toothpaste is already out of the jar.

No Waddle, No Problem

The Dolphins used the entire receiver arsenal to fill the void created by the absence of Jaylen Waddle, who sat out Sunday’s game because of the concussion he suffered in last week’s win over the New England Patriots. River Cracraft started in Waddle’s place, but left the game because of a shoulder injury he suffered in the first half. Braxton Berrios, Robbie Chosen, who was called up from the practice squad, and Cedrick Wilson all contributed. But it was Chosen’s 68-yard touchdown catch from Mike White that put the league on notice. Miami also leaned on the tailbacks catching passes. Raheem Mostert and Achane caught 11 passes and scored three touchdowns through the air.

Terron Armstead is a force in his return

Armstead, the Dolphins’ starting left tackle, had a dominant performance in his return to the team Sunday. Armstead, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, could be spotted downfield on a number of Miami’s bigger runs during Miami’s rushing performance, which totaled 350 rushing yards and five touchdowns. While Armstead might not be fully recovered from the ankle injury that had him sidelined a month, and the knee injury that got him placed on PUP to begin training camp, he used the Broncos game to prove he’s still a force, making numerous second-level blocks.

The ball finds Van Ginkel

Last week Christian Wilkins joked that Andrew Van Ginkel has a horseshoe up his backside because of how often he finds himself around the ball, and would you know the linebacker proved exactly how lucky he was when a Courtland Sutton fumble that Jevon Holland forced ended up in his hands. The linebacker returned it 29 yards and set the Dolphins up in the red zone on a drive they ended with a touchdown. Van Ginkel replaced Jaelan Phillips, who left the game with an oblique injury, and finished Sunday’s contest with three tackles, one for loss, a quarterback hit, and a forced fumble.

Ogbah having an impact

Emmanuel Ogbah has struggled to find a role and playing time with the Dolphins defense in the first two games, but on Sunday the Dolphins’ two-time sacks leader made an impact. Not only did Ogbah pull down an interception on a ball Russell Wilson had batted down, and returned it 5 yards. But he also contributed the lone sack for Miami in the game. He also had another quarterback hit, and a quarterback pressure.