Sunday Take Aways

On paper, the game should have been a close win for the Miami Dolphins but on the field, mistakes were made, rookies performed and let the game get the best of them on the penalty front. The young team needs to dig into the game tape and clean up problems before taking on the San Francisco 49ers in Week Two action.

Third-and-Pass – Find a Way to Get There

The Raiders dinked and dunked early on and ran the football 37 times for 130 yards in Sunday’s win over Miami. The 3.5 yards-per-carry clip is actually a win for the Miami defense, but Las Vegas’s early-down success kept the Dolphins behind the eight ball. The Raiders built a 17-3 halftime lead thanks in large part to not facing many third and long situations.

That allowed Raider running back Ashton Jeanty to get into pass-game matchups, which led to a pair of receiving touchdowns. Jeanty and rookie running back Mike Washington ran the ball a combined 11 times for 76 yards in the first half, helping Las Vegas score two touchdowns and a field goal on their three first-half possessions.

“They’re really physical,” rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez said. “They know what they like to do and they do it well. A lot of it was self-inflicted. We got to set the edge; we got to play with good pad level. A lot of stuff like that, just basic football, kind of the theme through the whole game. We’ve got to be able to stop the run to get into third and pass.”

Rookie and Young Player Highs and Lows

Rodriguez spearheaded the rookie-led Dolphins team that started 10 first- or second-year players in the opener to the tune of 610 total snaps (not including special teams). Rodriguez and rookie cornerback Chris Johnson were the only Dolphins defenders to play all 68 snaps. Rodriguez made 14 combined tackles while Johnson had 11, including one for loss, and two passes defensed. Wide receiver Caleb Douglas went off for five catches and 94 yards in his NFL debut. Rodriguez also warmed up on the sideline for long-snapper duty when Tucker Addington banged up his shoulder on a tackle. Addington was able to continue but Rodriguez will stay sharp as the back-up long snapper.

Offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor had some dominant reps and some he’d like back. Safety Michael Taaffe had an interception but also took accountability for one of the Raiders’ passing touchdowns.

Even with the positives, the Dolphins looked like the youngest team in the league. The Raiders’ average starting field position, following kickoffs, was the 44-yard line. Miami was penalized eight times for 61 yards, including a third-down unsportsmanlike foul that extended a Raiders drive that had been halted. That drive was sandwiched by offensive possessions that were bogged down by penalties.

“Part of the plan to win was to keep the ball moving forward,” Head Coach Jeff Hafley said. “I thought the penalties killed us. It forced us into a lot of passing situations that were crucial that you really don’t want to be in against that team. Because we really didn’t stay on track, and we had a chance to capitalize on the interception. We had a chance to capitalize on the big kick return. Just like most of the units today, I thought it was inconsistent. That’s how we kind of played the game today.”

Finish the Game

A 79-yard kick return scamper from running back Jaylen Wright gave the team a temporary lift but the team couldn’t finish. Trailing by 14, Wright set up the Dolphins offense at the Las Vegas 18-yard line with two minutes left in the third quarter. The result was a missed 41-yard field goal from Riley Patterson, but the Miami defense got the ball back to the offense on the ensuing four possessions.

“No one is sitting in there feeling good right now, and I’m certainly not feeling good right now,” Hafley said. “I am proud of the way the guys fought. I mean, if you look at that game down two possessions, we had the big return, and then we didn’t get in. It would have been a one possession game there. We had the interception, and then we got momentum again, and then it was a one possession game there, so we had opportunities. They fought.”