Hyde10: A day of fun history, Tua and Hill’s big numbers, don’t forget defense — 10 thoughts on Dolphins’ win over Broncos

MIAMI GARDENS — Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?

And more than crazy.

Dolphins win, 70-20, and the only question was how much history they’d make. For instance, they were the first time with five rushing touchowns and five passing touchdowns in the same NFL game. But let’s go through it all. Here are 10 thoughts on the win:

1. Stat of the Game I: 70 points. That’s the most in franchise history and could’ve been the most in regular-season NFL history (72 points by Washington in 1966)  if the Dophins didn’t kneel down rather than kick a field goal at the end. The crazy part is they broke the record the franchise record of 55 points one play into the fourth quarter. In other words, what no Dolphins team had done in 57 years of full games and even overtimes, these Dolphins did in three quarters and five seconds. The previous franchis record was a 1977 game against the St. Louis Cardinals in which Bob Griese threw six touchdowns.

2. Stat of the Game II: 13 points. That’s how much the defense gave up (a garbage-time, you-don’t-want-to-see-it seven points came on a Denver kickoff return after it was 63-13). This is the bookend stat to what the offense did. The Dolphins defense did everything you’d want in a game where Denver got plenty of possessions. This defense caused three turnovers, set up two touchdowns, made a good when Denver took over at the Dolphins 34-yard line back when it was game.

3.Player of the game: Tua Tagovailoa. You could take your pick of players here because Mike McDaniel’s offense keeps put up pinball numbers. Tagovailoa completed 23 of 26 passes for 309 yards with four touchdowns and a 155.8 rating even missing receiver Jaylen Waddle this game. The critical number here is his 11.9-yard average per attempt. That tells you how downfield the Dolphins offense keep attacking and the relentless pressure on the defense. For perspective, Tagovailoa entered Sunday leading the league at 9.5 yards per attempt. Second-place Jarod Goff of Detroit had 8.2 yards per attempt. Still, if you want to pick someone else …

4. Tyreek Hill had a game, again. And, again, there should be no doubt by now he’s the best receiver in the league. Denver put All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II on him and, well, Hill had his way. He had nine catches for 157 yards. The third play of the game went to a wide-open Hill for a 54-yard touchdown. Look at the yardage of his six first-half catches: 54, 19, 15, 15, 11 and 17 yards. There’s not a cheapie in the bunch. That 17-yarder looked like it could’ve gone for 66 yards when Hill appeared to escape a tackle and run downfield before it correctly was ruled his knee touched the ground. It wasn’t until the first drive of the second half that Hill caught a pass for under 10 yards. That was for 9 yards and a first down.

5. Another week, another game with no questions about this offensive line. For all the number-spinning ways Sunday was discussed, it starts here. Terron Armstead started at left tackle for the first time this year and a good offensive line got better. Tagovailoa wasn’t touched again though three quarters. The running game was stellar with 43 carries for 350 yards. Let’s repeat that: 43 carries for 350 yards. Even when center Connor Williams went off with a groin injury in the third quarter and Liam Eichenberg moved nothing seemed to change. When Raheem Mostert scored his third touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play, he gave the back to right tackle Austin Jackson to spike. Well deserved.

6. Play of the Day: De’Von Achane’s 4-yard touchdown catch from Tagovailoa. You had to put Achane somewhere as the rookie had 18 carries for 203 yards. He was a product more than the force on this play, though. But this one showed how The Greatest Show on Surf continued not with just the non-stop scoring but the inherent creativeness. As if in a tip of the cap to on-hand Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, Tagovailoa threw a designed, no-look shovel pass to Achane that looked right out of a Stephon Curry highlight film. The NFL doesn’t do fun like that. The Dolphins do under Mike McDaniel’s offense. And, while Achane’s speed wasn’t obvious this play, it was right on his first carry Sunday for 26 yards. He

7. Cornerback Kader Kohou has been a Dolphins-centric secret since the time he arrived as an undrafted rookie last season. He won’t be secret for long if he keeps playing like this. On the Broncos first three plays, he had a tackle after a 3-yard pass to Reggie Sutton and defended an incompletion on third down. He entered Sunday as the second-rated cornerback through two games, according to ProFootballFocus.com. You don’t have to take that as gospel but it’s a guidepost to how well Kohou has played. The Dolphins moved him out to a boundary cornerback opposite Xavien Howard on Sunday for all defensive packages (he previously moved into the slot on nickel packages). That put Eli Apple on the bench. Kohou was found by previous defensive coordinator Josh Boyer in what is going down as the value play of this team.

8. Second-guess of the Week if this was 1992. Fourth-and-inches at the Dolphins 34. Late in the second quarter. Dolphins up 21-10. After a direct snap to Alec Ingold went nowhere on third down, McDaniel went for it on fourth and Ingold got stuffed. Everyone’s more accepting of going for it on fourth down in 2003, and for good reason, but this is a failed conversion that could’ve put the Broncos back in a game that they were being dominated in. As it was, the defense didn’t give up anything, the Broncos punted and the Dolphins offense kept piling up points.

9. Quick hits:

*Safety Jevon Holland punched out two balls for fumbles.

*Patriots 13, Jets in the battle for last in the AFC East.

*The Dolphins didn’t punt until Tagovailoa went out in the fourth quarter.

10.Next week: Dolphins at Bills. It’s an early measuring mark of the AFC East’s top two teams.  Buffalo had an easy Sunday in Washington with a 37-3 win. There’s no reason to think the regular season finale between these two teams on Jan. 7 at Hard Rock Stadium won’t have some playoff consequence.