Oakland Raiders: Keys to beating the Miami Dolphins in week three matchup
By Kevin Saito
Be Aggressive, But Not Stupid
Last week, we saw the better version of Derek Carr, who has been Jekyll and Hyde through the season’s first two games. Against the Rams, he played it far more conservatively, and paid a price for it. He looked tentative, and unsure. He wasn’t aggressive, he was just careless. And that can’t happen.
Coming off his three pick (one of them being of the pick-six variety) against the Rams, Carr came back against Denver and looked a lot closer to the 2016 version of himself – the version that was a legitimate MVP contender.
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Carr finished the day with a 91 percent completion rate (29/32) for 282 yards, and a touchdown. Against the Broncos, Carr was far more aggressive, taking some shots downfield he didn’t against the Rams and that elite secondary of theirs.
The difference between the two games was, that against the Broncos, he was aggressive, but he was smarter about it. He wasn’t careless with the ball. He seemed more confident and in command. Which is exactly what this Raiders offense needs.
Miami’s passing defense is opportunistic. The currently lead the league in interceptions with five – having gotten Mariota twice, his backup Blaine Gabbert once, and rookie Sam Darnold twice. If you are careless or make a stupid mistake, this Dolphins defense will capitalize.
However, they’re also a unit that gives up a lot of yards. There are chinks in the armor that will let Carr and the offense move the chains down the field. Miami’s pass defense overall, ranks twenty-fourth. Darnold lit them up for 320 yards last week.
Miami looks defensively tough on paper. They’re hard to score against, and tough to run on. But again, how much of that is a product of the competition?
Carr and the offense are going to have some chances to make plays. It’s vital they seize those moments and cash in on them. Every time.