Lost running game has returned
MIAMI GARDENS — Know that feeling when you’ve got somewhere to go and can’t find your keys?
All the familiar spots — the door, the sofa, the last pair of pants you wore — get checked. But if they aren’t discovered in a timely fashion panic eventually sets in.
The Miami Dolphins were approaching the panic stage in trying to find the team’s missing running game.
A steady stream of tailbacks have been tested, and traded for. The offensive line got rebuilt, then reshuffled the past two weeks, and the end result was a 111-yard rushing performance in Sunday’s 29-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers (2-7).
“We placed an emphasis on the run game. We weren’t what we wanted to be when we started the year,” said center Ted Karras, a team captain.
“Everyone did their job and it was a great unit effort, and team effort to win this game.”
It was the fourth game this season where the NFL’s worst rushing attack in terms of yards per carry gained more than 100 yards. That’s important because the rushing attack sets the table for the offense, which is critical for this play-action and run-pass-option-based offense.
Without the threat of the run, the passing element of those plays doesn’t work and it adds pressure to the play-caller and quarterback.
Sunday was the first game since Tua Tagovaolia became the team’s starter where offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was able to utilize his full arsenal of plays.
The hope is it won’t be the last, and the Dolphins (6-3) will need to remain a balanced offense to pull that off.
So its critical that the running game doesn’t pull another disappearing act, especially if this team’s going to make a push for the postseason.
Rookie Salvon Ahmed’s speed, and ability to hit the hole fast helped jump-start Miami’s running game against the Chargers, who came into Sunday’s game allowing 4.9 yards per carry.
“Taking advantage of his opportunities. They are rare. They usually only come around once,” Karras said of Ahmed, who has played the past two weeks because of injuries that sidelined Myles Gaskin (knee) and Matt Breida (hamstring).
Ahmed finished the game with a career-high 85 yards on 21 carries, and the bulk of his production came in the first three quarters when he gained 69 yards on 14 carries.
“He hit the hole nice a lot, and had some big runs,” Karras said. “Something we’ve been working towards for weeks. It’s good to have our hard work pay off.”
Miami’s struggles in the run game triggered the reshuffling of the offensive line, which returned to the starting five that started the first four games of the season, with rookie Austin Jackson replacing Jesse Davis at left tackle, and Davis playing ahead of rookie Robert Hunt at right tackle.
Solomon Kindley, who was benched during the Cardinals game last week, regained his starting right guard spot because of his practice performance. And the Dolphins didn’t just limit the 340-pounder to right guard. Miami also used the rookie from Georgia as a fullback on quite a few goal-line plays.
“We ran the ball effectively. We left some yard[s] out there also,” coach Brian Flores said, likely referring to the final two possessions of the game, where Miami gained 7-yards on five carries, excluding the kneel downs to close out the game.
“It wasn’t perfect.
“It’s not one man show . ... If nobody blocks it doesn’t matter how fast you are.”
The old adage is that a running game is a quarterback’s best friend, and that’s especially relevant when it comes to a rookie quarterback three starts into his NFL career.
And an offense that is working to find its identity while forced to play without a few key players.
Only time and patience will reveal what the Dolphins offense evolves into as the season progresses, and the stakes get raised.
This offense is far from being a finished product, but as Flores often says, it is a lot easier to teach and correct things when the team is winning, and the Dolphins have won five straight games and are half a game out of the AFC East division lead.
“[We’re becoming] more and more confident when we see what we’re able to do as a team,” Ahmed said. “When we do what we’re supposed to do.”