The scene at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday was a nearly perfect script for a storybook-type of weekend.
Not only did the Miami Dolphins dominate the Carolina Panthers, but Fan Weekend 2023 was a resounding hit.
Speaking of resounding hits…
Arguably the best part was the celebration of the Hall of Fame induction of former linebacker Zach Thomas. Tying everything in perfectly with the victory, in front of legions of fans, was a major accomplishment for these 2023 Dolphins.
They’re 5-1 for the first time since the 2002 season and that was a year in which Thomas was an All-Pro. Even more of a milestone is the fact that the Dolphins have won 16 of their last 18 home games at Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since the venue opened in 1987.
There was also a moment that was pictured by Dolphins social media where Thomas was holding a glass of champagne next to Dan Marino, who’s holding his own glass of bubbly, next to Larry Csonka.
Three Hall of Famers celebrating a perfect day in one perfect picture.
While the game started off a little nerve-racking, with the Panthers jumping out to a 14-0 lead, it’s actually not out of the realm of possibility that Thomas himself sparked a turnaround.
After the slow start, the Dolphins put the pedal to the metal, and the “Greatest Show on Surf” hit high tide.
They were led by their big Kahuna running back Raheem Mostert, who became the NFL’s all-time leader in the modern era in career yards per carry. Following Sunday’s 115 yards on 17 rush attempts, he now averages 5.42 yards per carry for his career. He passes Bo Jackson, who sits at 5.4.
Adding to that remarkable accomplishment, in the 2023 season, Mostert is the NFL’s leading touchdown scorer with 11 after the hat trick he put up today.
Moving to the most prolific quarterback-to-wide receiver duo in the league, Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are clicking on all cylinders.
Tagovailoa finished 21-of-31 for 262 yards with a trio of touchdowns and a 126.0 passer rating and no interceptions.
He’s also the only quarterback in the NFL to have a 90+ passer rating in all of his games played this season so far.
Hill, Tagovailoa’s main target, has started the season in record-breaking fashion. After Sunday’s 163 yards on his six catches, he has 814 yards to start the year through six games. That’s the highest total in a six-game start in the Super Bowl era and the most since Don Hutson’s 819 yards in 1942.
Defensively, the Dolphins had another two-sack performance for the third straight week and from a different player. Christian Wilkins had a pair against the Panthers on Sunday. Last week Zach Sieler had two against the New York Giants, and Andrew Van Ginkel got to Josh Allen twice against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
Sieler had another sack on Sunday, and Bradley Chubb got one as well. Miami hit the quarterback nine times against Carolina.
The Dolphins won despite yet another game without key players. They’ll get back more pieces as well in the upcoming weeks, so this team has major momentum heading into the period in which they will be closer to whole.
It was reported over the weekend that cornerback Jalen Ramsey could start practicing as early as this week and could be back a bit sooner than initially scheduled.
The Dolphins have a major test coming up with a road game next Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles on national television.
And, Sunday just happened to be a day the last two unbeaten teams fell, leaving another Dolphins team to celebrate. And, on a day that scores of alumni were in attendance, many former teammates of Thomas and several members of the 1972 team, every Dolphin won on Sunday, including the fans.
