Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins: Can the running game get going against Bengals?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Can the Miami Dolphins get their running game going against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football? They may have no choice…

The Miami Dolphins should be 0-3 this season, and are heading into a short week, going on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. It seems stupid to even say it, but the Dolphins need to get back to the basics.

Adam Gase, in his first season as Dolphins head coach, is finding out that this team is much more difficult an undertaking than it seemed to most people on the outside looking in. After all, the Dolphins are incredibly talented at key positions, but why can’t they put it together?

It’s easy to pin their struggles on Ryan Tannehill’s inconsistency, and perhaps that’s completely justified. Still, I feel like the Dolphins could solve plenty by having some balance to their offense, starting with getting something — anything — going in the running game.

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The Dolphins’ run game has been basically non-existent this season. Ryan Tannehill is averaging 38 pass attempts per game, which obviously hinders your ability to run the ball as it is. It also doesn’t help that free agent pickup Arian Foster is already out because of injury.

Through three games, the team’s leading rusher is also their quarterback Tannehill. Kenyan Drake and Jay Ajayi are both close behind, but are averaging four attempts or fewer per game.

The early returns on the rookie out of Alabama are favorable. Kenyan Drake wasn’t over-used in his time with the Crimson Tide, and he led the Dolphins’ running backs in snaps this past Sunday against Cleveland.

It’s likely he will lead the team in snaps again against the Bengals coming off of a short week, and he could be the one to provide the spark the team needs. Drake is a good receiver out of the backfield in addition to having the explosiveness the Dolphins need from the running back position. It’s not difficult to see the type of vision and quickness he has:

Really nice cut here by Kenyan Drake https://t.co/Cad1NAQxgw

— Matthew Cannata (@FinsInsider) September 28, 2016

Drake seems like a player that could really excel in Adam Gase’s offense because of his versatility, but in order to get on the field and stay on the field, he needs to prove capable of carrying the load as a runner. My prediction and expectation is, after Thursday’s game against a Bengals defense that is allowing just 3.7 yards per carry in the running game, he’ll be a household name.

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