Last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Miami Dolphins appeared to have found the identity of their team after six games. Jay Ajayi was a huge part of the gameplan in their game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Ajayi rushed for 212 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. He became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in consecutive games. The other three running backs to accomplish the feat were OJ Simpson, Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
Last week in the Dolphins 30-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ajayi rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries.
Dolphins head coach Gase was very excited about Ajayi’s performance on Sunday.
“Anytime that happens early, it gets everyone’s confidence up, knowing that, all right, we’ve got a good rhythm before you even anticipate it,” Gase said.
Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor was 14 for 28 as he threw for 221 yards and a touchdown and he also rushed for 35 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. LeSean McCoy, who was questionable coming into the game, was limited as he carried the ball for eight times as he rushed for 35 yards.
Before Sunday’s game, McCoy suffered a hamstring injury, but the team decided to play him anyway. After the game, Bills head coach Rex Ryan defended the decision to play McCoy against the Dolphins.
“We never play a guy that our doctors and our trainers don’t clear so he’s cleared to play and we thought he was fine,” Ryan said. “He left the game with some soreness int the hamstring and that’s why he never returned.
Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill finished with 15 of 25 as he threw for 204 yards and a touchdown. This was the second straight game that Tannehill finished without an interception.
On Miami’s first drive of the game, the Dolphins could move the ball, but they were unable to punch the ball into the end zone. Dolphins kicker Andrew Franks made the score 3-0 after a 15 play, 64-yard drive.
Later on in the first quarter, the Bills then matched the Dolphins field goal as kicker Dan Carpenter put one through the uprights to even the score 3-3.
In the second quarter, the Bills took the lead as Taylor scored on a 10-yard touchdown run by Taylor, to make it 10-3. After each team had exchanged field goals, the Bills led the Dolphins 10-6 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Taylor threw a long touchdown to receiver Marquise Goodwin, which made it 17-6.
As the game moved on in the third quarter, Dolphins drew closer as Ajayi ran for a four-yard touchdown. The drive went 10 plays, for 75 yards. Miami went for the two-point conversion and was successful as Jarvis Landry caught the ball to make it 17-14 Bills with 18 seconds left in the third quarter.
After both teams held the ball and didn’t score in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins went on a seven play, 64-yard drive that resulted in a Damien Williams touchdown, which gave the Dolphins a 21-17 lead. Ajayi briefly came out of the game during that game with cramps.
To put the cherry on top of the ice cream, Tannehill threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills to extend the lead to 28-17.
Buffalo fought back and even scored a late Reggie Bush touchdown with under two minutes left to make it 28-25 after the two-point conversion. The Bills attempted an onsides kick, but the Dolphins recovered
On the day, the Bills were not able to get their rushing game going as they only rushed for 67 yards on the day. In total, the Bills gained 267 yards of total offense.
Next week, the Dolphins will have a much-needed bye week as some the players have gotten injured during the season. Buffalo will host the New England Patriots in Week 8.
