A long season still lies ahead, but the Miami Dolphins offense is swimming at an awe-inspiring pace.
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.
Leading the "Greatest Show on Surf," Tagovailoa has also set a stellar pace, one that has him in stride to threaten Peyton Manning's single-season passing yards mark.
Tagovailoa admits racking up the prestigious record would be something to celebrate, but if it doesn't complement team triumph, it's all for naught.
"That would definitely be cool," Tagovailoa said Wednesday, via team transcript. "If we don't get to where we want to as a team, none of that would mean anything to me. But along the way, if we could get to where we want to get to as a team, and those statistics could follow in helping win games, I'd be very happy."
Manning set the all-time single-season standard of 5,477 passing yards in 2013 (through 16 games).
Tagovailoa, playing a 17-game season, is on pace for 5,487 yards, per NFL Research.
With 12 games still to go, Tagovailoa and the Fins have to keep up their break-neck tempo for a while longer at this point, but so far so great.
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.
Tagovailoa's off to a sensational start statistically and his health has held up most importantly. Now in his fourth NFL season, Tagovailoa's never played a season without missing a game due to injury.
If he's to truly challenge The Sheriff's all-time mark, his health will be a prevailing factor. Thus far, he's feeling as great as he ever has.
"I feel really good," Tagovailoa said. "I mean, the best that any quarterback could feel, or any football player could feel, at this point of the season."
