So when does the flex schedule begin for Sunday Night Football? I’m sure I’m not the only one asking that question as the reeling Oakland Raiders (3-5) travel to Hard Rock Stadium to take on the possibly quarterbackless (and now running back-less) Miami Dolphins (4-3) Sunday.
The game will be broadcast on SNF whether they want it or not at 8:30 p.m. EST. I’ll be live blogging it, as I always do, here at GetMoreSports.com. We’ll get through it together.
The Game: Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins (+3)
O/U: 44.0
The History
The Raiders and Dolphins have played 47 times since 1966 with Oakland holding a 19-17-1 advantage in the all time series.
Miami has won the last five match ups between the two teams from November 16, 2008 to September 28, 2014.
Oakland and Miami have met four times in the playoffs with the Raiders holding a 3-1 advantage. The last postseason meeting between the two teams was a 27-0 Raiders shutout win in 2001.
OAKLAND RAIDERS (3-5)
“Sloppy” was the word used to describe the turnover filled loss to the Buffalo Bills last week. I could have picked plenty of other adjectives for that 34-14 loss. Pathetic and possibly season-ending are just a couple.
In spite of that, the Raiders aren’t out of the postseason race yet thanks to a lackluster division and no team outside of the Bills really trying to lock down the Wild Card spots early. A win here puts Oakland right back in it, but they can’t afford another bed shitting this season, especially with the New England Patriots showing up on the schedule next week.
Quarterback Derek Carr was 31 of 49 for 313 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss. It was the kind of underwhelming performance that caused people to openly question his value to the team after the game. I realize he’s still playing hurt, but the Raiders are just flatly better than the Bills. This score should have been the other way around.
If you want a real disappointment, look no further than the Oakland defense. They recorded exactly zero sacks against Buffalo last week, though they did get nine stops in the backfield. They forced no turnovers and let the Bills possess the ball for 35:37 minutes and convert almost half their third downs.
Oakland will be without three of its cornerbacks. David Amerson, Gareon Conley and Demetrius McCray are all listed as out. Everyone else on the injury report should play.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-3)
Everybody hating on Jay Cutler’s performance for the Dolphins this season got a rude awakening when Matt Moore took the field and a mighty dump in 40-0 shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week. The good news is that Cutler and wide receiver DeVante Parker both practiced this week and and should play.
Here’s the bad news. Jay Ajayi is no longer in the building. Evidently head coach Adam Gase didn’t think Ajayi was putting in the work “off the field” so he sent him packing. The news is that even Jarvis Landry was on the block too. For a team actually in the playoff hunt, those are the moves of a squad looking to tank the rest of the season.
Ultimately, Landry is still on the team. Who’ll run the ball? I actually like Kenyan Drake, especially with his abilities as a receiver. He’s not a small cat either, at 6-1 and 211. He’s just not Ajayi. If Ajayi was some kind of malcontent or issue, Gase and the team delivered the message needed by shipping him to the Philadelphia Eagles. Hopefully for the Dolphins’ sake, Landry and Gase kiss and make up.
The Pick
I’m not ready to toss Carr out just yet. He has to protect the ball better, but there’s just no one consistently frightening on that Miami squad right now that can take over this game. Oakland is on life support and the Dolphins are delivering an adrenaline shot. Raiders 30, Dolphins 16
This week
Straight up: 0-1
Against the spread: 0-1
Last week
Straight up: 9-4
Against the spread: 8-5
Season
Straight up: 69-50
Against the spread: 58-61
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