Week 3 has come and gone and the Miami Dolphins remain undefeated after topping the Oakland Raiders. These are the takeaways from the victory.
As per usual, the Oakland Raiders jumped out to an early lead only to be thwarted once again as the Miami Dolphins dominated the second half for their third win in as many weeks.
There was a lot you could take away from this game both good and bad. We’ll be focusing only on the Dolphins, so expect more positive things to come than the lens was keyed in on the other team in this matchup. o
While every win is a big win in the NFL, there was both good and bad, and it was only the lowly Raiders.
Speed and Creativity
The biggest and best takeaway was on the Dolphins offense. This team is fast — really fast. The insertion of Jakeem Grant and Albert Wilson as significant contributors has made a massive difference. These are dangerous players that can flat out make plays.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Both players showed off their playmaking abilities particularly on two creative plays, which is nice to see from the coaching staff. Wilson actually threw a touchdown pass to Grant on his second score of the day and Wilson broke off an explosive touchdown run — well, technically a shovel pass — in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
I loved what I saw from these guys and I credit both the players and play-calling when it mattered most.
No rushing attack
The inability to run against a porous Raiders defense scares me. Both the lack of productivity and commitment to the run were alarming. Kenyan Drake inexplicably carried the ball just five times for a putrid three yards and Frank Gore wasn’t much better rushing six times for 12 yards. Ryan Tannehill actually led the team in rushing totaling 26 yards, due largely to an 18-yard scamper. This has to get better and it has to get better this week in New England or Miami will lose.
Injuries are mounting
The injuries, particularly on defense, are beginning to pile up for the Phins. The most concerning obviously being Reshad Jones, whose presence or lack thereof was noticed immediately as Jordy Nelson broke off a play that went for more yards than he had all season. However, the defensive line took a massive hit losing William Hayes for the season due to a torn ACL and Andre Branch, who’s gone indefinitely with a knee injury of his own.
The team is going to have to manage these injuries moving forward and players are going to have to step up. These injuries are absolutely not insurmountable, although, the Hayes injury is really going to sting. This is something to watch moving forward. Their deep secondary and line isn’t quite as deep as it was just a short week ago. The good news is, it sounds like Jones should be back sooner rather than later.