The primary time he sat down with Tua Tagovailoa, Mike McDaniel may really feel his quarterback’s shaken confidence from throughout the desk. Two tumultuous years underneath Brian Flores — the benchings, the accidents, the dropping, the Deshaun Watson chatter — had taken its toll on the previous Alabama star and No. 5 decide.
This was winter 2022. McDaniel was a nerdy former wideout from Yale who had climbed the teaching ranks underneath Kyle Shanahan and been tapped because the Miami Dolphins’ new coach. Tagovailoa was the staff’s franchise quarterback in determined want of a restart.
Sensing his QB may use a contemporary outlook, the coach pivoted.
“Do you not perceive the participant you might be?” McDaniel requested him.
On the time, nobody — beginning with Tagovailoa himself — may have envisioned how dramatically McDaniel was about to remake the Dolphins. However in numerous methods, it started that afternoon, with the brand new coach flipping on the movie proper there in his workplace, poring via play after play of Tagovailoa’s highlights.
It was a not-so-subtle reminder to the quarterback of simply how gifted he’s.
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Nineteen months later, McDaniel and Tagovailoa type arguably probably the most dynamic coach-quarterback pair within the league outdoors Kansas Metropolis. The Dolphins are torching defenses, week after week. Embarrassing some, too. After Sunday’s ridiculous 70-20 thrashing of the Denver Broncos, it’s not too early to place Tagovailoa’s title within the MVP dialog and McDaniel’s within the coach of the 12 months combine.
Elsewhere throughout the league, the Chicago Bears’ chaotic week led to predictable style (with one other loss), the Cardinals handed the Cowboys their first defeat (actually!), the Packers surprised the Saints with 18 unanswered factors within the fourth and Taylor Swift made an look in Kansas Metropolis (sitting subsequent to Donna Kelce!).
With all due respect to Swift, although, the Dolphins are the story of Week 3 within the NFL.
Right here’s what stood out from the afternoon slate of video games.
‘Video-game stuff’ in Miami
Once more, let this all sink in …
The Dolphins scored 70 factors, probably the most within the NFL since 1966.
They piled up 726 yards, probably the most since 1951.
They usually did so in opposition to a Broncos protection that allowed the seventh-fewest yards in soccer final season.
That is poetry in movement 🤩
📺: #DENvsMIA on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/LMIv3wVo7R
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 24, 2023
Miami’s 70-20 rout of Denver wasn’t simply convincing, it was downright ludicrous. Laughable, even. Tagovailoa tossed a 54-yard landing to Tyreek Hill on his second throw of the sport, and it was on from there. (Further credit score to Tagovailoa for his no-look shovel cross TD to De’Von Achane within the second quarter.) The Dolphins’ field rating reads like a Massive 12 recreation: 10 touchdowns, 30 first downs, 726 whole yards, 70 factors (the third most in NFL historical past) and 4 performs that went for 50 yards or extra.
No spotlight reel may do the efficiency justice. This was a month’s price of factors for some groups, all crammed into one afternoon.
“Seventy factors is loopy,” supplied Archane, who had 203 speeding yards and two touchdowns. “That’s like online game stuff.”
The Broncos, no shock, noticed it in a different way.
“That was embarrassing and hard to observe,” Denver coach Sean Payton mentioned. His staff, after all of the offseason dialog surrounding it, is a disappointing 0-3.
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By way of three video games, the Dolphins — 3-0 in consecutive seasons for the primary time since 1994-96 — have piled up 1,651 yards (550 and alter per recreation, most by any staff ever) and 130 factors (43.3 per recreation). They received’t maintain that up over a complete season, however that makes the beginning no much less spectacular.
“This doesn’t examine to something I’ve seen or been part of,” Tagovailoa mentioned.
Identical goes for the remainder of us.
Justin Fields threw for simply 99 yards on 11 completions throughout Sunday’s blowout loss in Kansas Metropolis. (David Eulitt / Getty Photos)
The Bears are (nonetheless) a multitude
Justin Fields needed to play much less robotic. Matt Eberflus needed his staff to show a busy week right into a defining second. And the Bears needed to quiet the chaos that’s plagued them for much too lengthy.
