De’Von Achane has been dropping bombs everywhere he’s played over the last month. He has truly been terrorizing NFL defenses. And his biggest hit might be yet to come.
It all began four weeks ago when Achane served as the catalyst for a massive 30-13 upset win over the Buffalo Bills that shook the Dolphins franchise to its very core. When they shook off the cobwebs, they realized they could have success by riding their best player. What a novel idea.
Against Buffalo, Achane was fed 28 touches for 225 yards and two touchdowns. The next week it was 26 touches for 165 and then 22 for 134. Last week, the Dolphins won in blowout fashion, so Achane didn’t play as much, taking eight touches for 105 yards.
And yet, this Week 15 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers is all set up to be an even bigger explosion than all of those. And why? Because we’re getting a rare “worst versus first” dynamic here on Monday Night Football.
MNF features the hottest RB in football against the coldest run defense in the NFL
Overall this season, De’Von Achane ranks in the top five for most rushing categories. But over the past four weeks, Achane hasn’t just been top five. He hasn’t just been good—he’s been the best in the NFL.
During that span, his 520 rush yards lead the league, as do his 24 first downs. He’s also second in yards per rush (a whopping 7.2) and TDs (4).
And it just so happens that the Steelers have been by far the worst run defense in the NFL during that same four-week interval. For the season, the Steelers are middle of the pack when it comes to rush yards allowed per game and per attempt. But those mediocre stats mask a much more troubling recent truth for Pittsburgh.
They’ve given up 670 rushing yards over the last month, which is nearly 50 more than the next-worst unit. That includes 217 to the Baltimore Ravens last week and 249 in a truly embarrassing showing against the Buffalo Bills the week before that. The 4.9 yards per carry they’ve allowed is also fifth-worst in football.
The Steelers are going to be without T.J. Watt as well. And while most view him as a pure pass rusher, he’s actually one of the better run defenders in the entire NFL.
Steelers first-round rookie defensive tackle Derrick Harmon is also likely to miss the game. Considering the 200-yard rushing fiestas began the week after Harmon was injured in Week 12, that’s just another reason why De’Von Achane is in for a career night on MNF.
And if he can keep Miami’s playoff hopes alive while doing it, that’s all the better.
