5 questions with The Phinsider
The Las Vegas Raiders head to the Miami Dolphins in Week 11 and we’ll get to see what the Silver & Black are all about after the bye week.
To preview the matchup, Kevin Nogle from our friends at The Phinsider took the time to answer a few questions about the Dolphins for Raider Nation.
Q: Miami has gone from the second-ranked scoring offense in 2023 to 30th in the league nine games into the 2024 campaign. What’s the biggest obstacle for the Dolphins to overcome to become the explosive offense they once were?
I wish there was an easy answer to this one. Losing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for four games was a huge blow to the offense, but the team is not putting up a ton of points with him back on the field either.
Head coach Mike McDaniel seems to be pressing too hard at times, trying to prove that he is the offensive genius he has been dubbed and looking for the perfect play or the perfect evolution to his offense, rather than sticking to what works.
Defenses are sticking to two-high looks and bracketing both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, with a jam at the line of scrimmage to throw off the timing between the receivers and Tagovailoa, but if that is all it takes to change Miami from averaging nearly 30 points per game to barely two touchdowns per game, then the offensive scheme was a mirage.
The Dolphins have run the ball more this season, which does take down some of the explosive offensive plays, with running backs Raheem Mostert or De’Von Achane getting the ball instead of simply looking for Hill and Waddle on 65-yard passes, but again, the deep pass should be there, especially if a defense is creeping up to stop the run, but we really are not seeing it.
Hill has been dealing with a torn ligament in his wrist, which could be a part of why we are seeing him rotate off the field as much as we have been this year. Waddle has had a drops problem this season. Maybe there is something bothering him as well.
Whatever has caused this downturn in Miami’s offense has to be answered if the team wants to have any chance at a surprise wild card run this year.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Q: How does Miami take advantage of Las Vegas struggling defense in Sunday’s matchup?
If you have what should be an explosive offense but have yet to find their full groove for the season, they could use a game against a team that has struggled to limit teams from scoring.
The Raiders, sitting at 30th in the league with an average of 27.9 points per game allowed, could be exactly what Miami needs to get themselves in rhythm. Of course, Raiders fans are probably looking at a game against a 3-6 team that has scored an average of just 16.3 points per game this year and see a team that could allow their defense to find its rhythm.
I think you are likely to see a heavy dose of Achane during this game. He has 105 carries this year, the most for on the team and 42 receptions, the most on the team. He is quietly becoming a threat no matter where he is on the field, even if Miami’s offensive struggles through the first half of the season have not allowed fans from outside south Florida to recognize it. The Dolphins are going to line him up in the backfield and in any of the receiving positions, trying to create mismatches as the defense turns their attention to Hill and Waddle.
I also think the Dolphins will show more of their fast motion, hurry-up style this week. They are back at home, in a 1 p.m. game, against a team that will be wearing black and had to make the cross-country road trip. It is supposed to be in the 80s for this game. Keep the offense running at a high speed and wear out the Raiders’ defense. Miami has not had a lot of homefield advantage opportunities this year, playing night or away games during the hot months.
This could be an opportunity to use the South Florida heat to their advantage — even against a team coming out of the Nevada desert.
Q: The Dolphins have the third-ranked third down defense in the league allowing just a 32% conversion rate (103 attempts, 33 conversions). What makes Miami’s defense so stout on that all-important down?
Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler. I think their presence on the field just completely changes the Miami defense.
When Sieler missed a couple of games due to a fracture to his orbital bone, the Dolphins defense was not the same. Now that he is back, the defense looks like what new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver wants. Campbell and Sieler can stuff the middle of the line of scrimmage, clogging running holes in short-yardage situations, but they can also get after the quarterback in passing yardage — or free up players like Chop Robinson and Emmanuel Ogbah to create pressure.
Robinson growing into a bigger role is also an important part of Miami’s defensive system, especially following the season-ending injury to Jaelan Phillips.
Another big move for Miami was the benching (and eventual waiving) of linebacker David Long, Jr. Long was initially named a captain for the Dolphins and was the defensive signal caller, but he struggled with consistency throughout the first half of the season and Miami was forced to move to Anthony Walker, Jr., in the middle of the defense.
But when it all comes down to it, the basic answer is, if Campbell and Sieler are on top of their game, Miami’s defense can be stout.
That said, the secondary is pretty banged up right now, so it is possible to find chunk yardage and stay out of third-down situations against Miami.
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Q: What kind of gameplan do you see from Miami’s defense when it comes to defending Las Vegas rookie tight end Brock Bowers?
The Dolphins have struggled against tight ends for years, though this year they appear to be having some success. Tight ends are averaging five receptions for about 43 yards this season and only one touchdown has been scored by a tight end so far this season.
That said, the Seattle Seahawks’ Noah Fant caught six passes for 60 yards in Week 3 and the Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride caught nine passes for 124 yards, so there is a way for tight ends to have success against the Dolphins.
The Dolphins could look to a cornerback to help on Bowers, who likely needs to be the defensive focus for much of this game. Walker and fellow inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks may see time in single coverage on Bowers, but I would not be surprised if the Dolphins turn his coverage over to safeties Jordan Poyer or Jevón Holland — or even reserve safeties, Elijah Campbell and Marcus Maye.
Q: It’s a tale as old as time: The Raiders present a get-right game for NFL teams. What do you expect the Dolphins to get right in this matchup?
The homer in me absolutely hopes you are right that this is a get-right game for the Dolphins, but the way they have been playing this year, it could as easily be a get-right game for the Raiders. Like I said earlier, I think the Dolphins will try to use the heat to their advantage, keep attacking with the speed of Hill, Waddle, and Achane, and try to run down the Raiders defense.
On defense, this has to be a game where the pass rush is in quarterback Gardner Minshew’s face all day — even if they are not getting sacks, Campbell and Sieler have a knack for deflecting passes at the line of scrimmage. Continued growth and emergence of pass rush moves from Robinson will be huge as well.
I would love to see Miami get back to scoring quickly and keeping the pressure on the Raiders to keep up with them. T
he good news for Miami is they are back home and the home crowd should allow the offense to use some of their pre-snap motions and timing more than we have seen over the past several weeks.