The Philadelphia Eagles are making NFL history, throwing football back to an era when they last had a dynasty (in the 1940s). Even though the Eagles are rewriting the record books in run game, they are also setting new historic marks in the final score department.

With the 25-11 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles victory was a scorigami — the 1078th unique final score in NFL history. No NFL game has ever had a 25-11 final until Monday night.

This is the second scorigami in Week 3, as the Miami Dolphins 70-20 victory over the Denver Broncos was also a unique final. This makes sense considering there were only three other times in league history during which a team scored 70 points in a game. The 25-11 final was a bit unique, but actually wasn’t in doubt as the Eagles controlled the final 9:22 on the clock.

Philadelphia actually got deep into Tampa Bay territory late and could have scored a touchdown. If the Eagles scored, a 31-11 final or 32-11 final (assuming they made the extra point) would have still been a scorigami.

And the DB found this – the Dolphins set an NFL record as the first team to score 10 touchdowns on plays from scrimmage in one game in their 70-20 drubbing of Denver.

In each of the other three 10 TD games, the three other games with 70+ points, their was at least one return TD in the 10-TD total.

DALLAS

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com breaks down what went wrong for Dallas on Sunday in the desert:

The Cowboys fell apart in the red zone in their stunning loss to the Cardinals

The game: Arizona 28, Dallas 16

It took four days for the storm clouds to gather in Dallas. After two comfortable victories to start the season, a dominant Cowboys team was hit by a catastrophic injury when Trevon Diggs tore the ACL in his left knee in practice Thursday. On Sunday, what was supposed to be an easy win against an overmatched team quickly turned into a nightmare. Joshua Dobbs’ 44-yard run on the second play of the game off a zone-read keeper quickly set the tone, and Dallas spent much of the day chasing shadows.

On defense, the Cardinals were able to take advantage of Dallas’ aggressiveness. A long Rondale Moore rushing touchdown came against a five-man box, with the Cowboys daring the Cardinals to run on a snap in which Micah Parsons wasn’t on the field. Dallas is a great team working out of dime (with six defensive backs), but the Cardinals made them pay.

Many of the big runs came on snaps in which Parsons’ incredible ability to get into the backfield was turned against him. The Dobbs run came when the Cardinals read Parsons as opposed to blocking the star edge rusher, allowing them to take him out of the play by indulging his desire to get after the quarterback. Parsons then burst inside on a first-and-10, but no Cowboys defender was able to scrape over the top and exchange gap responsibilities with the star linebacker, opening up a lane for James Conner to pick up 20 yards. Another 26 yards came on a pin/pull sweep where Parsons penetrated into the backfield but was unable to make a play before Conner got outside. Another 12-yard Conner run cut back away from Parsons’ side, where force defender Dante Fowler had overpursued and lost the edge.

Even great defenses can have bad games against the run. It happens. Naturally, though, much of the discussion surrounding Sunday’s loss will fall on the offense. The Cowboys scored 16 points on eight drives and went just 1-for-5 in converting red zone trips into touchdowns. They made it inside the 20 in each of their four second-half possessions and turned those drives into six points. They kicked two field goals, failed once on downs and had their final drive culminate in a Dak Prescott interception.

Unlike the defensive struggle, this has been a multiweek issue for the Cowboys. After going 3-for-4 in the red zone against the Giants in Week 1, Mike McCarthy’s team converted just two of its six red zone trips into touchdowns against the Jets last week. Nobody noticed because Zach Wilson and the New York offense couldn’t have scored 30 points if the Cowboys had given them 30 drives to try, but when the other offense showed up to play this week, their profligacy inside the 20 was exposed.

Overall, the Cowboys have scored touchdowns on just 40% of their red zone trips this season, which ranks 28th in the NFL. A year ago, this was not a problem: They scored on more than 71% of their red zone trips, which was the league’s best mark. First to 28th is going to get attention if you’re any team, let alone the Cowboys.

