The Associated Press

MIAMI — With the Miami Dolphins facing an uphill climb to the playoffs, running back Ronnie Brown sees a potential path: His team is 5-0 this year when rushing for 100 yards.

“I think we need to run for a few more 100-yard games,” Brown says with a grin.

Easier said than done. The Dolphins’ ground game has sputtered this season, a big reason they take a modest 6-5 record into Sunday’s game against Cleveland.

Brown is averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry, and the Dolphins rank only 19th in the NFL in rushing. But they ran for a season-high 186 yards while controlling the ball for more than 41 minutes in last week’s victory at Oakland, and coach Tony Sparano would love to stick with that winning formula.

“I think there are some things there that we can build on that we feel like we did well and maybe carry over a little bit,” Sparano says.

Stopping the ground game has been a problem for the Browns (4-7). They gave up 152 yards rushing at home last week against hapless Carolina and won only because the Panthers missed a field goal as time expired.

Better defense will be needed against Brown and backup Ricky Williams, Cleveland coach Eric Mangini says.

“It starts with tackling, that’s the first thing,” Mangini says. “We’ve got to wrap up more effectively.

“You try to block-tackle Ricky Williams, it’s not going to work. Same thing with Ronnie Brown — he’s very patient in the backfield. He’s got a great ability to navigate through traffic, and nothing’s hurried. It’s almost like when he’s reading the defense, it slows down for him, and you’ve got to be sound.”

The Dolphins’ so-so run defense faces a formidable challenge, too. Cleveland’s Peyton Hillis has 905 yards rushing and 414 receiving, both team highs, and with 11 rushing touchdowns, he joined Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly as the only Cleveland backs to score that many in a season.

“That’s how you know if you’re a good defense — if you can take away somebody’s running game,” Miami linebacker Tim Dobbins said. “Hillis is going to bring it. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”

The best way to beat the Browns is to make them throw. In their eight wins since last Dec. 10, the Browns have averaged 190 yards rushing. In seven losses during that span, they’ve averaged 95 yards.

Cleveland and Miami have both endured a revolving door at quarterback. Browns veteran Jake Delhomme, who replaced injured rookie Colt McCoy last week and will start Sunday, has thrown six interceptions and only one touchdown pass this season. Chad Henne rejoined the Dolphins’ lineup last week following a benching and a knee injury, and for the first time in a month, they’ll start the same quarterback two games in a row.

“For me now, it’s kind of just go out and make it a new beginning, realizing that this isn’t life or death,” Henne says. “It’s a fun game to play.”

It’s more fun when the offense clicks, and maybe the Dolphins’ unit is finally starting to do so. Miami totaled 471 yards at Oakland, the franchise’s highest total since 1995, when Dan Marino was still in his prime.

Even the wildcat — ineffective most of the season — contributed 34 yards.

“We were caged up for a little while,” Brown says. “To run successfully and utilize that formation felt pretty good.”

Despite the big statistics last week, the Dolphins’ 3.8-yard average per rush remains their lowest since 2004. They’ve run for only five touchdowns after totaling 22 last year. Neither Brown nor Williams has a 100-yard game this season, and play-calling has raised doubts at times about Miami’s commitment to the rush.

Five times this season, the Dolphins have run the ball less than 25 times. Those are the five games they lost.

“Everybody says, ‘Well, do you know what you are?’ Yeah, I think I clearly know what we are,” Sparano says. “When we rush the ball well, it’s usually a good day. Possessing the ball for us has been a good formula.”

The Dolphins want to put it to use again Sunday, but then so do the Browns.