Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Dolphins don’t capitalize on some of the opportunities they had Sunday night.
Miami’s offense gets going late, rally falls short
MIAMI GARDENS — Sunday was all about the new-look, revamped Miami Dolphins offense. But it showed up too late.
As a result, the Dolphins, who entered Sunday night’s prime time game with the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense, made a late charge but ended up losing, 27-24, to Oakland at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami, in its first game since coach Adam Gase jettisoned running back Jay Ajayi to Philadelphia in exchange for a fourth-round pick, at first didn’t seem to get a boost from Gase’s message-sending trade.
Sure, there were moments where things seemed different, such as running back Kenyan Drake’s 42-yard gain in the third quarter, or the onside kick in the second quarter that followed running back Damien Williams’ 10-yard touchdown reception, or the second-quarter carry by tight end MarQueis Gray after he lined up as a fullback.
In fact, the Dolphins (4-4), who averaged just 13.1 points per game prior to Sunday’s kickoff, were good enough offensively that their 20-9 deficit in the third quarter wasn’t the death sentence it would have been at other points in the first half of the season.
Miami got a 15-yard touchdown reception from tight end Julius Thomas with 1:32 remaining to get within striking distance at 27-24.
The Dolphins’ onside kick was recovered by Oakland with 1:31 remaining.
But Miami gave it a shot. Wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s six-yard touchdown reception with 6:34 remaining in the third quarter cut Miami’s deficit to 20-16 and kept the Dolphins within striking distance.
But defensive penalties on back-to-back fourthquarter plays, combined with the offense’s inability to take advantage of prime field position, conspired to doom the Dolphins and give them back-to-back losses.
Oakland quarterback Derek Carr (21 of 29, 300 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions) hit wide receiver Seth Roberts for a 29-yard gain and then safety Reshad Jones was flagged for unnecessary roughness for hitting a defenseless receiver. One play later cornerback Xavien Howard was flagged for pass interference against wide receiver Michael Crabtree putting the Raiders at the 3-yard line.
One play after that running back Marshawn Lynch banged it into the end zone for a 27-16 lead with 4:37 remaining to seal the victory.
Miami quarterback Jay Cutler, making his return after a one-game absence due to a rib injury, was as good as he’s been all season. He ended 34 of 42 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and a 121.3 passer rating.
The offensive line, which lost right tackle Ja’Wuan James to a hamstring injury midway through the fourth quarter, did well in pass protection. Cutler wasn’t sacked until midway through the fourth quarter.
The question was whether the offense, and the running game, could muster enough strength to win the game.
It couldn’t. Miami rushed for 86 yards on 18 carries, a respectable average of 4.8 yards per carry.
Drake (69 yards rushing, 35 yards receiving) totaled 104 yards from scrimmage and Williams (14 yards rushing, 47 yards receiving, one touchdown) did a respectable job, too, with 61 yards from scrimmage.
But together they didn’t mount enough plays to get a victory.
Miami, while trying to overcome its four-point deficit, had three-and-outs on two of its final five possessions. One other possession only lasted four plays as the offense struggled in the final quarter. The defense did its part. Lynch and wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper didn’t hurt the Dolphins badly.
Tight end Jared Cook (eight receptions for 126 yards) was a different story. He crushed the Miami defense, doing lots of damage in 1 on 1 situations against linebacker Kiko Alonso.
Alonso came close to intercepting a pass from Carr with about 9:47 remaining but the ball clearly hit the ground before Alonso seemingly made his catch.
The Dolphins got the ball in prime position with 12:46 remaining when defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh got a strip-sack on quarterback Derek Carr with the loose ball scoped up by offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse. But Alonso chopped his legs, causing Newhouse to fumble and rookie defensive end Charles Harris recovered.
But the offense couldn’t take advantage.
Williams had a catchand-run to the Raiders’ 21-yard line but a holding penalty by Landry took them back to the their own 46-yard line. The Dolphins ended up punting.
Gase had the Miami offense more multiple than it had been all season. Drake had 12 touches entering the fourth quarter (eight carries and four receptions) and Williams had 11 touches (six carries and five receptions).
Still, the offense struggled and it led to a loss.
The Dolphins visit Carolina next week on Monday Night Football.