Miami Dolphins

Numbers don't lie: Dolphins are undefeated when riding Lamar Miller

Published Dec. 7, 2015 12:45 p.m. ET

foxsports

When the Miami Dolphins named Zac Taylor the team's new play caller, he vowed to utilize Lamar Miller more often and get him more carries, balancing the offense in the process.

Well, in his first action as interim offensive coordinator, he did just that, and the Dolphins came away with their fifth win of the season, 15-13 over the Baltimore Ravens. Miller carried it 20 times for 113 yards, upping his season average to 4.9 yards per carry.

Surprisingly, Sunday was just the second time in his four year career that Miller topped 20 carries in a game -- the first time since 2013. What's more puzzling is the fact that the Dolphins haven't realized that riding Miller translates to wins in most cases.

According to PhinsPhocus.com, the Dolphins are 5-0 this season when Miller carries it 13-plus times and 0-7 when he doesn't.

Of course, that's not enough of a reason to give him 25 carries every week because the flow of the game typically dictates that, but it's certainly worth noting. Miller has the seventh-highest yards per carry average in the NFL among running backs this season.

On the other hand, Ryan Tannehill has failed to improve this season, and completed 9-of-19 passes for 86 yards against the Ravens on Sunday. It's clear the Dolphins need to ride Miller more in the coming weeks, even if they're all but eliminated from the playoffs.