Not only is Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane averaging an absurd 9.5 yards on his first 56 NFL carries, but consider this: His nine touchdowns in his first six career games is tied with Hall of Famer Gale Sayers for the second-most in NFL history, behind only Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson’s 10. Achane is also the fifth player all-time with at least two rushing touchdowns in three of his first six career games. And the NFL’s public relations department noted this: Achane has played more than five snaps in a game four times in his career and he has averaged 155 yards from scrimmage in those games. Here’s how many yards he has in those four games: Week 3 against Denver: 233 yards, four touchdowns Week 4 at Buffalo: 120 yards, two touchdowns Week 5 vs. the Giants: 165 yards, one touchdown Week 13 at Washington: 103 yards, two touchdowns Achane, who ran 17 times for 73 yards against Washington, played 37 of Miami’s 61 offensive snaps, compared to 23 for Raheem Mostert and five for Jeff Wilson Jr. Mostert’s 14 rushing touchdowns are two short of Ricky Williams’ single-season franchise record. And Mostert’s 16 overall TDs are two short of Mark Clayton’s single-season franchise record.
De’Von Achane has cemented his place on the Dolphins as quickly as a rookie can. We know this by his performance on the field … and we know by his performance in the locker room Sunday after the Dolphins blew out the Washington Commanders, 45-15. Following his first extended action in two months because of a sprained knee, Achane was asked about the man dressing in the next locker over, Raheem Mostert. “Great man, him, over there,” Achane said. “Great running back. Great leader. Everybody might think he’s old, but he’s still got some juice in him.” Old? Who’s Achane calling old? “Oh, my fault,” Achane said, his grin getting even wider. More: Give Dolphins GM Chris Grier his flowers for role in all this | Schad Dolphins running back De'Von Achane scores one of his two touchdowns against Washington. Mostert took this the way he takes on would-be tacklers near the goal line: in stride. “He’s, uh, he’s still learning,” Mostert said. “We gotta — I gotta — teach him the ropes. It’s my fault. I’ve gotta blame myself on that one.” For the record, Achane was 22 years, 51 days old Sunday. Mostert was 31 years, 238. But despite those differences, they have one thing in common: fresh legs. Maybe that’s why Achane had 17 carries for his 73 yards including two short, second-half touchdown runs, plus three receptions for 30 yards. Mostert ran 11 times for 43 yards including a 1-yard score. Miami rushed for 123 yards, but the key takeaway from the backs is that they’re getting whole again at the perfect time. When the topic of a “rookie wall” was broached with Achane, he pointed to his time on injured reserve as proof there’s plenty of tread left on the tires. “I don’t have a rookie wall, you could say that,” he said. Mostert also is fresh for his age. He’s in his ninth NFL season, yet he has exceeded 100 carries only four times, including this year. He entered Sunday’s game second in the league in rushing and first in rushing touchdowns with 13. Put them together with Jeff Wilson, who’s also healthy again, and you have a strong complement to an aerial attack that saw Tyreek Hill score on two long receptions from Tua Tagovailoa. “From the run to the deep ball, it’s kind of hard to stop both,” Achane said. It’s a multiple attack Dolphins fans have been longing for after Achane strung together performances of 203, 101 and 151 rushing yards before landing on injured reserve. “You love the game of football like I do, you always want to be on the field,” Achane said. “You know injuries are part of this game, so I’m so glad that I can come back healthy.” Achane said it didn’t take long to feel like himself. “Once you get in,” he said. “You know, a couple of tackles the first times you get the ball, after that, you go back to being yourself.” Achane does bulk of running in Miami's final scoring drive If any part of his comeback stood out to him, it’s the final scoring drive, which covered 59 yards in 13 plays and swallowed 7:50. Achane began the possession with six consecutive carries for 41 yards. He ended it with a 2-yard touchdown run around right end. “I know y’all know about him being electric, man,” Wilson said. “I expect nothing less from him. If he didn’t do that, shoot, then we’d have a problem. But I’m proud of him, happy for him. I can’t wait to see him continue to grow.” The Dolphins entered the game with the No. 1 passing attack in the league and No. 2 ground game. “It’s crazy thinking about it because we still ain’t where we want to be,” Wilson said. More: NFL fans want 'the cameraman' involved in Tyreek Hill's viral backflip to get credential back Which is? “Number one in everything.” At 9-3, the Dolphins are in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and with it, home-field advantage and a first-round bye. With the win, the Dolphins are given a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs by The New York Times’ computer, plus a 97 percent chance of winning the AFC East and an 18 percent shot at the conference’s top seed. The Chiefs, at 46 percent, were given the best chance entering Sunday night’s game vs. the Packers. “December, that’s when teams have their best ball, right?” Mostert said. A veteran’s wisdom, that is
He should have a real shot, especially in the next two weeks where we'll build a lead and mainly run during the 2nd half. I'd be surprised if he doesn't break it to be honest.
Mostert wants to break RW TD record so they will need a lot of rushing TD's for them both to break records
Yeah, I thought about that too. The team is going for all sorts of passing/rushing/catching records this season.
Mostert only needs 3. And Achane needs 5. That is 8 total touchdowns in 5 games. Which is not out of the realm of possibility.
as long as they carries are given to the correct RB at the correct time. Thinking they won't purposedly let one RB get the record then work on the other one getting it.
I'm gonna be honest here. I wasn't impressed when they drafted him and i thought it was a wasted pick. And then Dalvin Cook wanted to come home and play for Miami and I was all for it because I still didn't believe in the kid. I was so wrong and I'm glad to have this kid on the team. The scouts knocked it out of the park and the Phins drafted a good one and got a steal of a deal.
If I had to guess, McDaniel will care less about setting records. Either they come organically or they don't happen at all. However, I can see that being slightly different for Tyreek...regardless if its fair or not. The good news here is that we're seeing a balanced offense the first half (where Tyreek gets his points/yards) and then a heavy run game in the 2nd half (where Mostert/Achane thrive). It's possible all three get to hit their marks, unless we're just blowing people out and these guys aren't on the field. Tyreek has barely played the last 2nd halves of games...if we went all-out, he might have broken the 2k yards already.
I was instantly excited when I saw McDaniel's reaction to drafting him. When coach wants someone that badly, you know he has plans for him.
I wanted Dalvin but not the at contract price he was wanting. Hindsight being 20/20, he looks washed and we dodged a bullet. Instead we got another speedster with fresh legs. It all worked out in the end.
