The Miami Dolphins are looking to make the slow climb back from the bottom half of the AFC back up into the playoff picture. Step one was a much-needed 23-15 win over the Rams on Sunday. Step two will be on Sunday at home against the reeling Raiders.
As much as Miami has disappointed this year, the Raiders have matched Miami every step of the way, checking in at 2-7 and tied for the second worst record in the NFL. That being said, this is a team that is capable of beating anyone, as evidenced by their 26-23 win at Baltimore early in the season.
To get a little bit more information on the team and the matchup, I reached out to Justin Churchill, who covers the Raiders for A to Z Sports, and he was kind enough to respond to a few of my questions.
1) The Raiders are a team that clearly has fallen well short of expectations. What are the primary reasons for their poor season?
Coaching, coaching, injuries, offensive line, QB play. But it all comes back to coaching. The scheme has been terrible along with the play calling, which is why they let go of OC Luke Getsy. The offensive line has had several different starting combinations this year because of injuries, and because of that, there has been no consistency in the run game or pass game. Everything is just a mess.
2) Miami fans were very disappointed to see Christian Wilkins leave in free agency. How was he doing before he got hurt last month, and will he return this season?
I think before things started to go very badly, there was a thought he would come back. While it hasn’t been addressed since, I think the team may sit him for the rest of the year to get healthy. But he could play. And he was playing very well. The numbers won’t show it, but he was eating double teams and stopping the run very effectively.
3) The Dolphins have improved their level of play significantly with the return of Tua Tagovailoa from IR. What does Las Vegas need to do to win on Sunday?
To win on Sunday, Gardner Minshew will have to eliminate making bad decisions, which seems impossible at this point. Turnovers are what has lost games for this team, and even if he does play well, they could still lose.