Now, if you’re a regular reader, you can probably guess what I’m about to say next. Research I’ve done in the past has suggested red zone performance typically regresses toward the mean for a variety of reasons, most notably because we’re dealing with a few plays in a small sample. We’ve seen this sort of dramatic decline in the recent past, too. The best red zone offense in 2021 was the 49ers, and over the first three weeks of 2022, they ranked 27th in red zone efficiency, converting 44% of the time. (They were 13th in conversion rate after Week 3.)

There are differences. The first is that the 49ers were installing a new quarterback in Trey Lance for two of those three games, while the Cowboys are returning much of their offensive personnel from a year ago. The second is that the red zone research holds that teams who are disproportionately effective in the red zone relative to outside of the 20 will struggle to keep that up, and the 49ers were struggling everywhere on offense for most of the first three weeks a year ago. The Cowboys are second in EPA per play outside the 20 and 25th once they get inside the red zone.

That’s good news, because it tells us the offense is still doing well. The Cowboys have made a league-high 15 trips to the red zone, and as long as they remain efficient on offense, they’ll punch the ball in more often than they have so far. The bad news is that an offense that was great in the red zone last season and great outside of the red zone this season is struggling mightily inside the 20 right now, and their personnel changes might explain why.

The two biggest subtractions for the Cowboys on offense this offseason came at running back (Ezekiel Elliott) and tight end (Dalton Schultz). Both played huge roles in the red zone. Between 2021 and 2022, Elliott fielded 81 red zone touches to Tony Pollard’s 48. Schultz led the team in red zone targets (30), receptions (17) and receiving touchdowns (11). Elliott and Schultz combined to score 35 of the team’s 81 touchdowns inside the red zone over the past two seasons, including 29 of 64 inside the 10-yard line.

The solutions the Cowboys have adopted to replace those guys are struggling. Pollard has 24 carries inside the red zone, 10 more than any other player in the league. He has a league-high eight carries inside the 5-yard line. I’m not sure I blame Pollard for those woes — there were unblocked defenders on several of those failures, including his lone carry inside the 5 on Sunday — but the Dallas rushing attack has not been efficient or well-orchestrated inside the 5 so far. It hasn’t been very north-south over the past two weeks.

In the passing game, tight end has again been the focal point. Jake Ferguson has eight red zone targets when no other player has three. He has caught four of them, but only one of those eight targets has resulted in a first down or a touchdown. Two of the four catches have been screens. Brandin Cooks and CeeDee Lamb, meanwhile, are 0-for-5 as receivers.

There’s an obvious reason to go for Ferguson inside the 20, as he’s the only big receiver on the roster. At 6-foot-5 and 244 pounds, he is the only one of Dallas’ regular pass-catchers over 200 pounds. Pollard is listed at 209 pounds, but you get the idea: This is a smaller group of receivers than it was over the past few seasons, when Amari Cooper (203 pounds), Elliott (225 pounds) and Schultz (244 pounds) would have been playing roles near the red zone.

While the Cowboys will likely regress toward the mean inside the 20, their chances of being a dominant red zone offense might depend on McCarthy being creative to draw up opportunities for his undersize playmakers. (Kellen Moore’s Chargers, in case you’re wondering, rank second in red zone conversion rate.) This team needs a between-the-tackles runner to help near the goal line, and ironically, the most logical trade candidate would be Conner from Arizona.

For the Cowboys in the big picture, this was a chance to bank an easy win and stay on pace with the top of the NFC at 3-0. Instead, after the 49ers manhandled the Giants on Thursday night, San Francisco currently holds the top spot in the conference pending the result of Monday night’s Eagles-Buccaneers game. Losing to the Cardinals costs Dallas in the conference tiebreakers and creates more uncertainty in advance of a California road trip to face the 49ers and Chargers in Weeks 5 and 6.

WASHINGTON

Should QB SAM HOWELL II be benched?  Jeff Kerr of CBSSports.com with reality or overreaction:

Sam Howell should be benched for Jacoby Brissett

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

Howell had a horrible game against a very good defense completing 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards with zero touchdowns and four interceptions. While Howell looked terrible against the Bills he was also sacked nine times hit 15 times, and pressured 22 times in the 37-3 loss. Hard to complete passes facing pressure all game long.

