WHEN THE DOLPHINS PASS THE FOOTBALL
Ryan Tannehill starts as he has the previous 35 games since 2012 but there's no guarantee he'll finish because his poor play the past three weeks has put him in the crosshairs of coaches who want better QB play. The coaches also need better work from a wide receiver corps that is the highest-paid group in the NFL. That group, along with Miami running backs and tight ends, leads the NFL in dropped passes. The Raiders are the NFL's fourth-stingiest pass defense so far, allowing an average of 183.3 yards per game. Part of the reason is Oakland has invested heavily in veteran defensive linemen and pass rushers such as Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley. The Raiders also added Khalil Mack in the draft and he is playing as advertised. ADVANTAGE: Miami.
WHEN THE DOLPHINS RUN THE FOOTBALL
Lamar Miller had the best day of his career last week when he rushed for 108 yards on 15 carries. The 108 yards were good. The number of carries is the issue. The Dolphins seemed to abandon the run even in a game they trailed by only six points in the fourth quarter. They beat the Patriots in the opener by rushing more than they passed but have lost the past two weeks throwing more than they run. And they've done this despite the fact the offensive line is better suited to running the ball. The Raiders have been solid defending the pass but they are 31st in the NFL against the run. They often over-pursue and their tackling has been at times suspect. So will the Dolphins get a clue and run? ADVANTAGE: Miami.
If the game comes down to a battle of field-goal kickers, the Raiders win. Sebastian Janikowski is one of the all-time greats at his position and last week connected on all three attempts, from 49, 47 and 37 yards. Caleb Sturgis made 2 of 3 last week. The Dolphins need to correct their punt returner in that Jarvis Landry has to stop catching punts inside his own 5-yard line. Kickoff returns have been good for both Landry and the Dolphins so far. The Dolphins found themselves in a field-position game last week and won that part of battle even as they lost the game. They should have the advantage again there with Brandon Fields. ADVANTAGE: Even.
Dennis Allen has to figure out a way to get his team to play better when traveling east of the Central Time Zone. The Raiders are 0-10 in that regard and tried to address the issue by leaving directly for the United Kingdom after playing at New England. Allen is on the hot seat. If he wins, his record would "improve" to 9-27. Last week was not great for Miami coaches. Bill Lazor called a poor game against Kansas City, anonymous players complained about Kevin Coyle's game plan, and national pundits ripped Joe Philbin for his public handling of Ryan Tannehill. And having said that … 8-27 glows in neon. ADVANTAGE: Miami.
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