The Oakland Raiders are at it again. This time a fourth quarter collapse prevents the Raiders from earning Jon Gruden his first win of the season.
The Oakland Raiders have finishing issues. They can play well. They can dominate on offense. But when the fourth quarter rolls around, a collapse is inevitable.
This game was no different except Raiders fans saw it coming. The defense simply was not fast enough to keep pace with the speed the Miami Dolphins had on the edges. The offense started throwing the ball in the middle of the field early in the game but abandoned that plan as the game went along. The early success they had on offense dried up.
Either the coaching staff does not know how to adjust mid-game or they lack the weapons to adjust a game plan. Either way the team is failing in the fourth quarter. The Raiders need to stop the bleeding fast.
But not all went wrong on Sunday
White Tiger makes an appearance
The white tiger lives! Martavis Bryant has finally begun to earn a role in the offense. Raiders fans should rejoice at Bryant’s progress. It should open up bigger running lanes. It should also open the middle of the field and underneath routes for receivers.
Martavis Bryant is a speed receiver. His game is to run the routes that attack safeties. By attacking safeties, Bryant’s presence is forcing the defense to keep safeties out of the box. Having two safeties deep gives the offense favorable numbers in the running game. It also forces the defense to prioritize the deep pass. Nobody wants to get beat deep. And Bryant will beat a team deep.
As the white tiger plays a bigger role, the offense will become more dynamic.