Howell was efficient in his first two games, but his passer rating took a massive hit as a result of his four-interception performance (down to 74.1). One bad performance shouldn’t spark a quarterback debate in Washington, but it should be a cause for concern.

Washington’s offensive line gets Philadelphia next week. Howell will be tested again.

NEW ORLEANS

The injury to QB DEREK CARR should not be long term.  Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com:

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr sprained his right AC joint and is considered week-to-week, coach Dennis Allen said Monday.

Allen did not rule Carr out for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the team will be cautious with the quarterback and it would be a surprise if he played next week, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Jameis Winston would face Tampa Bay, his former team, if Carr is unable to go.

Allen said that Carr felt better Monday morning and that he’ll continue to be evaluated throughout the week.

“We’re not making any decisions today; we’re not ruling anything out,” Allen said. “We’ll see where he’s at as the week goes on.”

Allen did not specify the grade of the sprain.

“All I can tell you is that he was much better today than he was yesterday,” Allen said. “We’re going to continue to evaluate him, and when he’s healthy enough that he can go out and perform and do the things that he needs to do to give our team a chance to win, then he’ll be back in there.”

Carr’s playing status will likely be determined by his pain tolerance and ability to function, but Allen said the injury won’t be made worse by him playing through it.

“I don’t think it’s a further risk of injury,” Allen said. “It’s ‘can you function and do your job?'”

Carr was hurt in the third quarter of the Saints’ 18-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Saints were up 17-0 when he took a sack that caused him to land hard on his shoulder.

He lay on the turf for several minutes as athletic trainers tended to him. He then went to the medical tent on the sideline briefly before leaving the game. Carr went to a local hospital for X-rays but flew back with the team Sunday.

Winston took over in Carr’s absence, completing 10 of 16 passes for 101 yards. He was able to drive the team 47 yards to the Green Bay 34 in the last three minutes of the game, but Saints kicker Blake Grupe missed a potential game-winning field goal.

“I don’t think what we were doing really changed at all,” Allen said. “I thought Jameis did some good things in the game. We drove ourselves down there and gave ourselves an opportunity and didn’t finish.”

After the game, Allen said the Saints need to protect better, but he did not attribute the injury to the struggling offensive line.

“I think that was the one play I felt like he kind of hung on to [the ball] too long,” Allen said.

SAN FRANCISCO

We find this surprising:

@OptaSTATS

The @49ers are the first team in NFL history to both rush and pass for at least 140 yards in 8 consecutive games (regular season).

They’ve done it all under a QB (Brock Purdy) who had never started a game in the NFL prior to the streak.

The key must be the 140 rush yards, because many teams have passed for 140 yards in long stretches.

DENVER

Sean Payton will not dispose of any of his coaches after Sunday’s astonishingly bad game.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

n any sport, at any level, it’s tough to wake up the day after losing by 50 points.

Plenty of questions linger. Everything seems a little less hopeful. But there’s a strange bit of beauty in hitting rock bottom, which arrives with the realization things can’t get much worse.

“Look, it was a tough day, and today’s not gonna be fun, and it probably won’t be fun anytime soon until we start winning some games,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said on Monday, less than 24 hours after the Miami Dolphins dropped a 70-point performance on his team.

“We’ve got to have a better work week than last week. We’ve got to have a good plan in place for the team we’re playing. We’ve got to be able to take the coaching, and then ourselves as coaches, say hey, where did we fail, where did we not do a good enough job? That has to happen quickly.”

It must happen quickly, because Payton’s Broncos are 0-3 and seem to be getting worse by the week, devolving from a team that lost by one and two points in Weeks 1 and 2 to, well, a whole lot more than that. Such a defeat is shocking, so much that it would be understandable if it cost some individuals their jobs. Payton said Monday no jobs are in jeopardy, and even if they were, he certainly wouldn’t discuss it on a Monday morning conference call with reporters.

