The Dolphins Can Still Thrive As A Run-First Offense
Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
The outlook of the entire Miami Dolphins season changed with one bad hit in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills. Losing a quarterback as talented as Tua Tagovailoa is tough, and Dolphins fans are questioning if they have the right guy in Tyler Huntley, who they just acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. And they knew for sure they didn’t have the right guy in Skylar Thompson after he struggled in both the preseason and in relief for Tua in Week 2.
All that focus on the quarterback position, at least with their franchise QB out, is misguided. The way Miami is going to stay afloat in the interim is with their running game, which should be up for the challenge.
In fairness to Thompson, the reason he looked so putrid on Thursday was the score when he entered the game. The Dolphins were already down 31-10, which made the offense one-dimensional. For example, Thompson looked for star running back De’Von Achane four times through the air, but he only fed him one carry. Whether Huntley or Thompson lines up under center in Week 3, they’ll start with a 0-0 game, perfect for establishing the run with Achane and Company.
Heading into the season, there was talk about the pending running back by committee with Achane, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., and rookie Jaylen Wright. Now, Mostert and Wilson are injured, which has given Achane a few more carries. Things can change in a hurry, but even when the other backs return, Achane looks like the clear-cut number one in both the running and passing game. So far this season, Achane has rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown, while catching 14 receptions for another 145 yards and a touchdown.
Miami’s going to have to lean on them more than ever. With Tua, the fear of the aerial game made room for the ground game. Now, Achane and the backfield are going to have to give Huntley the space to get the ball to Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Are they ready for the task? The answer is yes. Even in the modern, pass-first NFL, a backfield as strong as Miami’s is enough to get them into the playoffs.
Look at the 2012 Minnesota Vikings as an example, as they somehow played to a 10-6 record and a playoff victory with Christian “Sam’s Husband” Ponder under center. How did they do it? No, it wasn’t Ponder unexpectedly popping off; it was Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Now we shouldn’t be crowning Achane the next Adrian Peterson yet (though that might change if he keeps up anything near his career average 6.8 yards per carry), but the combined powers of Miami’s running back room can find that level of success. Focusing on Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, the Dolphins’ game plan has to be to run over the ‘Hawks front seven, trying to open up room for their QBs to sling the rock.
That should work in Week 3, as the Seahawks look vulnerable to the run. Against the New England Patriots, they allowed Antonio Gibson, who has lost a step, to rush for 96 yards on 11 carries. Rhamondre Stevenson also had 81 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
The Seahawks might load up the box, but holes should be there for Achane, even without the threat of the pass. After all, it’s not like Jacoby Brissett was a downfield threat Seattle had to game-plan for against New England. Once the box is loaded, that’s when the passing game is going to get easier for Thompson or Huntley, giving them one-on-one coverage for Hill and Waddle on the outside. The QBs don’t have to do much to have those receivers win those kinds of matchups.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was asked about how they can still involve the star wide receivers, and he agrees that it’s going to start with running the ball.
“What’s cool about ‘Reek’ and Waddle and their understanding of football, and really our offense, is there’s certain situations where… they’ll come to the sidelines and tell me, ‘Hey, you know what? We need to run the ball.’… They know that the safety and the corner aren’t even looking at the ball during our play action, so you have to execute and make people pay when they’re overplaying something.”
This isn’t to say the Dolphins will win the games if Thompson or Huntley only throw for 50 yards, but they also don’t need him to be Tua. If he can make the easy throws when they are open, and the Dolphins can continue to build on the run game’s success, they can still win some games. Will they win the Super Bowl if Tua doesn’t return? Probably not, but that’s not what the team needs from their backups. If the run game can take over and can help their QBs stay afloat until Tagovailoa can return, the Super Bowl dream can stay alive in South Beach.
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