The Oakland Raiders are 0-3. The Miami Dolphins are 1-2. Both teams are only three games into the season and yet finding a game they both have to win. They must travel a long way to do it.
Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders – Game In London, England
Sunday, September 28th – 1:00 PM ET
Odds: Miami -4
Why The Dolphins Will Cover
They are playing one of the three worst teams in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are clearly in that bottom three as they did not show up at all in last Thursday’s embarrassing 56-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay also lost to teams quarterbacked by Austin Davis (St. Louis) and Derek Anderson (Carolina). Then, in the AFC, there are the Jacksonville Jaguars, who allowed 34 straight points to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first game of the season and then got crushed by the Washington Redskins in week two before getting annihilated by the Indianapolis Colts in week three.
Jacksonville has lost decisively in all three games, marking the Jags as a bottom-three team once again in the NFL. The third really bad team has to be the Raiders. Oakland actually has a decent defense, one that held both the New York Jets and New England Patriots under 20 points. However, the Raiders’ offense has not really done anything yet in 2014. It has floundered so far this season, failing to score more than 14 points in each of its first three games. The Raiders’ offense figured to be terrible heading into this season, with Houston Texans reject Matt Schaub being part of the mix along with Penn State product Matthew McGloin. The Raiders did not have anyone who could be viewed as a reliable quarterback. Everything you thought about their offense heading into the season has been proven correct. Miami should be able to join the long list of teams that will smother Oakland.
Why The Raiders Will Cover
They have a defense that has certainly played well enough to win in two of the team’s three games this season. The Raiders have held two teams under 20 points so far this season, and they both happen to be teams from the AFC East, the New England Patriots and New York Jets. The Raiders did better on defense against the Patriots this past Sunday than many teams will be able to do all season long. The Raiders did not give up the big play and were fundamentally sound. They put themselves in the right positions and were not caught off balance. Allowing only one touchdown to Tom Brady and company represents an excellent performance, one that can give this defense even more confidence heading into London for this “across the pond” game.
Since Miami is reeling, having lost two straight games while watching Knowshon Moreno go down with an injury, the Dolphins are an imbalanced team without the offense needed to strike fear into the hearts of opponents. The Raiders are catching Miami at a very good time this season.
Outlook
If the Raiders get a defensive or special teams touchdown, they can cover, but that’s asking a lot. Miami should be able to keep Oakland’s offense quiet and cover the number.
Pick: Dolphins -4