Fair enough. Just because the Broncos were buried beneath enough points to insulate a Cold War bunker, it doesn’t mean Payton should clean house after three weeks, which already isn’t an optimal time to do so.

The results, however, are going to have to change soon before it gets awkward with these Broncos. After spending an offseason claiming Payton was coming in to right Denver’s ship and get its crew in line, the Broncos have provided zero evidence he’s made a difference.

Sunday’s game, then, is not one the Broncos simply flush and leave behind. Somewhere in the 50-point beatdown exists a valuable lesson or three.

“We’re learning as we go. … The attention to detail of what we’re doing at practice has to improve,” Payton said. “We as coaches have to look closely at what we’re asking them to do.

“Look, this is one of those weeks where you take a butt-whooping like that, you find out a lot about everyone. It’s a tough film to watch. I debated whether we were gonna show it or not, but I think we’d be remiss if we didn’t. We’ve got to sit in here, and today, as it’s unpleasant as it’s gonna be, we’ve got to get these things cleaned up. Look, we played a good offense, but we certainly didn’t help ourselves in any way, shape or form in playing them.”

Miami has undoubtedly proved to be an explosive team through three weeks, but there’s no excuse for giving up 70 points — in the form of 10 touchdowns — to any opponent. Perhaps it’s better the Broncos received an aggressive wake-up call now and not in late October; There’s still plenty of time left to turn things around and leave this nightmare of a Sunday in the past.

KANSAS CITY

More on TE TRAVIS KELCE and songstress Taylor Swift:

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce created quite the buzz on Sunday night when they decided to cap off a thrilling game at Arrowhead Stadium with a surprise late-night dinner. The star-studded pair’s evening resulted in the shutdown of a popular restaurant as fans and diners gathered for an unexpected encounter with the two celebrities.

Taylor and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end were seen leaving the stadium together, sending fans into a frenzy on social media. The unexpected rendezvous had Swifties and sports enthusiasts alike speculating about the nature of their relationship.

The real surprise, however, awaited fans at Prime Social Rooftop, a trendy restaurant in Kansas City. Patrons who were already dining there on Sunday night found themselves in the midst of an extraordinary encounter.

An eyewitness tells ET, “Travis bought out the restaurant for his family and team. Taylor arrived, wearing a denim dress, and was seen snacking, having some cocktails and dancing alongside Travis. The two were very affectionate with one another but kept things fun and lighthearted. Travis’ teammates also showed up to the after-party, as well as his mom and dad, Donna and Ed. The party lasted until 2 a.m.”

A source tells ET, “Travis has never shied away from his desire to give dating with Taylor a try, which he even said during a press conference a few months ago after seeing Swift in concert. Travis and Taylor are taking things slowly, and not rushing into anything serious. Both are very career-focused, so the focus is on that for now, but that’s not going to stop them from enjoying life when it’s the right moment.”

The Chiefs had lots to celebrate after beating the Chicago Bears, 41-10.

One diner tells ET, “So we went to Prime Social Rooftop for my friend’s 22nd birthday. They informed us before we left that they had a ‘hard close’ at 8 p.m. and of course, seeing that Taylor was at the Chiefs game, we were already joking that she was going to be there.”

As the clock neared 8 p.m., the restaurant staff approached diners with to-go boxes, informing them that they had to vacate the premises. To compensate for the early closure, the staff graciously offered free drinks at their sister restaurant a few floors down. The restaurant patrons couldn’t help but wonder if this unusual situation was for the benefit of Taylor and Travis.

When asked about the unexpected turn of events, the restaurant staff maintained a shroud of secrecy, smiling and replying that they “can’t confirm or deny” the reason for the abrupt closure. However, as conversations with the staff continued, it became evident that they were thrilled about the special guests in attendance and even promised to convey greetings to Taylor.

After relocating to the sister restaurant, the group of diners noticed a growing crowd outside and were informed by their waitress that some of Taylor’s security personnel were seated just a few booths away. Eager for a glimpse of the pop sensation, they decided to make their way up the stairs, only to find the doors locked and guarded, resulting in good-natured laughter at their bold attempt.

