If winning cures all, then Sunday’s result was just what the doctor ordered for Miami. A slog early, the Dolphins complemented an outstanding defensive showing with a power run game. And while the Dolphins were the only team in the division to add a tick in the win column in Week 5, the 13-day layoff until the next game provides even more opportunity to get healthy.
First, the three takeaways from the 15-10 victory over New England.
Sunday was something of a coming out party for a Dolphins run game that had been on the verge for weeks. The interior run game, spearheaded by the return of veteran back Raheem Mostert, leaned on the New England defense to the tune of 41 rushing attempts for 193 yards.
The Dolphins asserted their will in the critical moments of the game, capping a 15-play, 80-yard drive with seven consecutive runs. Prior to kickoff, the Dolphins were without a 15-yard rush on the season. Miami had five such runs on Sunday and three of those occurred on that game-winning drive. Eight of Miami’s runs went for 10-plus yards.
Three of the 10-plus yard runs came from rookie running back Jaylen Wright, who had a career-high 86 yards on 13 carries. He and Mostert combined for 166 rushing yards, doing most of their damage behind fullback Alec Ingold. Miami dialed up 31 run plays with Ingold on the field, tallying 160 yards for a 5.2 yards per carry average.
Ingold capped his monster performance with his second rushing touchdown as a Dolphin, giving Miami a 15-10 lead with 4:24 to play in the game.
Complementing a strong running game with a swarming defense is one of the earliest blueprints to victory this sport has. The Patriots gained 44 yards on three plays at the end of the game, boosting their total yards to 299 on the day. On the previous 10 possessions, the New England offense managed 255 yards on 52 snaps, an average of just 4.9 yards per play.
The Dolphins slowed the Patriots down from the inside….
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