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Inside the Numbers: Dolphins use Rushing Attack, Run Defense to Fuel Win Over Jets

The Miami Dolphins are 8-3 for the second consecutive season thanks to Friday's 34-13 road win over the New York Jets. Miami is now 12-3 in its last 15 games against the Jets and is one of four AFC teams with six conference wins this season.

We go Inside the Numbers, presented by BDO, to take a look at the most notable team stats, individual metrics, milestones and more from Miami's Week 12 win.

Running With Raheem

Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, running back Raheem Mostert had only recorded 20 or more carries once - a 220-yard, four-touchdown performance against San Francisco in the 2019 NFC Championship Game - and never in a regular season game.

He's now done so twice in back-to-back weeks. Mostert finished with 94 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.7 avg.) and two touchdowns against the Jets after running for 86 yards on 22 attempts (3.9 avg.) against the Raiders.

Of the 17 players in the NFL with over 600 rushing yards this season, only Mostert has a yards per carry average above 5.0. He also leads the league with 13 rushing touchdowns.

Additionally, Mostert's 4.33 average rush yards gained after coming within one yard of the nearest defender is the third-best rate in the NFL this season, per Next Gen Stats.

Success on Third Down

Miami converted 11 of its 16 third down conversions against the Jets (68.8%). Miami and Kansas City (58.3% in Week 4) are the only teams to convert over 50 percent of their third down attempts in a game against the Jets this season.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finished 10-for-12 for 160 yards on third down. It's the most passing yards on third down against the Jets since Giants quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 175 yards on Nov. 10, 2019.

Tagovailoa's nine first downs on 12 pass attempts is tied for the most first-down conversions on third-down passes in a game since Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert recorded 12 against Washington on Sept. 12, 2021.

Defensively, the Dolphins allowed just two offensive first downs in the first half and 12 total for the game. The 12 total offensive first downs tied the Jets' lowest mark this season.

Of the Jets two first-half first downs, one came on a defensive penalty on the Dolphins and the other came on a run. It was just the fifth time since 2000 that the Jets failed to record a passing first down in the first half of a regular season game.

It was also just the second game since 2000 that the Jets recorded one or fewer rushing and passing first downs in the first half of a regular season game.

Stopping the Run

Miami held the Jets to 29 rushing yards on 10 carries. It's the fewest rushing yards allowed by Miami in a game since Dec. 11, 2017 vs. New England, when they allowed 25.

The Jets' 29 rushing yards is tied for the 10th-fewest in a game in their franchise's history and their fewest in a game since Nov. 26, 2006, when they had 27 rushing yards against Houston.

The Dolphins have allowed just 65 rushing yards in their last two games. Miami and Chicago are the only two teams that have held an opponent under 40 rushing yards twice this season.

Since Week 8, the Dolphins are the only NFL team that has not allowed a rushing touchdown. All but one other team (Minnesota) has given up at least two.

Since Week 2, the Dolphins (788) have allowed the fewest rushing yards of any team and are second in opponents yards per rush attempt (3.4).

Individual/Team Milestones

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (11,192) threw for 243 yards and passed Jay Fiedler (11,040) for the fourth-most passing yards in team history.

Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle (114) and Tyreek Hill (102) each topped 100 yards receiving. It's the second time this season that Waddle and Hill have eclipsed 100 yards in the same game and the sixth time they've done so as teammates.

Waddle's 3,062 receiving yards through his first three seasons are the most in franchise history.

Hill recorded his 10th receiving touchdown and is the first Dolphins player since Mike Wallace (2014) to post double-digit touchdown receptions in a season.

Six different players contributed at least a half-sack as the Dolphins totaled 7.0 sacks in the contest. Miami now has two games (vs. Giants, at Jets) with 7.0 sacks in the same season for the first time since 1998.

When safety Jevon Holland turned a Jets Hail Mary attempt into a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown (third-longest interception return in franchise history), he traveled 124.4 yards, the most distance traveled by a ball carrier on a scrimmage play this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

For more analysis from the Dolphins win, listen to the latest episode of Drive Time with Travis Wingfield.

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