Last season under Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell, the Miami Dolphins finished with a record of 6-10 and struggled down the stretch, losing three of their last four games. After missing the playoffs once again, the Dolphins’ front office wanted to change their identity and named former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase as their head coach.

Gase was credited for turning around Jay Cutler in 2015 and the Dolphins’ front office was hoping he could do the same with Ryan Tannehill. However, things did not start off well for Gase and Dolphins this season as they were 1-4 through the five games.

Tannehill only completed 64 percent of his passes for 1,272 yards to go with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. Arian Foster was hampered by nagging injuries before he eventually retired, and the defense was allowed 23.8 points and 401 total yards per game.

Many were wondering if this could be Tannehill’s last season in Miami, whether All-Pro defensive end Cameron Wake could be dealt at the trade deadline and if Gase was in over his head as head coach. But on October 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami’s fortunes started to change and they began to find their identity.

Instead of being a pass happy team, they became a smash mouth, running football team that was also going to play tough defense. This newly discovered identity worked against the Steelers as running back Jay Ajayi had his coming out party. Ajayi gashed Pittsburgh’s defense for 204 rushing yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns.

While Ajayi had a career day, the defense showed up as well, sacking Ben Roethlisberger twice and forcing him to throw two interceptions. Miami defeated Pittsburgh 30-15 under their new identity.

The next week against Buffalo, the Dolphins once again went to their bread and butter: A smash mouth running game and tough defense. Ajayi ran over the Bills’ defense to the tune of 214 rushing yards on 29 carries and a touchdown, while the Dolphins’ defense shut down Buffalo’s running game, holding them to only 67 yards.

That within itself is a win, especially when you are going up against a quarterback/running back tandem such as Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy. Tannehill also had a good game as he threw for 204 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

The Dolphins followed those major keys of success and it landed them their second straight victory, defeating Buffalo 28-25.

After the bye week, the Dolphins faced off against another division opponent, this time the New York Jets, who was not trying to make history on defense by allowing Ajayi to rush for 200 plus yards again. 

Even though Ajayi didn’t rush for 200 yards, he still made a dent in the Jets’ defense as he ran for 111 yards and a touchdown. With Ajayi having success on the ground, it made Tannehill’s life easier as he was able to throw for 149 yards and a touchdown. 

Once again, as in the two prior games, Tannehill played mistake free football, which has helped his turnaround and the Dolphins’ offense sustain longer drives.

On the other hand, the Dolphins made Ryan Fitzpatrick’s life difficult, sacking him three times, intercepting him twice and forcing two fumbles. Out of the three sacks, Wake had two, while Ndamukong Suh pitched in with the other one. If those players are able to penetrate the offensive line, it’s going to be a long day for whoever is under center.

The Dolphins defeated the Jets by a final score of 27-23 and were finally at the .500 mark with a 4-4 record. However, Miami still had another test to pass, which was to go on the road to take on a Chargers’ team, who has shown that they can put up points in bunches.

On Sunday, the Dolphins showed that they weren’t scared of the Chargers and that they were going to stick to their identity to pull out the win.

Despite, the Chargers’ defense, slowing down Ajayi in the first half, he exploded in the second half, finishing with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries. This season, Ajayi has shown that he gets stronger as the game progresses as he is averaging 7.0 yards per carry in the second half. However, in the first half, Ajayi is averaging 4.0 yards per carry.

On the other side of the ball, Miami’s defense had a field day with Philip Rivers, intercepting him four times (2 from Tony Lippett, 1 from Byron Maxwell and 1 from Kiko Alonso). Alonso’s interception was the backbreaker as he intercepted Rivers with 1:13 left to go in the game and returned it 60 yards to give the Dolphins a 31-24 lead.

When you run the ball and get turnovers on defense, you will always have a strong chance to win the game. These are the keys to success for Miami, but more importantly an identity they’ve embraced under Gase.

The question now is can they ride this wave of success for the rest of the season? It’s possible, but tough as they play the Rams in LA this upcoming Sunday and still have to face the Baltimore Ravens and their AFC East divisional foes one more time.

Realistically, the Dolphins can finish the season with eight or nine wins, which is an improvement from last season. However, while it may not get them in the playoffs this season, Gase has laid the for winning football.