Crazy Dolphins Numbers, Good and Bad

There are some crazy numbers with rookie RB De'Von Achane beyond the obvious 12.1-yard average

All those who pay attention to the NFL, and certainly Miami Dolphins fans, know by now the team set a new standard for most yards through the first five games of a season.

Everyone also knows about rookie running back De'Von Achane's absolutely insane average of 12.1 yards per carry, which not only would shatter the team single-season record of 6.4 set by Mercury Morris in 1973 but also would beat the NFL record of 8.4 set by Beattie Feathers in 1934 and tied by quarterback Michael Vick in 2006.

But there are other stats that stand out with this Dolphins offense through five games that aren't as well known.

PAVING THE WAY FOR ACHANE

It should be pretty obvious that Achane's crazy speed — yes, he's that fast, like Tyreek Hill fast — is the biggest reason for his gaudy numbers, which include 460 rushing yards in basically three games.

But the Dolphins, through their scheme and work from the offensive line, has set him up for success — and big time.

Check out this stat from Pro Football Reference: Achane is averaging an insane 7.1 yards BEFORE contact so far on his 38 rushing attempts.

Think about that for a second. That average alone would set a Dolphins single-season rushing record.

And now here's where we use comparisons to further illustrate the insanity of it: The second-highest YBC (yards before contact) average among NFL running backs this season is 4.1, belonging to the Jets' Breece Hall. The 2022 leader in that category was Travis Etienne at 3.4.

So think about that one again ... 7.1 yards BEFORE contact.

ACHANE DOING HIS PART

Before anyone starts complaining that maybe we're downplaying what Achane has done, where's another great stat for you.

Achane is average an even 5.0 yards per attempt AFTER contact. That alone would be a great rushing average.

Yes, that figure leads the NFL — and easily. Hall is second in that category as well, this time at 3.1 yards per attempt. The leader in that category last season was Tony Pollard at 2.6.

TUA'S PASSING

Among well-known stats is Tua Tagovailoa leading the NFL in passing yards and yards per completion, but there's another figure that illustrates how on point he's been.

The point it makes: Tua just isn't way off the mark very often.

Again courtesy of Pro Football Reference, Tua leads the league in lowest percentage of "bad throws" at 8.7 percent of his attempts. It may surprise some that the QB in second place in the category is Josh Allen at 9.0.

Interestingly, Tua is only eighth, according to PFR in "on target" throws at 80.7 percent, trailing Dak Prescott, Gardner Minshew, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Allen, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy.

YAC ATTACK

The Dolphins' speed manifests itself in a lot of ways offensively, one of which is the work the receivers do after the catch.

And this season nobody is doing is better.

The Dolphins are No. 1 in the NFL this season in yards after catch at 879 and average YAC per completion at 7.3.

The Kansas City Chiefs are second in total YAC at 704 and the Chicago Bears are second in YAC per completion at 6.0.

By comparison, the Dolphins were 18th in 2022 in both total YAC and YAC per completion.

In the 31-16 victory against the Giants on Sunday, the Dolphins got a whopping 235 of their 308 passing yards after the catch.

THE DISAPPOINTING DOLPHINS OFFENSIVE STAT

Because they've been so productive and explosive, the Dolphins have been able to get by despite being bad in short-yardage situations.

Actually, if we're talking about third-and-1 or fourth-and-1, bad is being very polite. Putrid is more like it.

When it comes to third-and-1, the Dolphins have no rivals in their ineptitude. Miami is 1-for-7 in those situations this season, going 1-for-4 on running plays and coming up short on all three passing attempts, including one Sunday when Tua completed a pass to Jaylen Waddle for no gain.

The only two other teams in the entire NFL who have failed to convert half of their third-and-1 attempts are the New York Jets (1-for-5) and the Las Vegas Raiders (4-for-10).

When it comes to fourth-and-1, the Dolphins aren't much better going 1-for-3 so far, 1-for-2 on runs and 0-for-1 on a pass attempt.

Doing the quick math, it adds to Miami being 2-for-10 in third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 situations; the only other team below 50 percent is the Jets at 42.9 based on their 3-for-7 showing.

At the other end of the spectrum, the New York Giants — yes, the New York Giants — have been the best at those and-1 situations, going a perfect 9-for-9 on third-and-1 and 2-for-3 on fourth-and-1 for a combined 11-for-12.

This short-yardage issue hasn't been a factor for the Dolphins yet, but it potentially could become one at key moments down the stretch this season.

So it would be nice to get it fixed while everything else seems to be working so well offensively.

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