Miami Dolphins’ Winning Formula: Jay Ajayi

In order to replicate last year’s success, the Dolphins must rely on the legs of Pro Bowl running back Jay Ajayi.

Last week, while watching the Miami Dolphins’ offense struggle in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons, my buddy and I exchanged a series of texts to vent our frustration.

Every negative play, penalty or punt was soon followed by a series of expletives. Anger, along with the occasional alcoholic beverage of choice, began to cripple our use of the English language. We—and every other Dolphins’ fan, for that matter—had every right to be frustrated as Miami went into halftime trailing 17-0.

Before the start of the season, no one could imagine the Dolphins’ offense being this bad. Before coming into Atlanta, the Dolphins ranked last in just about every offensive category. And now, after another dreadful offensive performance in the first half, another loss was surely inevitable.

In the second half, however, the Dolphins became a different team. They relied heavily on the one thing that was working for them that day, the same thing that catapulted last year’s playoff run: Jay Ajayi. The result: a thrilling 20-17 Dolphins victory.

Ajayi has proven to be the formula for the Dolphins’ success. Dating back to last season, the Dolphins are 11-0 when Ajayi has 17 or more carries. In those 11 wins, the offense is averaging 26.9 points per game.

In the Dolphins’ three wins this season, Ajayi is averaging 26.3 carries per contest. He opened the season strong, running the ball 28 times for 122 yards in a 19-17 victory over the Chargers. In week five, he ran 25 times for 77 yards in a sloppy 16-10 win over the Titans. And last week, he ran 26 times for a season-high 130 yards in a 20-17 victory over the Falcons.

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By contrast, Ajayi is averaging a measly 11.5 carries in the Dolphins’ two losses this season. In those games, opposing defenses have suffocated the line of scrimmage, limiting Ajayi to 2.7 yards per rush and the Dolphins offense to six points in eight quarters.

Unfortunately for Miami, the team that gave Ajayi the most trouble this season, the New York Jets, returns this Sunday to Hard Rock Stadium.

In their first matchup, the Jets’ defense held Ajayi to 16 yards on 11 carries (1.5 average). And if it weren’t for a desperate pass by Cutler during the Dolphins last possession, the Dolphins would have been shutout.

The Jets, however, come into Sunday’s matchup with the No. 28 ranked rush defense, allowing 138.8 yards per game at 4.6 yards per carry. Interestingly, the Dolphins are the only team the Jets’ defense has held under 100 yards rushing this season.

The Dolphins, seeking revenge, would like nothing more than to embarrass the same team that embarrassed them a month ago. Presumably, the most attainable way for the Dolphins to achieve this feat would be to attack the Jets on the ground.

And thus, the question remains: what Dolphins team will show up on Sunday afternoon, the one that showed so much promise in the second-half against the Falcons last week, or the one that appeared emotionless a short time ago?

To many, the Dolphins’ success last year was a surprise; no one envisioned a first-year head coach leading them to a 10-win season and a trip to the playoffs. That team was relentless, and it never quit.

If you remember, it was a 30-15 pummeling of the Pittsburgh Steelers at home that got things going for the Dolphins last year. In that game, the Dolphins, who were sitting at 1-4 and desperate for answers, relied on Jay Ajayi for the first time. Ajayi went on to run for 204 yards on 25 carries that day, and the Dolphins found their answer.

Implementing Ajayi into the offense sparked a six-game winning-streak and a new team attitude. The Dolphins, for the first time in decades, became the bully on the block.

But if this year’s Dolphins want to replicate last season’s success, they must also adopt that team’s identity. To do so, Adam Gase must go back to the one thing that has worked for this offense the past two seasons.

He must go back to the winning formula he found this same time last year. That winning formula is Jay Ajayi.