Ollie Gordon II's Breakout TNF Just The Start

Miami Dolphins rookie running back Ollie Gordon II enjoyed his breakout performance during Thursday Night Football's defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. Gordon established himself alongside De'Von Achane in the backfield. The Dolphins need to keep him involved moving forward.

Gordon rushed for 38 yards and a touchdown via nine carries. The former Oklahoma State standout averaged an effective 4.2 yards against a stout Bills defensive front. Gordon's powerful running style offered the Dolphins a change-of-pace option behind Achane's speedy and slashing style.

Gordon's touchdown opened the scoring, giving the Dolphins a 7-0 lead. It capped an impressive 11-play drive. After Gordon was initially stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on 1st-and-goal, he converted his second opportunity, a powerful run up the gut on 3rd-and-goal for his first career touchdown.

Achane only out-touched Gordon 12-9 in the backfield. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel showed more of a willingness to utilize his backs in a timeshare. Collectively, the Dolphins rushed for 130 yards and nearly matched the Bills' explosive offense in the time of possession metric.

Gordon consistently ran with power, flashing the skill set required to break arm tackles. On this rep, Gordon breaks Shaq Thompson's tackle attempt in the backfield to move the chains in a short-yardage situation. The sixth-round rookie broke three tackles on this play, gaining 16 yards through sheer determination. It was his longest gain of the night.

Gordon posted a positive Expected Points Added (EPA) of 0.25 per play, according to RBSDM's data. His overall EPA of 2.30 was a position-high mark for the Dolphins, besting Achane's 0.1. Only Tyreek Hill (5.2) and Jaylen Waddle (2.50) had better EPAs for the Dolphins’ offense. Gordon consistently offered McDaniel’s unit a positive outcome when his number was called.

Gordon saw his greatest success running to the edges. He gained 18 yards on five attempts running behind left tackle Patrick Paul, according to Next Gen Stats. Running behind right tackle Larry Borom, Gordon accumulated 25 yards via five carries.

The 0-3 Dolphins were held under 100 total rushing yards in both Weeks 1 and 2. After receiving just three carries combined in those contests, Gordon was a far larger component of McDaniel's game plan versus the Bills. Given the ground-game success compared to the previous mistakes, Gordon should continue seeing around 8-12 carries per game.

Three of the Dolphins' next four opponents are against 0-2 teams entering Week 3. Specifically, the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets rank in the bottom 10 in run defense. Gordon should receive opportunities to expose them.

The Dolphins drafted Gordon for his ability to supplant the speedier Achane with his powerful running style. That vision was on full display throughout Thursday night's competitive defeat to the Bills. Gordon has established himself as an important rotational piece on McDaniel's offense.