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Is Jay Ajayi the real deal or a 2-hit wonder?

Jasen Vinlove / USA TODAY Sports

Jay Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in consecutive games, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 28-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Ajayi, who was previously off to an underwhelming start to his career, is in top form at the moment and is keeping the Dolphins' season alive.

We examine whether Ajayi is the real deal or whether he's a mere two-hit wonder.

The case for Ajayi

Ajayi joined O.J. Simpson, Earl Campbell, and Ricky Williams as the only players to pull off this feat, and the company he's joined is a testament to his ability. It's a no-brainer for the Dolphins to make Ajayi their feature back for the duration of the season, rendering Arian Foster and Damien Williams to the bench unless he needs a quick breather.

It's an admittedly small sample, but Ajayi is rushing for 6.3 yards per carry. The pace is unsustainable, but if Ajayi can reasonably approximate the pace he's set thus far, he'll emerge as one of the NFL's best running backs by year's end. Ajayi's two 200-yard plus games occurred against top-15 rushing defenses, and he could give lesser teams fits as the season progresses.

The 23-year-old is also winning favor from the analytics community:

The case against Ajayi

Ajayi's opportunity to prove himself as a genuine star becomes more difficult as the season goes on, squaring off against five top-10 rushing defenses before the campaign ends.

Below is the Dolphins' remaining schedule:

Opponent Rushing defense rank*
New York Jets 6
San Diego Chargers 5
Los Angeles Rams 23
San Francisco 49ers 32
Baltimore Ravens 1
Arizona Cardinals 17
New York Jets 6
Buffalo Bills 15
New England Patriots 9

*Rank prior to Sunday's games

Before his two-week explosion, Ajayi was relatively anonymous on the national radar.

During his rookie year, Ajayi rushed for 3.8 yards per carry and while he represented good return on value for a fifth-round pick, he was no one's idea of a burgeoning superstar. It's eminently possible Cinderella turns back into a pumpkin by Week 10.

Ajayi's accomplishment ought to be lauded, but NFL history is littered with players who were just a flash in the pan. It's almost certainly too early to hold Ajayi among the likes of Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson, and Ezekiel Elliott without further evidence.

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