Miami Dolphins

Numbers suggest Dolphins' rushing attack isn't as bad as it seems

Published Nov. 11, 2015 12:09 p.m. ET

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Through eight games, the Miami Dolphins have undoubtedly been one of the NFL's more disappointing teams. At 3-5, they appear to be all but out of the playoff race with the 8-0 Patriots in their division.

One aspect where the Dolphins have especially been a letdown is the run game. Lamar Miller is in the final year of his rookie contract and was expected to see a heavier workload this season, but that's hardly been the case.

Even under Dan Campbell, Miller hasn't received a healthy amount of carries each week, largely due to the fact that the Dolphins haven't been in close games over the past four weeks. While Miller has rushed for just 478 yards in eight games, he's still been very effective on the ground.

Strangely enough, he's averaging 5.3 yards per carry, the highest of his career. As a team, the Dolphins have averaged 4.9 yards per carry, which is good for second in the NFL. Conversely, they're just 19th in the league in rushing yards per game (103.3).

So what exactly does that mean? The Dolphins' rushing attack is extremely effective, but for whatever reason, they've been reluctant to run the ball consistently. They're second-to-last in the NFL in rushing attempts per game, with the Lions being the only team to run the ball less.

It's hard to explain why the coaching staff refuses to run the ball more often, but it seems to be an easy fix. Give Miller and Jay Ajayi the ball more often and the offense will likely be more effective. A good run game helps set up the play action, which in turn makes Ryan Tannehill a better quarterback.

The Dolphins' rushing attack isn't great by any means, but it is effective when utilized correctly. 

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