When the sun rises off the coast of Miami, you can count on three things: Beautiful weather, beautiful women… and the blazing speed of the Dolphins, who have lit the NFL on fire with a red-hot 3-1 start. And their awesome offense has everyone talking a mile a minute about their postseason possibilities.
The Miami Dolphins are currently the NFL’s number-one ranked offense | SCREENSHOT: NFL/YouTube
Through the first four games of the 2023 season, Miami is the number-one ranked offense in The League, averaging 511 yards and 37.5 points per game. Their dismantling in week 3 of the Denver Broncos, 70-20 is tied for the second-highest score in the history of the game. So, they’ve already achieved some titanic levels of success.
Coming off a week 4 loss to division rival Buffalo, Miami now sits tied with the Bills atop the AFC East. And while they didn’t exactly look like world beaters in that 48-20 descrambling, the ‘Phins are still one of the teams that everyone is talking about. While they might not necessarily be built completely enough for a Super Bowl run in 2023, their future looks bright. This season may not be theirs for the taking, but they’re definitely here for the party, so to speak.
That outlook is highlighted by the absolute fear they put in every defense they line up against. Miami has the kind of speed that you can’t buy. This is exactly the sort of rush that has folks in South Florida thinking about the first Super Bowl title since the sunny Shula days.
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The top gun in all of it is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has been making plays like a point guard on a fast break. His circus-like pitches and heartstopping playmaking against the Broncos were like a clinic. It was reminiscent of the type of performances Patrick Mahomes performs regularly in Kanas City: Plenty of athleticism, mixed with a little sleight of hand, when necessary. Tua can do all those same things now, and – at just 25 years old – he hasn’t even developed into the maverick he is going to be yet. The potential there is enormous, and it should be fun watching him grow.
Meanwhile, any conversation about speed in the NFL starts with Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill – the fastest man in the league. He’s already racked up 470 yards on the year, and that’s with 13 games to play. NO defensive back in The League wants to line up across from him on Sunday. It’s a helpless feeling, like being caught in the danger zone.
Sprinkle in various dashes of gazelles like Jaylen Waddle, River Cracraft, Braxton Berrios, along with Raheem Mostert in the backfield – and they basically have a track team in Miami. In fact? It’s a little bit reminiscent of the St. Louis Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf offense of the late 90s – built to blaze and born to blister.
The Miami Dolphins in training camp | SCREENSHOT: B Sewell513/YouTube
With that kind of quickness, the Miami Dolphins are sure to continue pouring on the points, and will likely play in some pretty exciting shootouts the rest of the way. It’s entirely possible that we see them knock on the doorstep of the Super Bowl this year, potentially reaching the AFC title game.
The cabinet is stocked with speed. The roster has depth at its skill positions, and they are armed with guys who basically have jet rockets for feet. Long bombs and breakaway runs will be aplenty. And even when the weather starts to get cooler, these guys are likely to keep the heat on all season in Miami.
This 2023 group of flying fish is why Miami will be one of the most exciting squads to watch for the remainder of the season. They are definitely a ‘blink or you’ll miss it’ phenomenon… so catch them if you can.
Ryan Boman is the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays about Embracing Life with Laughter & Love. Follow him on social media @RyanKBoman
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