Oakland Raiders: Keys to beating the Miami Dolphins in week three matchup
By Kevin Saito
Hit Tannehill Early And Often
Ryan Tannehill is banged up with both, knee and ankle issues, but he’s expected to be on the field against the Raiders. Against the Jets last week, he took a pounding, as New York racked up four sacks on him.
Which means, he may not be at 100 percent come Sunday – which could work to Oakland’s benefit. If, they can take advantage of it.
Over the first two games, the Raiders have not been able to muster anything resembling a consistent or effective pass rush. They’ve notched just two sacks over the two games, and haven’t generated a lot of heat otherwise.
Yes, having Khalil Mack on the field would help, blah, blah, blah. Unfortunately, Mack is in Chicago, so the Raiders have to deal with what’s on their plate before them. And what’s on their plate before them is a non-existent pass rush.
Against a Dolphins line that’s surrendered five sacks, and a ton of hits to Tannehill already, if the Raiders can muster any sort of a pass rush, they will give themselves a better chance in this game.
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Of course, dropping Tannehill isn’t a sure indicator of victory – the Jets dropped him four times last week, and he still posted a 73 percent completion rate (17/23), threw two touchdowns, and had a QB rating of 123.1 in Miami’s 20-12 victory.
Racking up sacks doesn’t guarantee you a win. But, getting to Tannehill, forcing him to move around – especially if he’s already gimpy – could lead to some mistakes on his part. Mistakes the Raiders would then need to capitalize on.
Being able to manufacture a pass rush doesn’t guarantee victory – but it sure would help a whole lot.