Bills at Dolphins: 3 things we learned
By Matt Kerns
The Miami Dolphins have strung together back-to-back wins as they defeated the Buffalo bills 28-25 on Sunday.
Well, the Dolphins persevered and put together their second win in as many weeks. Despite being down by 11 points with just over 15 minutes left to play in the game, the Dolphins kept plugging away and stole a win at home.
They did so by relying on Jay Ajayi. Ryan Tannehill proved to be efficient and didn’t cost Miami any turnovers. Since the Dolphins pretty much said Ajayi you’re the heart and soul of our offense, Tannehill wasn’t asked to do as much as he was earlier in the year. He finished 15-25 passing for 204 yards and one score.
What was also impressive was Miami’s ability to stop Buffalo’s running attack. Although, in defense of the Bills, LeSean McCoy had only eight carries and wasn’t on the field for much of the game. It’s evident that when No. 25 isn’t on the field, the Bills offense isn’t nearly as effective. Their lack of depth at running back behind McCoy is apparent and will be a problem moving forward. But, let’s get to what we learned.
1-Jay Ajayi is a monster
Rushing for 200 yards in back-to-back weeks is a rare feat, and Ajayi is the fourth rusher to do so. He joins Ricky Williams, Earl Campbell, and OJ Simpson as the only other players to have done that.
In total, Ajayi finished with 28 carries for 214 yards and a touchdown. Miami plugged right ahead in the middle of Buffalo’s defense and found major success. Buffalo came into the game as a decent run stopping unit. But they were exploited by the Dolphins.
The Dolphins (for now) have found their identity on offense as a run first team. It’s what best for this team and in particular Tannehill, who needed a load lifted off of his back after doing too much through the first five games.
2-Miami’s offensive line proved their value for the second straight week
Ajayi had a historic day on the ground. So let’s give credit to the big boys up front who provided holes for Ajayi. Getting Laremy Tunsil and Branden Albert healthy obviously has given them a huge boost, especially on the left side.
If this unit continues to thrive, they will be a force for other team’s to stop. What’s ironic is how bad this team was just two weeks ago against the Titans, where Tannehill was sacked six times. Head coach Adam Gase publicly spoke on the lines struggles and was quick to defend Tannehill after his struggles.
As of now, this team will go as far as their offensive line takes them. Their defense is putting it together, and they’re no longer on the field for the entire game. We’ll see if they can continue to stay healthy, but as long as they do, this team will continue to impress.
3-LeSean McCoy is basically the Bills entire offense
Without McCoy, the Bills offense went completely stagnant. Reggie Bush and Mike Gillislee weren’t effective at all. They had a combined six carries for 21 yards. The Bills will need to address their backup running back position because they’re really thin right now.
With McCoy this offense is super efficient and moved the chains methodically. But without him the difference is night and day. I’m not saying this offense needs McCoy to function, however the do need a solid RB2, which they don’t have now.
We’ll see what exactly the Bills do to address this hole on their roster, but they need to take action swiftly, because McCoy can’t be counted on for 25 carries for each game.