The Miami Dolphins offense is moving at a remarkable speed, despite a long season still lying ahead.
Following their 524-yard showing in a 31-16 win over the New York Giants in Week 5, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have piled up 2,568 yards of offense. It’s the most for a team in NFL history through five games, surpassing the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” in 2000, which sped out to 2,527 yards.
Tagovailoa, who leads the “Greatest Show on Surf,” is setting an impressive pace, one that has him on track to challenge Peyton Manning’s single-season passing yards record.
Tagovailoa confesses that achieving the prestigious record would indeed be a cause for celebration, but if it doesn’t contribute to the team’s success, it’s meaningless.
“Absolutely, that would be awesome,” Tagovailoa expressed on Wednesday, as per the team transcript. “However, if we fail to achieve our team goals, all of that would be insignificant to me. But if we can reach our desired team goals and those stats could contribute to winning games along the way, I would be extremely pleased.”
In 2013, through 16 games, Manning established the all-time single-season record with 5,477 passing yards.
According to NFL Research, Tagovailoa is projected to achieve 5,487 yards in a 17-game season.
Tagovailoa and the Fins, with 12 games remaining, need to maintain their rapid pace for a bit longer at this stage, but things are going excellently so far.
Through Miami’s 4-1 start, Tagovailoa has thrown for a league-best 1,614 yards — 116 more than second-place Kirk Cousins. He’ll have an arduous task ahead of him Sunday as the Dolphins are facing a Carolina Panthers squad that is winless but boasts the fifth-ranked defense in passing yards allowed.
Statistically, Tagovailoa has had a sensational start, and most importantly, his health has been stable. Now in his fourth NFL season, there hasn’t been a season where Tagovailoa hasn’t missed a game due to injury.
For him to genuinely contest The Sheriff’s unbeaten record, his health will play a significant role. Up to now, he’s feeling better than he ever has.
“I’m feeling great,” said Tagovailoa. “I believe I’m in the best condition that any quarterback or football player could be in at this stage of the season.”