No luck.
Chiefs 41, Bears 10.
Chicago is the worst staff in soccer. And with Arizona’s 28-16 upset of Dallas, it’s not significantly shut. A 12 months after incomes the primary decide within the draft (a decide they traded to Carolina), the Bears might need the within monitor on the best choice once more. This time, they could have to remain put and take a quarterback.
Relationship again to final season, Chicago has misplaced 13 in a row. Sunday’s defeat was its third of 30 or extra factors since 2021.
Let’s rewind the week that was in Chicago. The Bears misplaced in Tampa Bay final Sunday. Fields made headlines throughout the league Wednesday by criticizing his personal play and, relying in your viewpoint, the teaching he’s acquired. Just a few hours later, defensive coordinator Alan Williams abruptly resigned. Rumors swirled. Common supervisor Ryan Poles addressed the media Thursday, by no means an encouraging signal whenever you’re simply two video games into the season.
On Sunday, they misplaced by 31 factors.
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Fields accomplished simply 11 passes for 99 yards, a late landing and an interception. He’s but to make any tangible enhancements on this, his third season — a pivotal one for his future in Chicago. His numbers to this point: a 58 % completion fee, extra interceptions (4) than touchdowns (three) and a dismal 67.7 passer score (per TruMedia).
Subsequent week must be higher, proper? The Bears will face the Broncos in a battle of winless groups.
Jets sticking with Zach Wilson, however for the way lengthy?
It’s getting more durable to see Zach Wilson being the reply in New York this season.
The query, although: How lengthy will the Jets maintain making an attempt to persuade themselves that he’s? As a result of this isn’t working, and the third-year quarterback hasn’t proven sufficient via three video games to persuade anybody that’s going to alter.
“Proper now, he’s who offers us the very best probability to win,” coach Robert Saleh mentioned after one other dispiriting loss, 15-10 to the Patriots. Astonishingly, it’s the Jets’ fifteenth consecutive loss to New England, a division rival it hasn’t overwhelmed since 2015.
Zach Wilson’s message to #Jets followers: “Preserve believing. I really consider we’ve obtained the fellows. We perceive the frustration … we’re doing every part we will to get higher.”
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) September 24, 2023
Pressed additional by reporters concerning the residual results of sticking with Wilson, Saleh mentioned he isn’t “apprehensive concerning the locker room.”
Certain, the Jets are solely 1-2, and Wilson wasn’t the first cause the staff misplaced in Dallas final week, however the proof is mounting. Wilson has thrown simply two touchdowns in three video games — and one got here solely as a result of Garrett Wilson made a spectacular seize on a nasty ball in the long run zone in opposition to the Payments.
The Jets are 3-for-24 on third down of their final two video games. Wilson’s completion share is 52, his passer score is 57.0, and the Jets have scored a complete of 20 factors in his two begins. Predictably, the boos began to rain down Sunday from the followers at MetLife Stadium. That’s prone to change into a typical prevalence this fall within the Meadowlands.
Moreover, the effervescent frustrations inside the constructing are beginning to present. In the course of the loss to the Patriots, working again Michael Carter lit into his place coach on the sideline, and even Garrett Wilson was seen elevating his voice at his quarterback.
It’s not a stretch to say the Jets’ season died 4 snaps in, when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles. Nonetheless, with reported curiosity from a pair of obtainable, veteran quarterbacks (Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan), how lengthy of a leash does Wilson have?
Say this for him: Since stepping in for Rodgers, he’s confronted three glorious defenses in Buffalo, Dallas and New England. Sadly for Wilson and the Jets, the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Chiefs are up subsequent.
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Shock early chief within the AFC South
The stormy cleaning soap opera that stole headlines in Indianapolis all through coaching camp — the bitter back-and-forth between the staff and its star working again, Jonathan Taylor — overshadowed the problem dealing with Shane Steichen, the first-year coach who was employed to restart a franchise nonetheless reeling from an embarrassing 2022.
