The Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins are trending towards opposite directions, but their paths will collide this Sunday in South Beach when Derek Carr and company travel to Hard Rock Stadium for a showdown with Ryan Tannehill and crew. Will the Raiders finally get their first win of the season? Or will Miami notch their third-straight win while sending Oakland careening into its third-consecutive setback?
Somewhere, Khalil Mack could be suppressing a chuckle after seeing his former team, the Raiders, struggle to contain Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum on Sunday. The Raiders suffered another loss and remained winless this season after falling victims to Denver on the road, 20-19.Although they picked off Keenum once, the Raiders were not able to slow down Keenum in the fourth quarter in which the Broncos erased a nine-point deficit to steal a win. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr churned out 288 passing yards (29/32) with a touchdown and wasn’t intercepted, a good sign nonetheless for the Raiders, considering Carr was picked off three times in the loss to the Los Angeles Rams a week prior. Oakland should also like wide receiver Amari Cooper’s reemergence. After being held to a catch and nine receiving yards against the Rams, Cooper blew up for 116 receiving yards on 10 receptions in Denver. Carr, Cooper, and the Raiders’ passing air attack should have plenty of chances against Miami’s defense that let rookie New York Jets QB Sam Darnold throw for 320 passing yards.
The under is 4-0 in Oakland’s last four games away from home.
Betting on the Miami Dolphins (2-0)
First of all: what in the world? The Dolphins are now atop of the AFC East after defeating the Jets on Sunday, 20-12. Now 2-0 through the first two games of the season, Miami is the only undefeated left in the division, and they plan to keep it that way for as long as they can. Although Oakland’s pass rush no longer has Mack, the Dolphins can’t afford to risk quarterback Ryan Tannehill due to weak pass protection. Tannehill, who is just coming back from a year-long absence due to a knee injury, has been sacked five times in two starts this season, including four in the Jet game. Against New York, Tannehill went 17 of 23 for 168 passing yard and two touchdowns without an interception. He got ample help from the backfield with Kenyan Drake rushing for 53 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Tannehill himself rushed for 44 yards on eight attempts for a team-best average of 5.5 yards per carry.
The Dolphins are 3-1 ATS in their last four home games.
