Dolphins on pace to break these NFL marks. Perspective, reaction on what they’re achieving

Beyond crushing opponents, the Dolphins offense also seems intent on shattering NFL records.

Five games into this season, Miami remains on an historic pace in several tangible areas. Among them:

▪ The Dolphins are on a track to finish with 8,731 yards of offense, which would easily break the 2011 Saints’ NFL record of 7,474. Remarkably, Miami is averaging 109 yards more per game than any other team. (Philadelphia is No. 2.)

▪ Here’s another way of looking at, factoring in the fact that seasons are longer than they used to be: The Dolphins’ average of 513.6 offensive yards per game would break the Saints’ NFL record of 467.1 yards per game in 2011.

▪ The Dolphins are on pace to throw for 5,573 yards, which would top the 2013 Broncos’ NFL record of 5,444 (albeit in 16 games, compared to the current 17). Tua Tagovailoa is 19 yards behind Peyton Manning’s NFL record 342 yards per game passing average that year (2013).

▪ Dolphins quarterbacks are completing 72 percent of their passes, with Tagovailoa at 71.7. The 2011 Saints have the highest completion percentage in history at 71.3.

▪ Their 6.9 per carry rushing average is on pace to shatter the NFL record for highest rushing yards average in NFL history — 5.7 by the 1963 Browns. Their overall rushing total is tracking to finish 137 yards behind the 2019 Ravens in the category of most rushing yards in a season.

▪ The Dolphins are on track for 41 rushing touchdowns, which would break the record of 36 by the 1962 Packers.

▪ The Dolphins’ 8.31 yards per play average would be an NFL record if maintained; the 2000 Rams averaged 6.98 per play.

FYI: The Dolphins’ 36.2 scoring average would rank sixth all time if sustained; the 1950 Rams scored 38.8 points in 12 games and the 2013 Broncos averaged 37.9.

▪ If De’Von Achane can somehow maintain his 12.1 yards per carry average (on 38 carries) over 100 attempts, he would set the NFL record for average rushing yards per attempt in a season, breaking Michael Vick’s 8.45 average in 2006. (Achane is being evaluated for a knee injury and his status for the immediate future is undetermined, per the team.)

▪ Achane is on pace for 24 touchdowns, which would break Gayle Sayers’ rookie record of 22 in 1965. He’s the second player in NFL history to score seven touchdowns in his first four games, joining the Giant’s Bill Paschal in 1943.

▪ Tyreek Hill is on pace to achieve his stated goal of becoming the first player in NFL history with 2,000 yards receiving in a season. His 651 yards through five games puts him on pace for 2,213 yards in a season, which would smash Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 set in 2012. That’s a pace for 130 yards receiving per game, which would break West Chandler’s record of 129 per game for the 1982 Chargers.

Hill, of course, has been at the epicenter of this offense; his 651 receiving yards through five games is the second most by any player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970; only his receivers coach, Wes Welker, had more (750 in the 2011 Patriots’ first five games).

Hill continues to flummox defenders with presnap motion, including one that led to a 64-yard catch and run early in Sunday’s 31-16 win against the Giants.

“It definitely gives us an advantage, especially for me being a smaller guy,” Hill said. “Corners aren’t able to jam me at the line of scrimmage so I’m able to use my speed and run routes so we all love that.”

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ESPN analyst Andrew Hawkins (the former Bengals receiver) said when Hill or Jaylen Waddle motion on plays where they catch the ball, the running start gives them an extra advantage.

Does Hill agree? To an extent.

“There are advantages, and disadvantages,” he said. “It allows taller DBs not to get hands on us, but at the same time it’s like, man ‘how do I run this route at full speed, already moving at full speed and break down and get out of it?’

“I’m good at it. I’ve been doing this my whole life – playing around with motions like that. I feel like I’ve learned from some of the best when I was back at KC when I was watching Travis Kelce motion. Now I’m teaching the young guys how to do it.”

No motion was needed on his 69-yard TD catch against the Giants’ Tre Hawkins III. He simply lined up and out-ran the rookie cornerback.

“Now the game has slowed down for me so much that it’s crazy,” Hill said. “I’m able to know what the defender is going to do before he even does it and that helps me out a lot and I sometimes find myself yelling out the coverage for Tua whenever I’m on the field. So if he doesn’t see something, I’m going to see it. It’s definitely a huge advantage for us.”

Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said that even some high school coaches have been calling to ask him about the Dolphins’ presnap motion. A lot of the Dolphins’ motion ideas have come in meetings in McDaniel’s office, with McDaniel sitting behind his desk and Smith on the couch.

As for Achane, he’s only the third NFL rookie in the past 35 years to have three consecutive games of 100-plus rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, joining Denver’s Mike Anderson (2000) and Detroit’s Barry Sanders (1989).

“You don’t just expect that for the rookie to come up and perform the way I have been performing,” Achane said, crediting his offensive line. “So I just hope that I can keep it up.”

Per NFL Gen Stats, Achane has the two highest miles-per-hour readings of any NFL running back on two long TDs this season — 21.93 against the Giants, 21.76 against Denver.

“If he’s getting the ball, you know it’s going to be a big play more often than not,” Tagovailoa said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for that guy, and I think a lot of guys around the league have a lot of respect for him.”

With Achane and Raheem Mostert, Dolphins ball carriers average a top speed of 14.25 mph, fastest of any team in the NFL.

Tagovailoa, for his part, leads the NFL in passing yards (1,614) and yards per attempt (9.7) and is second in passer rating (111.9), behind only the 49ers’ Brock Purdy.

Next up for the 4-1 Dolphins: winless Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.

“You got guys all around the field that can make special plays,” Hill said. “I’m excited. I’m very thankful to be on this team.”