Dolphins Run Through and Around Patriots on Sunday

By: Hussam Patel

They came. They saw. They conquered.
 
Who knew of all games, this would be the week where the running game would get going and exceed over 100 yards.
 
The entire hype of this game was going to be how Tua did in the passing game against Bill Belichick- a daunting task was ahead of the rookie southpaw slugger. The Dark Emperor was 21-5 against rookie QBs heading into this game.
 
Boy, we’re we all wrong. It wasn’t Tua taking over the game it was a combination of rebel maulers to pave the way for A-Wings and X-Wings.
 
That is Salvon Ahmed, Matt Breida, Patrick Laird and Lynn Bowden JR did the dirty work behind an offensive line of Jackson, Kindley, Karras, Davis and Hunt. The unheralded way to win dropping bombs on TIE Fighters of New England and making dents large enough for its RBs to fit through the gaps and do damage.

Dolphins RT Robert Hunt knocks back Patriots DE Chase Winovich then CB Jonathan Jones on this 31-yd Salvon Ahmed run, his longest of the day. pic.twitter.com/OBu0vIGT8I

— BrianCatNFL (@BrianCatNFL) December 21, 2020

No I was not paid to do Marketing for Disney’s “Mandalorian” I’m simply imploring you to watch the show. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.
 
Coming into this game the Patriots were not good at Stopping the run game, giving up 2,035 rushing yards and a measly 4.5 rushing yards per game. Cam Akers, Kyler Murray, and Kenyan Drake ran over this entire defense. Gone are the days of Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, and Tedy Bruschi where they could stop the run. The Patriots had a leaky run defense, Brian Flores and Josh Boyer took notice.

@MiamiDolphins were short handed in the passing game; but switched to a powerful rushing attack behind rookie FA @AhmedSalvon & @MattBreida to pound the @patriots for 250 and stay alive in the AFC P race. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/1kJ4V3TxxQ

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 21, 2020

The Dolphins (9-5) beat the Patriots (6-8) because they pounded the rock and got the ever important ground game going, after struggling to rush all season, Salvon Ahmed (122 yards rushing) and Matt Breida (86) destroyed the Patriots on the ground, totaling 250 rushing yards.

Salvon Ahmed told his grandmother who is in the hospital that he'd rush for 100 yards for her.

No @MiamiDolphins player had done that in two years.
He finished with 122 yards and a TD. □ (via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/CTxX5cQlD7

— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2020

Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa rushed for two touchdowns and overcame an early interception to manage the game well enough to overcome a New England squad with a weak offense. Miami won without key offensive play-makers in: DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Jakeem Grant, Mike Gesicki and Ereck Flowers.

For the first time since 2013 a team lead offensively by a rookie QB @Tua gets a win over the @Patriots https://t.co/O90b60izPs

— Evan Washburn (@EvanWashburn) December 20, 2020

Historically Rookie QBs struggled against Belichick and attacking the secondary, why not change up the game plan and attack the Patriots glaring weakness, a very Belichick type of move by Flores and Gailey. As mentioned on the podcast. The Patriots could not set the edge leading to long runs by Salvon Ahmed and Matt Breida

Per PFF, the Dolphins ran the football off left end or right end a combined 8 times Sunday. Those 8 plays produced 75 rushing yards including three runs of 10+ yards.

Smythe and Shaheen sounds like a law firm, but Sunday the pairing was a punishing, edge-sealing machine. https://t.co/rcN6hvqWzS

— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) December 21, 2020

This same game plan can be inserted in Saturday Night's Prime-time match-up against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are not effective in stopping the run and setting the edge. With an upcoming run game in Miami this will be a fearful offense in the RPO game.
 
Onto the Raiders.