Dolphins at Chargers
The Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers have relied on the ground game to regain their footing to inch their way back in the postseason conversation. Miami's Jay Ajayi will look to guide the visiting Dolphins to their fourth straight victory on Sunday against second-year running back and good friend Melvin Gordon and the Chargers in San Diego.
Ajayi has amassed 529 of his 646 yards rushing and four touchdowns during the Dolphins' three-game winning streak -- including 111 and a score in a 27-23 victory over the AFC East-rival New York Jets last Sunday. The 23-year-old's most-recent outburst came against the NFL's top-ranked rushing defense while San Diego boasts the fifth-best (85.3) in the league. Gordon had a field day as well on Sunday en route to earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors with 261 yards from scrimmage (career-best 196 rushing, 65 receiving) in San Diego's 43-35 shootout win over Tennessee. Gordon, also 23, will be facing a dismal Dolphins' rush defense that is yielding 136.1 yards per game, which is 30th in the NFL.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Chargers -3.5. O/U: 48.5
ABOUT THE DOLPHINS (4-4): With Ajayi's workload at an all-time high, quarterback Ryan Tannehill is averaging 201.7 yards per contest during Miami's three-game winning streak -- with just 149 coming against the Jets. "Whatever it takes," Tannehill said. "Obviously, (149 yards) was plenty last week. If we need 300 this week, then that's what we need. It's just a matter of game by game (doing) whatever it takes to move the chains and put points on the board." Jarvis Landry, who has a team-leading 49 receptions, sat out Thursday's practice with a shoulder injury and Kenny Stills did the same with an ailing calf, but both wideouts are expected to play on Sunday.
ABOUT THE CHARGERS (4-5): Buoyed by Gordon's presence in the backfield, Philip Rivers continued his strong season by throwing for two touchdowns and a 117.6 rating last week. The veteran Rivers had an easy time of it in his last meeting with Miami, amassing 311 passing yards and three scores in a 30-14 victory on Dec. 20. Trusted target Antonio Gates has reeled in a touchdown pass in consecutive outings, increasing his total to a team-high four and career tally to 108. Tyrell Williams also had a touchdown reception last week and leads the club with 595 yards receiving.
EXTRA POINTS
1. San Diego DE Joey Bosa shares the NFL rookie lead with four sacks and has 16 quarterback pressures and 16 tackles this season.
2. Miami last won a road game nearly a calendar year ago, defeating Philadelphia on Nov. 15.
3. Chargers CB Casey Hayward has reeled in an interception in back-to-back contests and his five this season are tied with Kansas City's Marcus Peters for the league lead.