We Speak NFL
Ollie Gordon II Has Taken Over the Dolphins’ Backfield
The Miami Dolphins’ first win of the season came with a changing of the guard in the backfield.
Ollie Gordon II carried 25 times for 103 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s 28-25 win over the New York Jets, the latest statement in a midseason takeover that has made the 22-year-old the centerpiece of Miami’s run game. Gordon has now rushed for 100 or more yards in two of his last three games.
The opportunity arrived through injury. De’Von Achane, the Dolphins’ explosive starter, suffered a torn ACL in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, ending his season and removing the most dynamic piece of Miami’s offense.
Gordon has answered with a workhorse’s workload. He operated in a near every-down role against the Jets, and the depth chart behind him is thin. Jaylen Wright exited Sunday’s win with a quad injury, leaving recent signee Kaytron Allen as the only other healthy running back on the 53-man roster.
The shift matters for how Miami plays. Quarterback Malik Willis produced his best game of the year against New York, going 14-for-21 for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and a credible ground game is a big reason why. Defenses that have to respect Gordon between the tackles cannot pin everything on Willis and the passing attack.
The test stiffens immediately. Miami faces a sturdy New England Patriots defense in Week 8, and Gordon will be the focal point of the Patriots’ game plan in a way he has not been before.
A month ago, Gordon was a change-of-pace option waiting for snaps. Achane’s injury changed the depth chart, and Gordon’s production has changed the offense. The Dolphins’ backfield belongs to him now.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the last month winning games with an incomplete roster. The cavalry is finally in sight.
Wide receiver Roman Wilson and defensive tackle Derrick Harmon are nearing the end of their required four-game stays on injured reserve, and Pittsburgh’s upcoming bye week falls at the perfect time to welcome them back. The Steelers play once more in Week 8 before the bye gives their returning players an extra week to get ready.
Pittsburgh has weathered the absences well, beating the teams it was supposed to beat, including the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in the NFL’s first game in Paris. But the holes have been real. At receiver, the Steelers lost Michael Pittman Jr. to injured reserve in Week 5 after he aggravated a foot injury, and Wilson went down with a finger injury in the second half of that same week and landed on IR as well. Rookie Germie Bernard has been asked to carry a bigger role behind DK Metcalf ever since.
Not every return is on schedule. Reports indicate there is a chance Pittman misses the rest of the season, and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day’s return timeline remains unknown. But Wilson and Harmon would restore two rotation pieces at positions where Pittsburgh has been stretching its depth for a month.
Head coach Mike McCarthy likes where his roster stands as the reinforcements approach.
“We’ve got the right guys,” McCarthy said during his weekly press conference. “We’ve got a really great mix of veterans and young guys, and you’re just seeing it come together.”
The Steelers built their record without some of their best young players. If Wilson and Harmon come off the bye at full strength, the team that takes the field for the second half of the season will be deeper than the one that survived the first half.
Lions Expect Amon-Ra St. Brown Back at Practice Thursday After Ankle Scare
Ollie Gordon II Has Taken Over the Dolphins’ BackfieldCowboys Waive Emari Demercado, D.J. Rogers as Injured Players Near ReturnC.J. Stroud Calls Out Texans’ Penalty Problem: “It’s Not Winning Football”Dream Season Meets Desperation: No. 20 Northwestern Walks Into Autzen Against Reeling OregonSurprise of the ACC: No. 14 Wake Forest Hosts Virginia With a Title-Game Path in SightNo. 12 Ole Miss Must Beat Auburn Without Its Star Running Back to Keep Playoff Hopes AlivePride Game in Tallahassee: Clemson and Florida State Meet on Halloween With Seasons on the Line-
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