On Sunday, behind an offensive line that was finally healthy and a monstrous game from second-year running back
Jay Ajayi, the
Miami Dolphins ran all over the
Pittsburgh Steelers for their second win of the season.
On Monday, the Dolphins began preparing for their next challenge: doing it again, this Sunday at home against the
Buffalo Bills.
"The work we put in on Wednesday and Thursday [last week] was our best physically and mentally. We have to fight to match that intensity," said right guard
Jermon Bushrod. "Just because you come out and you have a good game and got a win, that's great. But if you can't build off of that, then you're doing it for nothing."
To hear coach
Adam Gase tell it, the Dolphins' rushing success against the Steelers — 222 yards on 36 carries, most of that coming from Ajayi — was as simple as having all five starting offensive linemen together. Left tackle
Branden Albert, left guard Laremy Tunsil, center
Mike Pouncey, Bushrod and right tackle Ja'Wuan James were all healthy at the same time for the first time this season.
"That's made the biggest difference for us," Gase said.
More perspective on the dominance of Miami's running game: In five games before Sunday, the Dolphins (2-4) averaged 72.4 yards per game and 4.0 yards per carry. Against Pittsburgh, they tripled the first number and bumped the second one up to 6.2.
The comparisons are even more dramatic for Ajayi as an individual. His 8.4 yards per carry were more than double his previous average on the season. His 204 rushing yards quadrupled his career high (48, at Philadelphia last November) and surpassed his total in nine games last season (187). Ajayi also benefited from far more carries Sunday (25) than he had received previously (fewer than eight per game in 2016).
"I don't know if anything surprises me, because he did [Sunday] what he had shown us all through the spring, and he had done it in training camp practices," Gase said. "[Sunday] was a good example of letting him get in a rhythm. He's a big man, running down a hill at a good rate. He can break tackles and he knows where to go as far as what we're doing on a run scheme. We get him going, we'll just keep trying to give him the ball."
What does it all mean for
Arian Foster? It's hard to tell. He was active Sunday for the first time in four weeks, rushing three times for three yards after missing time with a strained hamstring that Gase indicated isn't completely healed yet.
Gase also said it's worth having Foster active even if he is not 100 percent.
"He has a calming effect on a lot of people," Gase said. "I don't know if he's really even close to 100 percent, but I know he felt like him being dressed and being out there and trying to contribute is beneficial to us, because his leadership means something to a lot of guys."
