The Miami Dolphins put the National Football League on notice in Week 3, absolutely destroying the Denver Broncos 70-20 and putting up the most points in a league game since 1966.

Tua Tagovailoa's team is already looking like the class of the NFL, and the young star explained the decision not to try to break the single-game points record of 72 that was set in 1966 by Washington.

“I think in this league and around the league, it's about respect in the NFL,” the 25-year-old explained, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. “As we went out there, I feel like that's what we got, we got respect. We're not trying to go out there and humiliate teams, that's just what it happened to look like.”

The Dolphins were in a position to kick a 44-yard field goal that would have broken the all-time record with 73 points. But head coach Mike McDaniel decided against it, instead letting backup QB Mike White kneel and the Broncos run out the clock.

“I will be fine getting second-guessed by turning down NFL records,” McDaniel told reporters about the decision.

“That's fine. I'm very OK with the decision. And I think the team, notably the leaders of the team, supported it. I try to think through all of my decisions and hold them with the importance that they do have. It felt like chasing points and chasing a record, that's not what we came to the game to do.

“That doesn't have a bearing on the overall season outcome. I saw it as, 10 times out of 10 you can see a kneel down in those situations. Because there was an attainable record, that was cool, but the message that I thought it would send isn't really in line with how I view things.”

Both Tagovailoa and McDaniel chose respect over the NFL record, a decision that will likely be commended around the league. Still, a 70-point showing absolutely put the other 31 teams on notice.

Running back De'Von Achane, who scored four touchdowns on 203 yards in just his second NFL game, put it best.

“Seventy points is crazy,” the 21-year-old said. “That's like video-game like stuff.”

Now 3-0, the Miami Dolphins have good karma on their side as they look to build on one of the hottest starts in franchise history in Week 4.