While the diners missed out on a chance to see the couple up close, the unique experience left them in awe. The patron summed up the evening by saying, “I wish I could’ve seen her, but it was amazing!!”

LAS VEGAS

Coach Josh McDaniels went into uncharted territory with his decision to kick a late field goal.

@OptaSTATS

Since the 2-point conversion was adopted in 1994, the Raiders are the only NFL team to attempt a field goal in the last 3:00 of the 4th quarter when down by exactly 8 points with less than 5 yards to go for a first down (or TD).

– – –

The Steelers concussed QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO.  Chris Cwik of YahooSports.com:

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is reportedly in the NFL’s concussion protocol following the team’s Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Garoppolo took four sacks in the 23-18 loss, and was hit a total of eight times by Steelers defenders. He was not available to speak to the media after the game, likely because he was already in concussion protocol.

It’s unclear when Garoppolo potentially suffered the injury. Garoppolo took a number of big hits, one of which resulted in Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick receiving a roughing the passer penalty.

Garoppolo laid on the ground for a few seconds following that hit.

Garoppolo stayed in the game after that, and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams a few minutes later. He also led the team on another drive at the end of the game that resulted in a field goal. Garoppolo finished with 324 passing yards. He threw two touchdowns and three interceptions in the loss.

Through three games, the Raiders have been on the receiving end of a number of brutal hits. Receiver Jakobi Meyers missed the team’s Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills after suffering a concussion in Week 1. Adams took a similarly rough hit against the Bills in Week 2, but managed to avoid going into concussion protocol.

Kareem Jackson and Taylor Rapp each received fines for those hits. Fitzpatrick could also receive a fine following his hit on Garoppolo in Week 3.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

CB J.C. JACKSON is a wanted man in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Jeff Howe and Daniel Popper of The Athletic:

A warrant was issued for J.C. Jackson’s arrest Monday in Massachusetts after the Los Angeles Chargers cornerback failed to appear in court Friday for a probation violation hearing.

Jackson was to appear in Attleboro District Court on Friday, according to online court records. Jackson was previously charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle and speeding in 2021, when he was a member of the New England Patriots.

According to the probation violation and hearing notice, Jackson failed to attend or successfully complete the “Brains at Risk” program and failed to pay a $300 fine. The “Brains at Risk” program is an awareness and prevention program by the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts that links dangerous driving behaviors to the effects of traumatic brain injuries, per the association’s website.

Jackson was a surprising healthy scratch from the Chargers’ game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but Jackson’s legal situation had nothing to do with the Chargers sidelining him, coach Brandon Staley said Monday.

Asked whether the team would take any disciplinary action with regard to the arrest warrant, Staley added: “I don’t know that as of right now. But it’s a private matter for J.C., and he’s working through it.”

The 27-year-old signed a five-year, $82.5 million free-agent contract with the Chargers last offseason and has been working his way back from a ruptured patellar tendon that ended his 2022 season. He started and played 66 and 63 percent of defensive snaps in the Chargers’ first two games.

CLEVELAND

Cleveland has a good defense, historically good so far:

@OptaSTATS

@Browns have allowed 491 total yards this season, the fewest allowed through three games by any NFL team this century.

INDIANAPOLIS

Jeff Kerr of CBSSports.com doesn’t think the suddenly 2-1 Colts, perched by themselves atop the AFC South, need RB JONATHAN TAYLOR:

Colts should tell Jonathan Taylor to stay home

Overreaction or reality: Reality

While Taylor has wanted a trade and currently sits on the PUP list, the Colts have gotten RB1 production from Zack Moss. In the two games Moss has started, he has rushed for 210 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. That’s more than adaquate production for a team in dire need of a running back in Taylor’s absence.

The Colts are also 2-0 in games Moss plays and lead the AFC South. If Taylor wants to return, the Colts would be OK with it, but they should just move on from him as they continue their rebuild. Moss is a lot cheaper and the offense is moving no matter what quarterback he plays with.

