MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — For a guy who just broke two team records in an hour, Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert sure seemed a bit perturbed.
Mostert now holds the Dolphins’ record for most rushing (18) and total (20) touchdowns in a season after scoring two more on the ground in the Dolphins’ 30-0 thrashing of the New York Jets Sunday.
And while he allowed himself to smile a few times during his postgame news conference, he made clear that his 2.8 yards-per-carry average was far below his standard.
“My standard is high for myself,” Mostert said. ” … I’m pissed off today about this run. I’m sorry, but it kind of got to — yeah, I’ve got the record and everything, both records, but I felt like I didn’t help my team enough in the run game, and that’s something that I’ve got to truly live with now.
“It’s just a standard that I’ve set for myself, and I’m just trying to climb that ladder.”
Miami Dolphins Want To Run All Over Dallas Cowboys
A “pissed off” Raheem Mostert is a motivated Raheem Mostert — and that’s bad news for a Dallas Cowboys defense that’s in crisis.
The Cowboys on Sunday got the wheels blown off them by the ascendant Buffalo Bills 31-10 despite holding Josh Allen to just 94 yards passing.
How did Buffalo do it?
By rushing for 266 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries against a Cowboys defense that is suddenly vulnerable.
Through Sunday’s games, the Cowboys rank 19th in rush defense (117.4 yards per game), 18th in yards per carry (4.3), 13th in rush EPA (-.097), and last in rush success rate (45.3%).
Their numbers over the course of the last three weeks — 24th in rush EPA (-.017), 29th in rush success rate (47.7%) — are even worse.
MORE: How the Dolphins Can Clinch a Playoff Spot in Week 16
The Cowboys in Week 15 were without defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (high ankle sprain), but Dallas’ issues went far beyond one missing player. The Bills abused the Cowboys with outside runs. Plus safety play has been an issue all season for Dallas, and Sunday was no different.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, have multiple speed backs who can exploit teams on the edges. Mostert, who leads the NFL in touchdowns and ranks third in rushing yards (966) will be option No. 1.
“There’s a lot of people on the team that have been told that they couldn’t, and there’s certain types of people that really thrive in those type of scenarios,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday.
“Raheem was told he shouldn’t have an NFL career from his first draft day. You go undrafted, that’s something that people don’t really pay attention to, but that’s a heartbreak. Then you’re cut from a multitude of teams.
“He’s one of the strongest-willed people that I’ve ever been around.”
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