Oakland Raiders vs Miami Dolphins: Five Fatal Flaws

Elias Trejo – Sep 17, 2012

The Oakland Raiders lost to the Miami Dolphins 13-35 in a game that left many in the Raider Nation upset. This is another game that got away from Oakland in the second half. There were many bad flaws made by the team against the Dolphins.  Let's take a look at five fatal flaws that lost the game for Oakland. 

Opening Defensive Drive:

Ryan Tannehill is in his rookie season and had a rough game in his first start in week one. Oakland's defense looked strong on opening night and kept the Raiders in the game against the Chargers. It was important to get the rookie QB off his game early, but instead Tannehill looked sharp on the opening drive. The Raiders did not do a good job of applying pressure and could not stop the run. The Dolphins ran six plays that gained over five yards and they capped off the drive with a 2 yard touchdown run by Tannehill. Oakland gave the rookie and the rest of the team confidence for the rest of the game. 

Letting Brian Hartline Beat You:

I'm going to be honest and say that I thought Oakland would dominate the Dolphins receiving group. I joked about their top receiver being a No. 3 guy on any other team. I did not no expect our cornerbacks to play like they were on any other team's practice squad. Hartline looked like a pro bowler against our secondary. He caught nine passes for 111 yards. What was most disturbing was that everyone knew the ball was going to him and they still couldn't stop him. It was just a terrible effort by our secondary. How bad was it? 99.6% of fantasy football owners do not have Hartline on their team. For the Raiders to let him and a rookie quarterback dominate them like that is embarrassing. 

Letting Reggie Bush Run Wild:

Reggie Bush had 26 carries for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Bush is a solid running back, but Oakland made him look like the best back in the league on Sunday. Their gap discipline was terrible and their tackling was below average. On his first touchdown run five players touched him and could not wrap him up. The Raiders did a great job against the run vs San Diego but could not stop Bush. This team looked like the Raiders of 2011 and not the "New Era" that was touted all season. Letting him take over the game in the second half lost the game for the Raiders. 

Inability to Score Touchdowns:

One of the most disturbing things about the Oakland Raiders this year is their inability to score. They are ranked 31st in the league in points per game. Last year they were ranked 9th overall and that was after losing Darren McFadden, Jason Campbell and having their starting receivers miss significant time. Oakland's offense didn't need a make over this offseason but it's obvious the changes that were made have caused the offense to regress. Oakland only had the ball in the redzone twice and failed to punch it in both times. 

Inability to Run the Ball:

Perhaps the most disturbing flaw of this game and the last game was their inability to run the football. There are no excuses. Last year they had a top ten running attack, and this year they are ranked 31st in the league. When you have a running back like Darren McFadden who is your best player and offensive weapon and you can't get him to rush for over 35 yards in each of his first two games, you have a major problem. Say what you want about the zone blocking scheme and how good it works, right now it's failing and is one of the biggest reasons Oakland is looking like a lock for a top ten draft pick next year. 

For more news on the Raiders follow me on Twitter.