Dolphins’ Ajayi shows he’s no fluke with second 200-yard game in row
Jay Ajayi worked his way out of coach Adam Gase’s doghouse and into the history books.
Sunday, Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for more than 200 yards in consecutive outings, joining O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
It’s quite a dramatic turnaround for a player whose season started on the inactive list.
Ajayi did not travel with the Miami Dolphins for the season opener at the Seattle Seahawks as a healthy scratch after he lost the starting job to Arian Foster. But now that Ajayi has regained that job, he’s not letting go.
Last week, when he rushed for 204 yards in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he became the first player in the NFL this year to break 200 yards. His encore might have been even more impressive.
Against the Buffalo Bills, Ajayi rushed for 214 yards on 28 carries, ripping off the yardage in chunks from the start, when his first two carries went for 10 and 11 yards, through the fourth quarter, when he broke a 53-yard run.
“I definitely wanted to double up. That was something I had been saying to myself throughout the whole week, just to double up,” Ajayi said Sunday. “Don’t be a one-hit wonder, because I think a lot of people kind of figured that, that I was just a guy who did it once and would fall off the scene. So I was really determined to change that mentality of how people view me.”
After rushing for 117 yards over the first five weeks of the season (when Miami went 1-4), Ajayi rushed for 418 over the last two.
“He’s done a great job of being decisive and hitting it and getting every inch he can,” Gase said Sunday. “He’s done exactly what we’ve needed him to do.”
Gase described Ajayi as a rhythm running back, meaning it can take more than a few carries to get him going. As a playcaller, Gase is learning to be patient with Ajayi.
“Just stay with him, because he’s going to find the right holes,” Gase said.
Ajayi gave a lot of the credit for his two big weeks to the offensive line, which he said had set a physical tone early in those games. But he has worked hard to get back in Gase’s good graces.
“It had a lot to do with making my opportunities count when I needed to. That was a big deal. When I got my chance to make something happen, just taking it, continuing to be consistent, continuing to prove my ability to my teammates and my coaches as well,” Ajayi said. “What happened in the first week, it occurred, and then after that it was more about just putting my head down, getting back to the grind, getting back to focusing and getting back to doing what I know I can do.”