Miami Dolphins: 5 numbers that defined the 2022 season

Miami Dolphins: 5 numbers that defined the 2022 season

31

Rank for rushing attempts

Mike McDaniel was a mostly unknown commodity at this time last year. He was another young, unproven head coaching hire, but he was coming from the Shanahan coaching tree, which has proven successful in the NFL, both historically and presently.

We couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he would bring to the table, but there was one thing that was for sure: the guy was a running game guru. He was known for his innovative play calling, exotic blocking schemes, and ability to get players into open space in order to be successful. The running back room was revamped, and McDaniel and the Dolphins were ready to put their ground game on full display.

It didn’t quite work out the way that they had hoped. Sure, the passing game was a pleasant surprise as Tua, Hill, and Waddle took the league by storm during the first half of the season. But the running game struggled to get off of the ground, as they rushed for less than 100 yards as a team in 5 of the first 6 games.

Things got a little better as the year progressed, but they still had showings of 33, 41, 42, 65, and 66 total rushing yards in different games in 2023. Much of their shortcomings can be attributed to their lack of commitment to the rushing attack, which they seemed to abandon at certain times. Miami had 390 rushing attempts on the season, which ranked them 31st in the league, second to last.