Get premium value for Taylor and move forward with Moss for this year. He’s shown he can handle being a No. 1 running back at a position that has significantly lost value over the last decade.

But if they could have gotten “premium value” for Taylor, he already would have been traded…

MIAMI

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com breaks down the Dolphins deluge of the Broncos:

1. The Dolphins ran for 350 yards and five touchdowns while dropping 70 points

The game: Miami 70, Denver 20

When a team scores 70 points, it gets to lead the Monday morning column. I don’t think anybody is naive about what the Dolphins can accomplish on offense when they’re rolling, but coming within striking distance of an NFL record for most points in a game on a day when they didn’t have Jaylen Waddle stands out as surprising. Coach Mike McDaniel probably played a round or two of Mortal Kombat II as a child; given the chance to tie the NFL record by kicking a field goal and reaching 73 points, McDaniel reached into his heart and chose to offer Denver’s Sean Payton friendship over a fatality.

While Tua Tagovailoa was nearly perfect and Tyreek Hill racked up 157 receiving yards in what was a ho-hum game by his impossible standards, the attention Sunday understandably went toward Miami’s running backs. Raheem Mostert and rookie De’Von Achane each scored four touchdowns, becoming the second set of teammates in NFL history to rack up four scores each in one game. Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock managed to pull it off for the Chiefs in a blowout victory over the Falcons nearly 20 years ago.

This is particularly exciting for the Dolphins given the area they struggled in a year ago. The biggest weakness on their roster might have been at running back. NFL Next Gen Stats has a measure called rush yards over expectation (RYOE), which incorporates the location and movement of blockers and defenders at the time of a handoff to estimate how many yards an average back would get in the same situation. No model is ever going to be perfect, but the RYOE model ranked Nick Chubb as the most effective back in football last season, so that’s a promising start.

Last season, McDaniel and the Dolphins were able to create running opportunities for their backs but the ball carriers weren’t able to make a difference. Their average run play was expected to gain a league-best 5.1 yards last season. Instead, they averaged 4.3 yards per carry. The resulting gap between their expected yards per carry and actual yards per carry was the worst mark in football.

The Dolphins traded Chase Edmonds last year and haven’t had Jeff Wilson, who is on injured reserve. Mostert is in the lead role, and after serving as a healthy scratch in Week 1, Achane saw his most meaningful action Sunday. In 2023, the model actually thinks the Dolphins have been less effective at creating rushing opportunities: their expected yards per carry is down to 4.4 yards, which is eighth in the league.

After Sunday, the Dolphins are averaging 2.6 rush yards over expectation this season. They comfortably lead the league in RYOE per carry this season, with nearly twice as many RYOE per play as the second-ranked 49ers.

What has changed from last season? The big plays. In 2022, despite their success throwing the ball and Mostert’s résumé as a big-play merchant, the Dolphins had just one gain of at least 30 yards on the ground, which tied them for the fewest in the league. They had three 30-plus yarders Sunday alone, including runs of 40 and 67 yards by Achane and a 52-yard scamper by third-string back Chris Brooks, who came in while Miami was nursing a seven-possession lead in the fourth quarter.

The same stressors McDaniel applies to pass defenses also show up in the Dolphins’ big plays on the ground. Late motion allows them to force defenses to adjust on the fly while attempting to deal with world-class speed throughout the lineup. It was too easy for them to outflank the Broncos; when Denver tried to deal with the motion by playing zone, Miami simply gained a numbers advantage in terms of blockers. When the Broncos were in man coverage, defenders were motioned out of the play and never became a meaningful part of the run fit. It felt as if the Dolphins always had Denver on the wrong foot on a day when they ran more snaps with a player in motion than any other game in ESPN’s database, going back through 2017.

The plays weren’t anything extraordinary — there were some cool wrinkles on concepts such as crunch and an end around to Achane — but the Broncos were just hopelessly overmatched. I’m not sure I can remember a game in which an offense routinely got more linemen to the second level to attack linebackers. As a result, Miami’s backs hit the line of scrimmage without needing to slow down or be patient in finding the right hole. Mostert and Achane now rank Nos. 1 and 2 in average speed when crossing the line of scrimmage on carries.

