Uneven effort results in OT loss
LAS VEGAS — That’s the parity in the NFL.
The Miami Dolphins can get outgained, 497-330, and convert 33 percent of third downs to 53 percent for the Las Vegas Raiders, yet it’s somehow still enough to force overtime, falling at Allegiant Stadium, 31-28, on a last-second field goal.
The Dolphins did some good things to jump out to an early 14-0 advantage. They did some really bad things to allow the Raiders to score 25 unanswered points, and then they did some things you wish they had done all along when they came back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter.
The plays they should’ve made, the clutch ones they did make to extend the game and the calls they didn’t get — Will Fuller in the back of the end zone — gave the Dolphins their second straight loss and dropped them to 1-2.
Here is the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s report card, evaluating how the Dolphins performed during Sunday’s overtime loss at the Raiders:
Passing game: C
For three quarters, there was very little semblance of any downfield threat. The Dolphins were taking a conservative offensive approach with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback. It was dink-and-dunk and he was completing short passes at a high rate, but deep into the fourth quarter, Brissett was under 3.5 yards per attempt. Jaylen Waddle had a whopping 12 receptions — but for just 58 yards, including the ill-advised one that went for a safety. Up 14-0 early because of a defensive touchdown and a short field off of a turnover on downs, the lack of a passing game for much of the game contributed to the Raiders’ 25-point run. Brissett nearly led a comeback from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit once the playbook opened up out of desperation. The rally was encouraging to know the Dolphins are capable of doing that under Brissett while Tua Tagovailoa is out at least the next two weeks, but it’s disheartening that they didn’t get aggressive earlier. Miami also should have gotten that pass interference call in the end zone on the deep ball to Fuller.
Running game: B+
The Dolphins were able to run the ball effectively. They averaged 4.9 yards per carry, which is more than the 4.3 yards per pass attempt they had for the game, even with the late boost to that number. Malcolm Brown started and had a 24-yard touchdown run that put the Dolphins up, 14. The coaching staff ’s decisions on offensive line changes were going well at that point. With Jesse Davis moving to left guard and Austin Jackson remaining the starter at left tackle, that side of the line bulldozed the Raiders back to create an enormous cutback lane for Brown. Myles Gaskin was at 5 yards per carry — 65 yards on 13 attempts. Brissett scrambled for 37 yards, and he punched in the score that forced overtime once he connected with Fuller for the ensuing two-point conversion. Good day for the running game, but to receive an A, it would’ve had to be dominant enough and used with enough frequency to avoid a 25-0 run by the Raiders.
Defending the pass: C+
With Raiders quarterback Derek Carr leading the NFL in passing, this was the key if the Dolphins were going to pull off the upset. There were certainly some bright spots: Linebacker Elandon Roberts had a first-quarter pick-six, rumbling 85 yards the other way after Eric Rowe came on a safety blitz to pressure Carr. Brandon Jones also had a pair of safety blitzes, while defensive lineman added another big one early. Putting cornerback Byron Jones on big tight end Darren Waller proved to be an effective strategy, as Waller was held to a modest five receptions for 54 yards. But Carr was still able to throw for 386 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball out to Waller, Hunter Renfrow, Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards.
Defending the run: D+
There’s no excuse for allowing Peyton Barber to rush for more than 100 yards, especially with the Raiders missing their top running back in Josh Jacobs. Las Vegas also does not have an intimidating run-blocking offensive line, especially with veteran and former Dolphins guard Richie Incognito injured. The Dolphins may have shaped their game plan more around preventing big plays in the passing game, which is reasonable given that Vegas did most of its damage the first two weeks through the air, but by not stopping the run, they let the Raiders essentially get whatever they wanted however they wanted. Ex-Dolphin Kenyan Drake didn’t end up factoring in all that much, going for 24 yards on eight carries. The Zach Sieler stuff for a turnover on downs was a big play, though, and Roberts nearly created a turnover at the goal line by getting his helmet on the ball to force a fumble the Raiders were fortunate to recover.
Special teams: C
Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders made field goals of 46 and 50 yards during the comeback between the fourth quarter and overtime. He also missed from 48 off the upright to finish the first half. Punter Michael Palardy had three inside the 20 — one of them downed at the 5-yard line by Mack Hollins. Jakeem Grant didn’t have a particularly impactful day in the return game.
Coaching: C
The offensive play-calling was highly questionable between the completed pass for a safety, the back-to-back Wildcat runs by the goal line that went nowhere and overall conservative approach that wasn’t producing points until the Dolphins had to come back in the end. There were some good decisions made with blitzes dialed up and changes on the offensive line that resulted in a decent running game and only two sacks allowed — some of which was from Brissett handling the pressure and getting rid of the ball without turning it over. Miami coaches appear to have stressed aggressiveness and physicality to players, but it also resulted in several personal-foul penalties for unnecessary roughness.
Stock up
Jaelan Phillips was down through two weeks in the NFL. The rookie edge defender and former Miami Hurricanes standout was only in on fewer than 30 percent of defensive plays in each of those two games. On Sunday in Las Vegas, Phillips played 59 percent of defensive snaps. He was tied for fourth on the Dolphins in tackles with six, including one where he showed hustle chasing a play down the field, and applied some pressure on the pass rush.
Stock down
Nickel cornerback Justin Coleman had a rough day, and the Raiders were clearly picking on him as he was culpable in coverage for several of Vegas’ big passing plays. Coleman barely played in the opener and saw more of an opportunity in Week 2. On Sunday, he ended up playing 25 snaps while fellow nickel corner Nik Needham got 57. Needham appears to be the better option right now.