Kenyan Drake & Frank Gore

Both running backs have struggled in a big way for the Miami Dolphins in recent weeks. Neither Frank Gore nor Kenyan Drake has been able to make a decent contribution to the offense in weeks. The Dolphins best runner the past two weeks has been their quarterback, Ryan Tannehill.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case today, as both running backs were able to get back on track and were a factor in today’s game, albeit in two very different ways.

Frank Gore came out and established the run early and often for the Miami Dolphins offense in the first half. Gore returned to the physical, imposing presence he’s been his entire career. He couldn’t be stopped in the first half, ripping off runs at 5 to 6 yards a pop.

Kenyan Drake, on the other hand, was held in check fairly well on the ground not only in the first half, but for the entire game. However, in the air was a completely different story.

Drake was the team’s leading receiver on the day, and the only one to come away with a touchdown. Drake finished the game with seven receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. Less than 70 yards for a team’s leading receiver is a huge problem, but that’s a subject for another day.

Both Drake and Gore slowed down in the second half, as the wheels came off for the entire Dolphins offense. Gore only had five carries in the second half, and Drake only touched the ball on the ground two times after halftime. The Dolphins abandoning the running game for no reason in the second half is also a huge problem, but we’ll save that for another day, too.

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