Fans Boo as Miami Dolphins Opt Not to Go for NFL Record

Head coach says it wouldn't have been good karma
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 25, 2023 1:30 AM CDT
Fans Boo as Miami Dolphins Opt Not to Go for NFL Record
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel walks the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Fla.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Much to the disappointment of some very loud Miami Dolphins fans, the NFL team's head coach says he chose good karma over setting an NFL record in Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. Up 70-20 over the Broncos at Florida's Hard Rock Stadium as the game came to a close, the Dolphins could have gone for a field goal that, if successful, would have put the team at a total of 73 points. That's one more than the 72 points Washington scored in a 1966 game to set the record for most points scored in a single regular-season game. Instead, coach Mike McDaniel told the backup quarterback to take a knee. As the clock ran out, fans booed that decision, USA Today reports.

After the game, McDaniel didn't sound fazed. He said that trying to "squeeze an extra three [points]" to "chase" a record in a moment like that is "not what I'm about." "The message I thought it would send wasn't in line with how I view things," he said. "I will be fine getting second guessed by turning down NFL records. That's fine. I am very, very OK with the decision … That's called karma, and I'm trying to keep good karma with the Miami Dolphins." Added starting QB Tua Tagovailoa, "We're not trying to humiliate teams." The score was still historic, CBS Sports reports, considering this is just the fourth time in NFL history that 70 or more points have been scored in a single game, regular- or post-season. (More Miami Dolphins stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X