Chris Perkins: Finally! The finesse Dolphins ran the ball, got physical with Patriots, and won

Sometimes old-fashioned muscle and physicality are needed to win NFL games, even in this current highfalutin passing era. And sometimes, we’ve now learned, the Miami Dolphins can play that style of football.

We saw a new, angry side of the Dolphins’ in Sunday’s 15-10 victory at the New England Patriots.

We saw coach Mike McDaniel’s good-natured, mild-mannered team dig deep to re-discover its animalistic nature.

This is significant.

The Dolphins (2-3) used a gutty, fourth-quarter, 15-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was fueled by 10 punishing carries for 60 image-changing yards to take control of Sunday’s game against the hapless Patriots.

The Dolphins showed they can play aggressive, big-boy football, the type that wins rugged road games in December and January. And they put the winning points on the board with a touchdown run by their Pro Bowl fullback.

“For a two-yard run to cap a statement drive,” said fullback Alec Ingold, who scored that touchdown after some gritty blocking to clear paths for running backs Jaylen Wright (13 carries, 86 yards) and Raheem Mostert (19 carries, 80 yards), “is something we needed desperately.”

And actually, it was a three-yard touchdown run, but we’re not going to let facts get in the way of a good quote.

The bottom line is the Dolphins showed us something significant Sunday.

The finesse, pretty-boy Miami Dolphins, who rely on timing and speed to win in an aggressive, violent sport, showed that they can revert to that old-school violent style.

The Dolphins, I’m told, had a few players-only meetings in the past two or three weeks as they sought to end their three-game losing streak.

It turns out all they needed to do was get mean.

All they needed to do is play the type of big-boy football that McDaniel indicated they might play with his calls during training camp.

The Dolphins, who rushed for a season-best 193 yards on 41 clock-controlling, tone-setting carries, took it tight to the Patriots in the fourth quarter, the most important time of the game.

“We were just going straight downhill at the defense,” quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley said, “and it showed they couldn’t hold up.”

We don’t hear this often from the Dolphins.

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This is the team that safety Jordan Poyer said has a reputation around the league for folding when you hit them in the mouth.

This is the place that veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell said has a reputation around the league for being “easy” because it has casual practice habits.

This isn’t a tough team.

We know that.

But now we also know it’s a team that can play tough football from time to time.

We now know that if opponents want to sit in that two-deep safety defense with a seven-man front, the Dolphins are committed to pounding the ball down after down after down.

And they can win in that fashion.

They did this, mind you, with running back De’Von Achane sidelined in the first quarter with a concussion and veteran running back Jeff Wilson Jr. inactive.

Here’s something else the Dolphins showed Sunday — the run game can win games for them.

You know how I like to repeat my favorite numbers.

The Dolphins were 1-6 vs. playoff opponents last season. They rushed for more than 100 yards in four of those seven games — Buffalo twice, Kansas City in Germany and at Baltimore. The Dolphins lost each of them.

Why?

Many of those teams sat in two-deep safety looks knowing the only way the Dolphins could win was with big plays in the passing game. They knew the Dolphins would get impatient with the run when it didn’t yield instant results. 

The Dolphins showed Sunday they’re patient enough to keep pounding away with the run.

And it can lead to a victory.

Now, let’s not read too much into this win.

The Dolphins had to get the benefit of a (correct) replay call to end their three-game losing streak and show that the run game really can lead to a victory. That was the call that showed Patriots wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk had one foot out of the back of the end zone on a play that was originally ruled a touchdown.

Who cares?

The Dolphins played big-boy football on Sunday and they won.

If they can do that again (and again and again), this seemingly innocuous win over the Patriots will be declared a landmark victory because it’ll show the finesse Dolphins can play big-boy football, and win.