When the running backs did get a bit of space, disaster ensued. Mostert and Achane bounced off would-be tackle attempts and ran away from Broncos defenders. Denver was down multiple starters because of injuries, and their replacements might want to call in sick for film on Monday. Rookie Drew Sanders came in for injured Josey Jewell and struggled, while second-year safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was forced into the lineup for Justin Simmons and whiffed on multiple tackles on long Miami runs. By the end of the game, it was backup edge rusher Thomas Incoom who took himself out of a play while attempting to respond to a would-be jet sweep, creating a running lane for Achane on his 67-yard touchdown.

What happened at the end of the game made this all the more impressive. By the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa and Hill were on the sideline. Waddle missed the entire game. All the components of the devastating passing attack that should make life easy for the running game were on the sideline. Heck, with Wilson out and Mostert on the bench, McDaniel wasn’t even using his top two running backs.

The Dolphins still ran 11 times for 141 yards without those guys on the field. I’m sure the Broncos were enduring some element of psychic pain after what had happened over the first three quarters, but what does it tell you when Miami was hitting big plays with Mike White, Robbie Chosen and Braxton Berrios replacing the big three?

Miami is averaging 0.32 expected points added (EPA) per play through three weeks. That’s the best mark through three weeks of any team going back through ESPN’s EPA data, which runs from 2007. The teams just behind it are a murderers’ row of juggernaut offenses: the 2020 Packers, 2018 Chiefs, 2008 Broncos and 2007 Patriots. The 2008 Broncos fell off, but the other three teams dominated the rest of the way. Their quarterbacks all won league MVP. If the Dolphins keep this up against the Bills next week, Tagovailoa will be a prohibitive favorite to follow in their footsteps.

NEW ENGLAND

RB EZEKIEL ELLIOTT will be playing AGAINST the Cowboys on Sunday.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Running back Ezekiel Elliott had his best game as a Patriot, rushing for 80 yards on 16 carries in the team’s win over the Jets on Sunday. Elliott didn’t celebrate long before turning his attention to Week 4.

The Patriots play the Cowboys on Sunday.

Elliott spent seven seasons with the Cowboys after they made him a first-round pick.

“It’s going to be fun,” Elliott said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “I’m excited to go back to Dallas, a place where I have so much history, my home in the offseason. It will be cool to get back in AT&T [Stadium].”

The Cowboys cut Elliott in a cost-cutting move in the offseason. Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the team didn’t offer Elliott a reduced contract, because they didn’t want to “insult” him.

Elliott remained a free agent until Aug. 16, and the Cowboys repeatedly expressed the idea that they were leaving the door open for a possible reunion that never happened.

“I was definitely disappointed, but everything happens for a reason,” Elliott said. “God has his plan for us. I’m excited for this next chapter in my life. I’m excited to be a Patriot. I’m excited to go chase a Super Bowl here.”

Elliott had hoped to finish his career with the Cowboys, in the same backfield with his good friend, Dak Prescott, but it was not to be.

“No one wants to leave the team they’re with, but more importantly, I’m very happy with where I’m at,” Elliott said.

Elliott, who is Rhamondre Stevenson’s backup, had only 12 carries for 42 yards and five receptions for 14 yards in the first two games combined. The Patriots used him more Sunday.

“We’re getting a little bit of a feel for some of the things with him and vice versa,” coach Bill Belichick said.

Although Elliott initially billed Sunday’s game in Arlington as “just another game,” it won’t be. He wants to remind the Cowboys of the two rushing titles, the 8,262 rushing yards and the three Pro Bowls that he had with them.

– – –

Thanks to Jets CB SAUCE GARDNER, the legend of QB MAC JONES as the first “dirty” QB continues.  Jason Owens of YahooSports.com:

On Sunday, Sauce Gardner accused New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones of hitting him below the belt.

