Las Vegas Raiders defeat Miami Dolphins: 5 takeaways from overtime thriller
LAS VEGAS — The Miami Dolphins had a game plan that kept them in the contest at Las Vegas on Sunday.
But it wasn't good enough to win.
Jacoby Brissett was resilient in his first start for Miami but the Raiders' Derek Carr had more big-gain passing plays.
The Dolphins fell to the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-28, at Allegiant Stadium in overtime on Sunday.
Carr led a field-goal drive in overtime and Brissett matched the feat.
Then Carr led Las Vegas down the field again for a game-winning field goal.
On Sunday, Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead, fell behind 25-14 in the fourth quarter and sent the game to overtime in improbable fashion, led by Brissett.
Late in regulation, Brissett led a scoring drive capped by his touchdown run on fourth down with only eight seconds left. Trailing 25-17 before that drive began, Brissett then hit Will Fuller on a 2-point conversion to force overtime.
On that drive, DeVante Parker caught a pass to convert a 4th-and-8. And Mack Hollins drew a pass interference call on a long pass into the end zone.
Miami's plan, from the opening kickoff, was to establish a physical approach on both sides of the ball. And to an extent, that worked.
Miami's re-shuffled offensive line performed a bit better. And Miami got some traction in the running game, with Malcolm Brown and Myles Gaskin.
But Carr and the Raiders had five receivers with catches of 23 yards or more.
Brissett and the Dolphins had no receiver with a catch of more than 12 yards, late into the fourth quarter.
Consider that prior to Miami's last drive, rookie Jaylen Waddle had nine catches, but for less than 5 yards per catch.
When Brissett took the ball with Miami trailing by eight points and about seven minutes left, the Dolphins were averaging 3.0 yards per pass. The Raiders, at that point, were averaging 7.8.
Brissett, a West Palm Beach native, started for Tua Tagovailoa, who will miss at least three games with fractured ribs. There continues to be widespread speculation about if Miami will trade for Deshaun Watson.
Brissett was solid, operating a largely conservative game plan. But on this day, Miami's overall performance fell short.
Jacoby Brissett showed moxie, fearlessness
On a drive shortly before halftime, Brissett was sacked. But on a 3nd-and-9 from his own 30, Brissett scrambled through the middle, juked a defender and than gained the first down for a gain of 10.
It was all very reminiscent of the type of daring play Ryan Fitzpatrick made in previous Dolphins season. Both players, coincidentally, wear jersey number 14.
Brissett has the ability to read defenses. He has the ability to keep plays alive in the pocket and to not go down easily on first contact. Simply put, he is an outstanding backup in this league capable of keeping Miami in games.
After Brissett scrambled for that memorable first down, he hit Will Fuller, Mike Gesicki and Jaylen Waddle (twice) to set up a field goal. Jason Sanders hit the right upright but that Miami moved the ball in that spot was important.
Brissett led Miami to three fourth-down conversions.
The Dolphins were determined to be physical, aggressive
Miami came out determined to play a nasty game on both sides of the football and it paid dividends. It was in the wake of an embarrassing 35-0 loss to Buffalo.
Bruising running back Malcolm Brown drew the start and scored a 24-yard first half touchdown, in which maligned left tackle Austin Jackson buried a man. Jackson played angry in the first half, which is exactly what Miami needs.
Defensively, Zach Sieler, Christian Wilkins and Jaelan Phillips were among the players who made it a point to be ultra-aggressive.
Sieler had a key fourth-down stop. Wilkins has a sack. Phillips, who seemed to have his hand on the ground a bit more often, had a handful of tackles.
Miami did have three first-half unnecessary roughness penalties. They were committed by Byron Jones, Elandon Roberts and Jevon Holland. Near the start of the second half, cornerback Justin Coleman was also called for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Not ideal, but it beats being soft.
A questionable offensive play call
Dolphins co-offensive coordinators George Godsey and Eric Studesville did some good things on Sunday.
They were committed to establishing a run. They got rookie Jaylen Waddle involved. They called plays that gave their offensive line a chance.
But in the second quarter, backed up to their own 1-yard line, Brissett threw a screen pass out to the left for Jaylen Waddle. But Waddle was in the end zone and almost immediately tackled, without any blockers to give him a chance.
Though Waddle is Miami's most elusive player, throwing him the ball in that spot would seem highly suspect. According to Pro Football Reference, that type of safety has never been committed in recorded NFL history.
PFR says that have no record of a completed pass resulting in a safety without a penalty or a fumble on the play. Never, ever happened. Amazing.
Dolphins had some defensive highlights
Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts intercepted Derek Carr and returned it 85 yards for a first-half touchdown.
Roberts is the player I would most like to have walking with me on the streets of Las Vegas late at night. He is tough. He is intimidating. But he's also a savvy veteran.
Roberts intercepted the pass intended for tight end Foster Moreau.
The Dolphins have an NFL-best record of 25 straight games with a forced turnover.
In the first half, Zach Sieler stopped Peyton Barber on a 4th-and-1, wrestling him to the ground as he does alligators in his spare time.
Sieler was all over the field. He was an absolute beast.
It's also worth noting that the Dolphins seemed to put Phillips in a position, more often, to simply go after the opposing quarterback as a rush end. Phillips can be a game-changer, if he's not over-thinking and reacting slowly.
Miami's offensive line played better
The Dolphins opted to insert Liam Eichenberg at right tackle and even though he was involved in an allowed sack, tackle is a more natural slot for the rookie.
It's possible that the combination of right guard Robert Hunt and Liam Eichenberg could be quite good for the Dolphins, if they just leave them there and let them settle in.
Miami opted for Jesse Davis over Solomon Kindley at left guard, largely because of Davis' veteran leadership. And the presence of Davis may well have helped Jackson, who played with the anger Miami coaches have probably been looking for.
Jackson did have an untimely false start penalty as Miami faced a 4th-and-3 with only 2:18 to play and the team trailing by 8 points. Jackson was also called for holding in overtime.
In general, the Dolphins' offensive line was much better against Las Vegas than it was against Buffalo. Brissett was not under constant duress. And the Dolphins actually got some traction in the run game, with Brown and Gaskin.