Digging Deeper: Dolphins Drop OT Thriller to Raiders

By Alessandro Senatore and Kayla Morton

The Miami Dolphins dropped an overtime thriller in week three on the road in Las Vegas to fall below .500 for the first time in 2021.

After completing a fourth-and-20 to set up a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion, the Dolphins’ fight in OT came up just short. Raiders’ kicker Daniel Carlson made two field goals in the 10-minute frame, one as time expired, to secure Las Vegas’ victory.

After beginning 1-0, Miami now sits second in the AFC East at 1-2, tied with the New England Patriots and trailing the division-favorite Buffalo Bills.

Injury Bug

The Dolphins came into this game with backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett making his first of three scheduled starts in the coming weeks after starter Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve last week with broken ribs.

Brissett went 32-for-49 for 215 yards with one rushing TD.

Dolphins Jump Out to Quick Start

Backup running back Malcolm Brown accounted for the other Dolphins offensive score, taking it in from 24 yards out in the first half for his first TD with the team.

Miami’s other touchdown was a 82-yard pick-six from linebacker Elandon Roberts who jumped Raiders’ QB Derek Carr’s passing lane in the first quarter.

Miami went up 14-2 after allowing a safety to Las Vegas on a bizarre play.

“I think what happens is when you’re in the heat of a game, you’re calling plays and that position, especially Jacoby (Brissett), he made a decision. I read what he said about it and I think that’s what happens. He made a decision and right, wrong – if we all went back would we do different things? Probably we would do something different or we could do something different. But we didn’t,” Offensive Coordinator Eric Studesville said. “That’s what we did in that play so we have to learn and grow from that experience of what happened on that particular play. That’s what happened on that play and that’s what happened.”

Raiders Put Up 25 Unanswered

The safety led to 25 unanswered points from the Raiders and showed again a lapse in the Dolphins’ offense, despite high target shares from multiple receivers.

Miami Sends 25 Targets to Gesicki, Waddle, Don’t Use them to Advantage

Tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle were the main targets this game with both being targeted 12 and 13 times respectively. Gesicki caught 10 of his 12 targets for a team-leading 86 yards while Waddle hauled in 12 of his 13 for 58 yards.

Additionally, WR Will Fuller made his Dolphins debut, and although his stat line doesn’t necessarily show it, he was a defining game factor. He drew penalties and caught the game-tying two-point conversion that sent the contest to OT.

Defense Has Bright Spots, Too

Furthermore, the defense itself stood its ground for the most part. Safety Brandon Jones (two) and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins (one) notched up three total sacks on Carr, who has been making NFL history with passing yards through two starts.

The other bright spot on the defense was the interception return from Roberts.

Miami’s defense did bend on the rush game, again, allowing 140 yards to be racked up, and the secondary had a tough day allowing 386 passing yards and two scores.

Miami Favored in Home Game with Indy

Miami will look to further clean up its offense and rush defense when it returns home in week four to face a winless Indianapolis Colts (0-3) team. The Dolphins opens at -2.5.

– Alessandro Senatore is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins who specializes in the NFL Draft and fantasy sports. Like and follow on Follow @AM_Senatore Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.