Le'Veon Bell Sets Steelers Record for Most Rushing Yards in a Playoff Game

The Miami Dolphins had no answer for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell in Sunday's wild-card matchup.

Before DeAngelo Williams replaced him in the fourth quarter en route to a Steelers 30-12 rout, Bell ran for a team-record 167 yards, per ESPN Stats & Info. He also scored two touchdowns, doing his damage on 29 carries.

Bell's presence was one of Miami's biggest concerns coming into the game.

Despite making Ndamukong Suh the richest defensive player in the league in 2015, the Dolphins allowed a league-worst 4.8 yards per carry during the regular season. According to Football Outsiders, Miami also ranked 22nd in run defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) and 18th in adjusted line yards.

The absence of Ryan Tannehill through injury hurt the Dolphins offense, but the defense had big problems of its own against Bell, who helped Pittsburgh take a 30-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

Bell's touchdown at the 2:05 mark of the third quarter illustrated Miami's struggles. The Pro Bowler reached the end zone untouched from eight yards out after the Steelers offensive line opened a huge hole.

The NFL shared a replay of his run:

Bell's first touchdown was the culmination of a 10-play drive in which he carried the ball 10 times, further demonstrating the Dolphins' defensive futility.

Two-time Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis was happy to see the Steelers give it to their workhorse back and let him run the show:

Bell missed Pittsburgh's first three games of the regular season after being suspended for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy.

That suspension may have been a blessing in disguise for the Steelers, since Bell is fresher in the playoffs than he would've been with a full 16-game schedule.

The 24-year-old has seemingly saved his best stuff for the second half of the year. His yards per game climbed from 86.0 in October to 88.8 in November and then 142.3 in December.

With Bell running as well as he has, the Steelers have positioned themselves as the top challengers to the New England Patriots for the AFC crown.