Three video games in, the Colts are in a spot nobody predicted: atop the AFC South. With wins in back-to-back weeks, Indianapolis is 2-1, a recreation forward of everybody else within the division (the Jaguars, Texans and Titans are all 1-2).
What’s most spectacular is how Steichen’s performed it — minus Taylor (who’s out via not less than subsequent week’s recreation in opposition to the Rams) and largely with out the fourth decide within the draft, Anthony Richardson, who’s been on the sector for less than 5 quarters and hasn’t completed both of his two begins. On prime of these absences Sunday in Baltimore, the Colts have been additionally with out beginning heart Ryan Kelly.
However behind gutsy performances from backup QB Gardner Minshew, working again Zack Moss and wideout Michael Pittman Jr. — plus a historic afternoon from kicker Matt Homosexual — the Colts escaped with a 22-19 extra time victory. Homosexual drilled a pair of 53-yarders within the fourth quarter, then one other 53-yarder within the further interval to win it. He completed 5-for-5 and have become the primary kicker in league historical past to make 4 area targets from 50-plus yards in the identical recreation.
MATT GA-ME WINNER.
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/eiQmhQ61U8
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 24, 2023
“He was on hearth,” Steichen mentioned.
Lamar Jackson had two speeding touchdowns for the 2-1 Ravens, who have been lacking seven starters themselves (Ronnie Stanley, Tyler Linderbaum and Odell Beckham Jr. amongst them). Baltimore coughed up two fumbles and couldn’t give Justin Tucker a shot at a successful kick in extra time, regardless of beginning a drive on the Colts’ 47.
Don’t sleep on …
• Jim Schwartz’s protection in Cleveland: The Browns are permitting fewer than 11 factors a recreation this season. On Sunday, they dominated the Titans 27-3 — Tennessee mustered simply six first downs and 94 whole yards. By way of three video games, should you omit kneeldowns on the finish of a half, Schwartz’s protection has restricted opponents to only one landing on 34 drives. That’s unimaginable.
• Jordan Love and the Packers: Dealing with a 17-0 fourth-quarter gap, Love helped the Packers storm again to stun the Saints 18-17. Not unhealthy on your first begin at Lambeau Area, particularly when you think about the important thing items the Packers have been taking part in with out (RB Aaron Jones, left sort out David Bakhtiari and wideout Christian Watson, amongst others).
Derek Carr pushed the Saints in entrance earlier than leaving with a shoulder harm; he was changed by Jameis Winston. However the Packers didn’t get on the board till 11 minutes remained. Within the fourth quarter alone, Love led three scoring drives, transformed a two-point attempt to ran in a landing.
“By no means a doubt, proper?” coach Matt LeFleur mentioned. “It was like a nightmare that went to a dream.”
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• The questionable decision-making of Chargers coach Brandon Staley: Staley made an completely weird name late in Los Angeles’ win in opposition to the Vikings. Main 28-24 with 1:51 left, dealing with a fourth-and-1 from his personal 24, Staley elected to … go for it. It was an egregiously aggressive transfer, even within the analytics age. The handoff went nowhere, and the Vikings took over on downs — already 4 yards from the crimson zone.
Staley and the Chargers averted catastrophe, although. Regardless of working eight performs and advancing all the way down to the Los Angeles 6-yard line, Minnesota couldn’t convert.
The Chargers earned their first win whereas the Vikings dropped to 0-3. After going 11-0 in one-score video games final season, Minnesota has dropped three in a row to open the 12 months.
• The remaining unbeatens: The Dolphins, 49ers, Eagles and Bucs (Tampa hosts Philadelphia on Monday evening).
These nonetheless with no win? The Bears, Broncos, Vikings, Panthers and Bengals (Cincinnati hosts the Rams on Monday evening).
(Picture of Tua Tagovailoa: Carmen Mandato / Getty Photos)
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