On Monday, Gardner shared video that shows the alleged incident. The video shows Gardner, a New York Jets cornerback, shoving Jones after Jones emerges from the middle of a scrum following a quarterback sneak during Sunday’s game between the AFC East rivals. Gardner continues to pursue Jones as an official intervenes and Jones walks away from the situation.

Later Monday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini shared video from a league source with a zoomed-in few of the alleged incident. The alleged hit is mostly obscured, but Jones appears to make contact with Gardner’s groin with his right hand.

Here’s what Gardner had to say after Sunday’s game, a 15-10 Patriots win.

“That’s probably the first time that ever happened to me,” Gardner told reporters. “He got tackled. He reached his hand up to try to get me to help to get him up. I just moved his hand out of the way.

“He got up and he just came up to me like ‘Good job.’ While he was saying that, he hit me in my private parts. I didn’t react like I really wanted to. … I definitely wasn’t expecting that. First time for everything I guess.”

Gardner then joked that Jones was threatening his prospects as a future father.

“I do gotta ice up,” Gardner continued. “He’s trying to stop me from having kids in the future.”

Jones denies accusation

Jones was asked about Gardner’s accusation. He denied hitting him below the belt while changing the subject to the physical nature of running a quarterback sneak.

“No,” Jones said when asked if he thought he did anything wrong on the play. “I think just trying to get the first down. 3rd-and-1, and then we came back on 4th-and-1 and tried to fake it. Definitely a physical play. Lot of guys are in there.

“It’s kind of like the famous quarterback sneak that everybody does. All the guys on both teams are in there. It can get pretty physical. That’s something that I have to learn from is getting my pads a little lower so I can get it and not get held up.”

Jones faced further questioning Monday and denied intentionally hitting Gardner.

“On that play, nothing was intentional,” Jones told WEEI “I just got up and went back to the huddle, and that’s it.”

This is not the first time that Jones has been accused of dirty play. In 2022, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple accused Jones of “dirty play” after Jones dove at his feet during an interception return by linebacker Germaine Pratt.

“He tripped me,” Apple told reporters. “I thought it was a dirty play. He’s done that before. I’ve seen it.”

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay then wrote on social media that Jones is “Dirty af!!”

Jones was asked by WEEI about his reputation as a dirty player on Monday.

“Like I said, I can’t control that stuff,” Jones said. “I try to be really competitive and go out there and be a good teammate and compete, and come to work every day and work hard and put a lot of hours into it. I definitely care about football a lot and this game means a lot to me and it means a lot a lot of other guys that I play with so I hope that they can see that.”

The NFL ultimately fined Jones for the low hit on Apple and a separate unnecessary roughness penalty in the same game. The league has not publicly addressed Gardner’s accusations toward Jones from Sunday.

NEW YORK JETS

Lyndon Johnson knew the Vietnam war was lost when Walter Cronkite of CBS turned against it.

And now, from The Athletic, when you’ve lost Joe Namath as a Jets QB…

New York Jets legend Joe Namath ripped the franchise’s starting quarterback Zach Wilson on Monday while speaking on ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show.”

“I don’t believe in him, I don’t believe he has a future as a good player, and I think they made the wrong choice when they drafted him, I feel that way,” Namath said.

Namath, who won two MVP awards and led New York to its only Super Bowl title in team history in 1968, has vocalized his frustrations with the team and Wilson on social media.

In Monday’s show appearance, he continued that criticism and picked apart both Wilson’s play and the team’s attitude.

“How can a coach say the locker room is together?” Namath said. “How many teams have we been on? Are you telling me there aren’t some cats on the defensive side saying ‘Woah, man, what’s wrong with you?’ There’s not all harmony in the locker room, and if there is then they need to get rid of the people.”

When asked what he suggests the team should do with Wilson, Namath said sending him to another team would be best.

“Send him to Kansas City to backup someone like Mahomes, maybe he’d learn something. I wouldn’t keep him. I’ve seen enough of Zach Wilson. I’ve seen enough. He has quick feet, he can throw a little bit, but I don’t believe what’s going on up there,” Namath said pointing towards his head.