Dolphins Look To Start First Winning Streak Over Depleted Raiders

Miami Gardens, FL – Don’t look now, but the Miami Dolphins have the chance to begin their first winning streak this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

It’s been a long time coming for this Miami squad. After three straight one-score losses with and without Tua Tagovailoa, the Fins earned a semi-comfortable win on the road against a team with a winning record – the Los Angeles Rams.

In a win spearheaded by their defense, the Fins look to do the same against an even worse Raiders squad with an offense riddled by injuries and deadline acquisitions. It’s the kind of game that would make you feel confident in Miami winning, but you never know in this league.

An Oscar-Worthy Performance In LA

Off the rip, shoutout to Miami’s defense on Monday Night. They took on a dangerous Rams squad headlined by Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Puke Nakua. As it turned out, they were all a nonfactor for the majority of the game. This Dolphins defense, riddled with injuries, still made it work to deny Los Angeles any touchdowns in this game.

With stars like Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb out, players like Jordyn Brooks, Quinton Bell, and Chop Robinson all contributed with either a lot of tackles or a sack on Stafford. Jevon Holland was able to return to the lineup and made his presence known, alongside Jalen Ramsey.

The Dolphins did what they seem to do a lot – look incredible offensively on their first drive then settle down for a while. They had to punt twice afterward, then settled for a field goal, which would be all the scoring they would do in the first half.

First drive ➡️ end zone!

📺 #MIAvsLAR on @ESPNNFL pic.twitter.com/mpIs3gsykx

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) November 12, 2024

They Can Beat Good Teams!

All the while, the Rams had to rely on their kicker, Joshua Karty. It was unexpectedly a long night for him, and he began the first half on a hot streak, but the second half led to a turning point.

After Karty missed his first field goal in the second half, the Dolphins responded with a six-play drive that ended with a pass to Tyreek Hill for a touchdown. You could consider this a turning point in this game, as Miami’s offense played their absolute best afterward, scoring in every drive from this point on. To his credit, Jason Sanders was locked in, making all three of his kicks, including a pair of 50-yarders.

Overall, Miami came to play and delivered on all fronts. Maybe this stereotype of “The Dolphins can’t beat teams with a winning record” can be laid to rest. Still, road wins are tough to get in the NFL, and they’ll weigh heavily down the line as the Fins look to make a playoff push.

A Cold Wind Blows To Miami Gardens

You’d be hard-pressed to find an NFL team in worse condition than the Las Vegas Raiders. They stand with a record of 2-7, dead last in an otherwise competitive AFC West division. Their two wins were nailbiters against Baltimore and Cleveland – two impressive victories on their resume, to be fair. However, their losses have come against Carolina, the Los Angeles Rams, and most recently, Cincinnati.

The big problem with Vegas is their offense, mainly the quarterback position. Their starter is Gardner Minshew, a journeyman on his fourth team, previously in Jacksonville, Philadelphia, and Indianapolis. So far this season, he’s thrown for 1,501 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He’s also been sacked 23 times, alluding to poor offensive line play.

“Gardner Minshew…at some point you gotta give a guy confidence.”

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says they’re sticking with starting QB Gardner Minshew coming off the team’s bye-week.

🎥: By @Sean_Zittel, Vegas Sports Today#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/OICPXkYcfJ

— Vegas Sports Today (@VegasSportsTD) November 13, 2024

All in all, this Raiders offense produces 280.2 yards per game. That’s the 29th worst in the NFL, only behind Chicago, Cleveland, and New England. They also have a -14 turnover differential, which is the worst in the NFL.

Flying High In New York

At the least, Las Vegas had a solid receiver in Davante Adams, however, he was underutilized in the first three games of the season. Then, he was traded to the New York Jets for a third-round pick in 2025 after missing three games due to a hamstring injury. This makes their rookie tight end Brock Bowers their leading receiver with 580 yards and two touchdowns.

The Raiders also have the worst rushing offense in the NFL, with a league-low 76.9 rushing yards per game. Alexander Mattison is a decent back, but the unit as a whole is borderline nonexistent.

Las Vegas does have a good defense, spearheaded by one of the best defensive ends in the game, Maxx Crosby. With 6.5 sacks, he’s always a defensive threat for which Tua and this offensive line need to keep a lookout.

If you can limit Crosby (Which Miami did last season) then the rest of this defense is mediocre. Their defensive line and secondary have put up a similar amounts of sacks and interceptions to the Dolphins. They’ve been boat-raced by solid offenses, giving up 41 points to Cincinnati, 32 to Pittsburgh, and 34 to Denver.

Final Thoughts

Oh no… Here I go gaining confidence in this team again.

All things considered, Miami’s window for earning a postseason spot is still wide open. They must handle business on Sunday to keep their playoff chances favorable. Don’t let that win over Baltimore fool you – Las Vegas is NOT a good team, at all.

Their defense can give the Dolphins some problems, but this offense for Miami is too talented to be held down for a whole game. If they ran all over Buffalo, they could do the same to Sin City. And it sure seems like the Raiders can’t say the same about their running game.

It smells like a trap game for Miami, which is something I didn’t think I’d say for a while. But if we can see a similar defensive performance to what we saw against the Rams, this should be a smooth win for the Fins.

MIAMI – 24

LAS VEGAS – 10