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Dolphins have an unexpected star emerging in Jay Ajayi

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi said last week that he didn’t want to be a “one-hit wonder." He understood the newfound fame and attention he received after he rushed for 204 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.

So what does Ajayi do for an encore? How about 214 rushing yards on 29 carries in Sunday’s 28-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills?

Ajayi became just the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to post back-to-back 200-yard rushing games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The last player to accomplish the feat was former Dolphins running back Ricky Williams in 2002.

The Dolphins have an unexpected star emerging in Ajayi. He was a fifth-round pick in 2015 and didn’t win a starting job in training camp after being beat out by former four-time Pro Bowler Arian Foster. Ajayi also was left at home during Miami’s Week 1 trip to Seattle against the Seahawks because head coach Adam Gase was unhappy with the way he responded to the benching.

However, the past two weeks Ajayi has come out of nowhere. He averaged 29.2 rushing yards in his first four games but is averaging 209 rushing yards the past two weeks against Pittsburgh (4-2) and Buffalo (4-3).

Thanks to Ajayi, with help from the offensive line, Miami (3-4) has its first winning streak of the season and is at least in position to make a push in the second half of the season.

As much as the Dolphins invested resources into their passing attack, led by $96 million quarterback Ryan Tannehill and highly drafted receivers DeVante Parker and Jarvis Landry, the reality is Miami is at its best this season when it is a run-first offense. Ajayi must continue getting a heavy workload, as in 25 to 30 carries per game, to put the Dolphins in the best position to win games.

The Dolphins snapped the Bills' four-game winning streak. Buffalo also entered this game with five wins over the Dolphins in the teams' past six meetings. The Dolphins now have a bye week to rest and prepare to play the New York Jets (2-5) on Nov. 6 with a chance to get back to .500.