The Miami Dolphins improved to 4-6 this year with a narrow 34-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' offense were extremely efficient, converting six of their seven drives into points and more than 33 minutes of possession time. Miami didn't turn the ball over once and didn't punt at all. The only drive that didn't end in a touchdown or field goal was at the end of the second quarter, with time running out in the half and the Dolphins near midfield.
However, it wasn't a perfect performance for the Dolphins. While the relentless offense took the lead and stayed on the field, the defense struggled to break away. The Raiders converted eight third downs and two fourth downs and totaled 328 yards of offense – just a few yards shy of their best performance of the year.
Here's who stood out the most for the Dolphins on Sunday, both good and bad:
Smith's 101 yards rushing was a career high, and on Sunday he scored two touchdowns for just the third time in his career. The 2024 free agent acquisition has had a slow start to his year, but the tight end has become a reliable safety valve for Tua Tagovailoa, who is also capable of big plays.
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Without many explosive plays from Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this season, the Dolphins offense didn't have much room for error. Luckily, Tua Tagovailoa doesn't do many. On Sunday, he was accurate and precise, leading the Raiders with a passer rating of 127.8 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Ameer Abdullah strikes! | 📺
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders)
With Kendall Fuller out of action, the Dolphins' secondary did a good job of keeping the Raiders' wide receivers from making much of an impact. But Kohou and Miami linebackers struggled to shut down the middle of the field. The worst mistake of a rough day for the third-year cornerback was when he disregarded a tackle attempt that should have forced a fourth down, but instead released Ameer Abdullah to score the Raiders' second touchdown of the day.
(Photo by Rich Story/Getty Images)
The Dolphins didn't put Ramsey near Brock Bowers often, and maybe they should have. But the cornerback still made an impact by essentially taking Jakobi Meyers out of the game. In addition to his coverage, which included a late interception, Ramsey deflected a pass on one blitz, forced a throwaway on another and made two big hits near the sideline in the final seconds to seal the deal.
(Photo by Rich Story/Getty Images)
Sieler recorded his third sack of the season and played a big role in the Raiders getting their running game going.
“I personally would say he’s my sweetheart,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game. “I don’t like playing a matchday without him. He's the guy that sits next to me every week when we pray together in the locker room, and a lot of guys have really appreciated, if they didn't already know, what a playmaker he is for us. In the end, every opponent says they’re probably better than they thought, and that’s good for us.”
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Jordyn Brooks and Anthony Walker Jr. combined for 22 tackles against the Raiders, but that's not as good as it sounds. Very few of those plays occurred near the line of scrimmage, and far too often it was the linebackers who brought down the Las Vegas players who let them happen in the first place. More performances like this and the newly acquired Tyrel Dodson may need to see the field sooner rather than later.
(Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)
The Dolphins haven't had to worry about Sanders' reliability for a long time. With two field goals from 31 and 46 yards and four successful extra point attempts, Sanders has made 21 consecutive kicks.