NFL
Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins Preview
Derek Carr and the 0-2 Oakland Raiders come to the east coast to face the 2-0 Miami Dolphins in Week 3 of the NFL season.
Week 2 Recap
Oakland’s last-minute loss last week came as shock after shutting out the Denver Broncos in the first half. Carr threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Broncos. They rallied back scoring 20 points in the second half while Oakland only scored 7. A last-minute field goal by Brandon McManus put Denver up with 6 seconds left on the clock.
The Dolphins might have traded away WR Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns in the off-season but that hasn’t seemed to matter so far. Miami is 2-0 and the Dolphins have been hot. Miami shut out the Jets in the first half last week and failed to score in the second half. But their defense held up keeping the Jets from scoring more than 12 points.
Week 3 Preview
Carr and the Raiders need to make a comeback this week. In the previous meeting between these teams last season, the Raiders fought hard and went back to Oakland with a win. Oakland has started 0-2 for the 15th time in their franchises history. Last time they started 0-2 and ended with a winning record was 1994. Coach Jon Gruden and Beast Mode hope to change that statistic.
Oakland’s defense needs to step it up if they’re going to stop the duo of QB Ryan Tannehill and WR Kenny Stills. Oakland’s 38% completion on third down slightly edges out Miami’s. Beast Mode’s ability to break through a defensive line and Carr’s go-to receiver Copper’s ability to get open can make third and short an easy conversion.
Tannehill has four touchdown passes and two interceptions but has helped in the rushing end as well. Miami doesn’t have much of a long pass game. However, they moved from the lowest rush percentage to the highest in one season. This is a thing for Oakland since they have a weak secondary but DE Arden Key, Tackle Donald Penn and DE Bruce Irvin can stop the run game.
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Team Records:
Oakland Raiders 0-2-0
Miami Dolphins 2-0-0
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Photo credit to JC Ruiz via Flickr
