If winning cures all, then Sunday's result was just what the doctor ordered for Miami. A slog early, the Dolphins complemented an outstanding defensive showing with a power run game. And while the Dolphins were the only team in the division to add a tick in the win column in Week 5, the 13-day layoff until the next game provides even more opportunity to get healthy.
First, the three takeaways from the 15-10 victory over New England.
- Power football
Sunday was something of a coming out party for a Dolphins run game that had been on the verge for weeks. The interior run game, spearheaded by the return of veteran back Raheem Mostert, leaned on the New England defense to the tune of 41 rushing attempts for 193 yards.
The Dolphins asserted their will in the critical moments of the game, capping a 15-play, 80-yard drive with seven consecutive runs. Prior to kickoff, the Dolphins were without a 15-yard rush on the season. Miami had five such runs on Sunday and three of those occurred on that game-winning drive. Eight of Miami's runs went for 10-plus yards.
Three of the 10-plus yard runs came from rookie running back Jaylen Wright, who had a career-high 86 yards on 13 carries. He and Mostert combined for 166 rushing yards, doing most of their damage behind fullback Alec Ingold. Miami dialed up 31 run plays with Ingold on the field, tallying 160 yards for a 5.2 yards per carry average.
Ingold capped his monster performance with his second rushing touchdown as a Dolphin, giving Miami a 15-10 lead with 4:24 to play in the game.
- Captains on the inside
Complementing a strong running game with a swarming defense is one of the earliest blueprints to victory this sport has. The Patriots gained 44 yards on three plays at the end of the game, boosting their total yards to 299 on the day. On the previous 10 possessions, the New England offense managed 255 yards on 52 snaps, an average of just 4.9 yards per play.
The Dolphins slowed the Patriots down from the inside. Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell entered Week 5 ranking top 10 in both pressures (16 and 14, per Pro Football Focus) and defensive stops (11 and 9) among defensive tackles in the league.
Sieler picked up a sack, three quarterback hits and drew two holding calls that led directly to New England punts. Campbell led the team with six quarterback pressures and two QB hits of his own.
The Dolphins entered play with the NFL's best third-down defense, allowing just a 23.8 percent conversion rate. New England went 4-for-13 on the money down, keeping the Dolphins atop the league in that category. Additionally, before the Monday night game, Miami is sixth in total defense, allowing 285.4 yards per game.
- Bye week comes right on time
Sunday saw the debut of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as a Miami Dolphin. Running back Raheem Mostert, tackle Terron Armstead, cornerback Kendall Fuller and linebacker David Long Jr. all returned to the lineup after missing the Week 4 game.
The time off will help further heal a relatively banged up Dolphins team, but it's the extra time to get back in the lab for quarterback Tyler Huntley that could prove most beneficial for a Dolphins offense that found a rhythm in the fourth quarter.
"For (Huntley) to play convicted, I think it's going to be huge for him just to have things settle down because you don't really have time for much when you are just jumping in in an NFL work week," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said. "You have to orchestrate a lot of moving parts, and I thought he did a good job handling all that. He has done a phenomenal job really since he's been here, but it was a step forward today for sure."
The Dolphins return to the field on Sunday, October 20th in Indianapolis to take on the Colts.
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