The Dolphins didn’t punt all afternoon and the Raiders couldn’t keep pace, losing their sixth straight. Which players and coaches stood out?
The Raiders offense improved slightly after a coaching change and a bye week, but Las Vegas still lost in Miami on Sunday, 34-19, their sixth straight defeat.
The Dolphins (4-6) didn’t have to punt all afternoon, and when the Raiders pulled to within one score in the fourth quarter, Miami responded with a 57-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jonnu Smith, who was completely uncovered.
Tight end Brock Bowers led the Raiders on offense with a sensational performance, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Here are this week’s winners and losers after Las Vegas fell to 2-8.
Winner: TE Brock Bowers
Bowers has excelled all season and new offensive coordinator Scott Turner made him the focal point of his offense. Bowers had 13 catches for 126 yards and one touchdown, a 23-yard catch-and-run that resulted in a 17-12 score late in the third quarter.
Bowers had several key catches, including a 4th-and-3 reception on a drive that resulted in a big touchdown from running back Ameer Abdullah. Turner couldn’t get the passing game going with his wide receivers, however, as no wideout had more than 30 receiving yards.
Winner: RB Ameer Abdullah
The Dolphins notched a touchdown after Bowers’ score, and the Raiders responded. Down 24-12 late in the game, quarterback Gardner Minshew found Abdullah in the flat and Abdullah did the rest, making a defender miss on his way to the end zone.
Abdullah did a nice job covering for running backs Zamir White and Alexander Mattison, who both left the game with injuries.
Winner: DE Tyree Wilson
The Raiders again lost the turnover battle in this game, but defensive end Tyree Wilson nearly forced one for Las Vegas early in the afternoon. His strip sack of Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa almost resulted in a takeaway but Miami recovered.
Wilson’s QB sack did push the Dolphins offense out of the red zone and force a 3rd-and-20, but a huge penalty on the Raiders gave Miami another chance to reach the end zone. They capitalized on the opportunity and took a 7-0 lead.
Winner: OC Scott Turner
The Raiders offense only punted one time all afternoon and scored on four of its first five drives before a late interception from Minshew. Turner is smart enough to get the ball to Bowers, but he doesn’t have much else to work with if the Raiders still struggle to run the football. They had just 60 rushing yards and were led in that department by WR Jakobi Meyers, who had one rush for 20 yards.
Loser: DE K’Lavon Chaisson
The Dolphins set the tone for the game with their first drive, taking 8:13 off the clock before scoring a touchdown on 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
But if not for a huge defensive holding penalty on defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson, Las Vegas would have held the Dolphins to a field goal. Chaisson committed the foul on a 3rd-and-20 play that the Raiders had covered, as the Dolphins were willing to settle for a field goal and only attempted a short pass.
Loser: CB Darnay Holmes
Cornerback Darnay Holmes started in place of an injured Nate Hobbs and had a solid day for the most part. But he had one big mistake that landed him on the loser list.
After the Raiders had pulled to within one score of the Dolphins with Abdullah’s touchdown, Miami faced a 3rd-and-5. Tagovailoa’s pass was incomplete, but Holmes had a hold of a Dolphins receiver and was called for an obvious pass interference penalty. A couple of plays later, Tagovailoa hit Smith for a 57-yard touchdown and a 31-19 Dolphins lead.
Loser: Zamir White
I try to keep players off the loser list if they get injured, but we have an exception this week. Running back Zamir White got the starting nod from Turner but still looked lost in this offense, regardless of the play caller.
He only got five chances to run the ball and produced just nine rushing yards. His offensive line gets some blame too, but this brutal season for White keeps getting worse.
Loser: DC Patrick Graham
The Raiders defense had its moments in this game, notably 10 tackles for loss. But defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had no answers for the Dolphins’ attack, failing to force even one punt.
Worst of all, when the Raiders climbed back into the game and were down five points late, the defense completely fell apart on Smith’s long touchdown. Even though the Raiders suffered multiple injuries in the secondary, unsightly botched coverages fall on Graham’s shoulders.
Loser: HC Antonio Pierce
The Dolphins had a short week after playing on Monday night, and the Raiders had an extra week to prepare thanks to their bye. The best coaches in the NFL will capitalize on that situation more often than not.
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce couldn’t take advantage. He’s rightly paid attention to improving his offense and inserted a new play caller, but his defense let him down. Pierce’s team played hard, but that was not enough. Given how mediocre the Dolphins have been this season, this game probably should have been a win for Las Vegas.
Instead, it’s difficult to remember the last time the Raiders tasted victory. They’ll have a chance to recapture that winning feeling at home next week against the Broncos.
