Trailing by 10 points at halftime against the Buffalo Bills' 26th-ranked run defense and top-rated sack squad, the Miami Dolphins ran the ball a total of three times in the second half.
On Monday, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman stood by his decision to abandon the running game, which totaled 12 carries for 14 yards Sunday.
"I just did not feel at any point that of those 12 carries our longest run was three yards," Sherman said, per The Miami Herald. "... A lack of productivity in the run game caused me to veer off into another direction."
The Dolphins' running game has struggled behind a bad offensive line for most of the season. Miami ranks 26th in rushing yards per game -- a stat that is slightly misleading as the team also is the third-lowest in terms of attempts per game. The Dolphins' 4.1 yards per attempt indicates they are more a middle-of-the-pack rushing team.
Sherman said he wants to run the ball, but the production just isn't there.
"To be successful in the playoffs I believe this too and people are going to stop what you do best, if you're a really good running team you can't throw the football and capitalize on situations where there is an overpopulated box then you're going to have a tough time too," he said. "I think you have to be able to do both and you have to be able to have balance."
We should point out that Sherman can't have balance if he doesn't actually call running plays.
It's undeniable that the Dolphins are in position to make the playoffs on the strength of Ryan Tannehill's arm and a good defensive group. However, the coordinator's talk of balance is hollow if he doesn't stick with it this week against a New York Jets team that has given up 100-plus yards on the ground the past four weeks -- which includes the Dolphinsin Week 13.
*The latest "Around The League Podcast" broke down the Dolphins' loss and every other Week 16 game. *
