MIAMI GARDENS – It didn’t take long for the Miami Dolphins to find themselves in a compromising position against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Three snaps into the game, the Dolphins faced a third-and-7 situation at their 33-yard line. In the NFL, that’s usually bad news.
De’Von Achane entered. Shocker.
Well, it may not have been a surprise to fans watching the Dolphins this season, but apparently it did surprise the Raiders. There was no defender within 7 yards of Achane when he caught the ball in the right flat.
And why such things continue to happen is a surprise…to Achane.
“We’ve done that pretty much all season, so you expect the defense to try to cover it,” Achane said. “But hopefully they’ll continue to leave me open.”
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Achane is perfectly comfortable if the mystery of why the defense isn’t protecting him remains for another week. The only time he didn’t make a big impact this season was in the 15-10 win over New England, when he left in the first quarter after sustaining a concussion. So the Patriots’ visit this Sunday offers a second chance at New England.
De’Von Achane benefits from the threat of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle
In a way, the puzzle is not difficult to solve. Teams don’t want to get burned by receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, so Achane is just their No. 3 concern – or sometimes No. 4, considering Miami’s increasing reliance on tight end Jonnu Smith.
“For us last year, if you look at our ability to put up high scores, explosive plays and things like that, what’s the response from the defense?” said offensive coordinator Frank Smith. “Is it now like, ‘Okay, then let’s sit back and maybe dedicate four people to two (receivers) a lot of times?’ Well, if that happens now, there will be encounters in other places.”
Like a linebacker trying to run stride for stride with Achane, a 100- and 200-yard All-American at Texas A&M.
Not that he has much sympathy for the opponents, but Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver can relate to what they’re going through.
“You pay so much attention to the outside guys and the speed they have,” Weaver said. “So that requires you to obviously play with some air and be willing to give up some of the routes underneath. This is often a background check. If this check-down is aimed at a guy who drives a 4.3 or whatever De’Von, then that’s problematic. So you have to admit something, right? There is no perfect defensive call. There is no perfect defense. And when you’re dealing with the athletic ability that we have on the offensive side of the ball, that’s usually what you’re going to give up.”
Achane put together a performance that had coach Mike McDaniel saying his running back was at his best. No, he didn’t have one of his flashy long sprints for a touchdown, but he finished the game with 105 yards from scrimmage – 73 rushing yards and 32 receiving yards – including a 2-yard touchdown run.
Achane emerges from the three-man RB crowd
The Dolphins began the season with a three-pronged rushing attack that also featured Raheem Mostert and rookie Jaylen Wright. Over the course of this season, Achane has become the go-to guy.
“I just feel like that’s just how the game goes,” Achane said. “It’s not like we practice, ‘Okay, we’ll just keep giving him the ball.’ I just feel like we did a great job just taking what they give us. I caught a lot of balls, for example on check-downs. Many teams don’t want to cover the check-down. And we just took everything.”
Having Achane and Smith as outlets on third down was crucial for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, especially when trying to move the chains on those downs. Depending on whose stats you believe, Achane either has zero drops in the NFL (according to Pro Football Focus) or one (Pro Football Reference). Either way, a sprinter who came into the league assuring everyone that he could both run between the tackles and catch the ball proved that neither claim was unfounded.
“Last year I felt like I could throw to him and the way he caught the ball was really outstanding, but that’s kind of gone because he also runs really well,” Tagovailoa said.
Achane’s emergence as an all-purpose defender continues a Dolphins tradition exemplified by Jim Kiick on Super Bowl-winning teams and Tony Nathan alongside Dan Marino. Even at this early stage, it is not unreasonable to wonder whether Achane could one day be considered the best of them all.
Against the Raiders, the Dolphins had four scoring drives with double-digit plays, including a 97-yard touchdown drive. Achane’s theory on why it works is all about being patient.
“I don’t think many teams expect that from us,” he said.
Achane has 530 rushing yards and a 4.3 average. He has 46 receptions for 349 yards. He scored three rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns. He is the Dolphins’ leading rusher and leading receiver in receptions. And he ranks fourth in receiving yards. Only four NFL players have 500 or more rushing yards and more than 300 receiving yards.
“He’s doing a good job,” said Mostert, Miami’s leading rusher last season. “He’s hot right now and that’s good to see. It’s very impressive.”
Achane got off to a dynamic start as a rookie last year, but suffered a knee injury midway through the season and wasn’t quite the same.
“I’m 100 percent healthy,” he said. “I haven’t had any injuries like I had last season, so I’m just trying to keep going. Just make sure my body is maintained for the rest of the season.”
The endurance run of the season? Maybe the defense will pay more attention to him at some point.
Sunday gamePatriots on DolphinsCBS, 1 p.m
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com .
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