Jay Ajayi Passes 1,000 Rushing Yards on Season Saturday

Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi rushed for 51 yards on 19 carries in Saturday's 34-13 win over the New York Jets, surpassing 1,000 total for the season, per the team's Twitter account.

The second-year back out of Boise State now owns 1,007 rushing yards on the season, doing so over 13 games. However, Ajayi didn't take the clear lead role in the backfield until Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans when he rushed 13 times for 42 yards and a touchdown.

On Saturday evening, Ajayi became just the seventh running back to reach the total this season, but he is tied for the second-highest yards per attempt (4.8) among running backs to top 1,000. He's also toted the ball the fewest number of times (212)—prior to Sunday—of the backs with at least 1,000 rushing yards.

The sophomore ball-carrier surpassed 100 yards rushing in three straight weeks from Week 6 to Week 8, but he has not done so in the six most recent contests. He's also scored just one time since notching five touchdowns over his first four games as a starter.

Not all of the blame for Ajayi's struggles can be placed on him. The team has had issues moving the ball through the air under the direction of Ryan Tannehill—who suffered a knee injury last week against the Arizona Cardinals—and an offensive line that has been banged up.

Despite Ajayi's recent stumbles on the ground, the Dolphins may be one of the hottest teams in football over the last nine weeks. While the club's schedule hasn't been all that daunting, Miami has won eight of its last nine games and currently sits in the second wild-card spot after a 1-4 start to the season.

Games against the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in the last two weeks could make it challenging to earn a playoff bid, but it's possible the Patriots will have nothing to play for in Week 17.

Even if the Dolphins do wind up missing the playoffs, it's been a successful season for a team that last posted a winning record in 2008, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. If nothing else, the team may have found its next franchise running back.