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Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi (23) celebrates his touchdown with tight end Dominique Jones (85), during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2016, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Wilfredo Lee AP Photo
DAVIE, Fla. The Miami Dolphins are about to hit the road running.
After three consecutive wins at home thanks to a newfound ground attack, the Dolphins will embark on a West Coast swing, playing Sunday at the San Diego Chargers and Nov. 20 at the Los Angeles Rams. The team will spend the week between games in California.
"We're going to see what type of team we really are," left tackle Branden Albert said Monday. "We've got to stay grounded, stay humble."
It should be easy to stay grounded. Emerging star Jay Ajayi has rushed for 529 yards in the past three games and leads the NFL at 5.9 yards per carry.
Ajayi ran for 111 yards in Sunday's win over the New York Jets, who came into the game with the NFL's top-ranked run defense. It was an impressive encore by Ajayi after consecutive 200-yard games, and further evidence the Dolphins have found a recipe for success.
They're 4-4 and have a shot at their first four-game winning streak since 2008, which happens to be the last time they made the playoffs. Miami rallied past the Jets by wearing them down , and Ajayi netted 55 yards in the fourth quarter.
"I reminded our guys again today — don't let me go away from Jay," said Adam Gase, the first-year coach, play-caller and quarterback guru by reputation. "Don't allow me to start getting in that rhythm of just throwing the ball.
"The reason Jay is so effective is he's a guy who runs very angry. When you do that for four quarters, eventually the other team is going to break. He's a big back who runs hard and runs through contact. The key for us is the attempts, staying with it, finding that rhythm. Eventually it's going to work out for us."
Gase has stuck with the plan for three games, with the Dolphins running the ball 109 times and throwing it 78 times (58 percent runs). In the first five games, they ran 92 times and threw 164 times (36 percent runs), and went 1-4.
The transformation is such that leading receiver Jarvis Landry caught only three passes for 33 yards Sunday.
"I've got to do a better job of getting Jarvis the ball," Gase said. "Anytime we put the ball in his hands, he makes something happen. It's my job to make sure our best player on offense is getting the ball."
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/sports/article113084158.html#storylink=cpy