In the final Sunday match of Week 9, the Miami Dolphins (4-3) will face the Oakland Raiders (3-5). The Miami offense, which will be played without Jay Ajayi from now on, had to absorb harsh criticism from its own head coach. Can the hitherto disappointing raiders exploit the Dolphins crisis? The game will be played live on Monday night from 2.30 a. m. on DAZN!
Question of price: What does a team do if nothing comes together on the offensive? Right, it makes the best running back. Jay Ajayi has been a Philadelphia Eagle since Tuesday. In return, the Dolphins got a four-round pick in the coming draft. Ajayi had complained several times in the past weeks about the low number of carries in the Red Zone, he has not yet managed a single touchdown in the current season.
This has less to do with Ajayi’s abilities than much more to do with the weak offensive line of the Dolphins. The run-blocking is devastating, with 535 Rushing Yards Miami is only ahead of the Arizona Cardinals (444 Rush Yards). Quarterback Matt Moore doesn’t succeed even if the O-Line in his pocket gives him enough time. At the 0:40 against Baltimore last week, Moore simply missed his receivers or missed them several times.
“We’re the worst offense in the league,”even head coach Adam Gase insulted about his Dolphins,”It’s really hard to be worse than we are.” The numbers say gases are right: 252.4 yards are scored by the Dolphins per game, as little as no other team,”I’m sick of it. I’m sick of this weak offense,”Gases shot surprisingly sharp.
But he also took on the responsibility of his side staff:”The boys have to get a clear head, but the coaching staff has to work better as well. If our players don’t know what to do, it’s obviously up to the coaches.”
The Ajayi-Trade could now also be a clear sign to the team that, despite the positive result of 4-3, the plans are already focused on the coming season. Gases expects a better attitude from his players:”We don’t put enough work in it” If the players can’t remember the playbook, they won’t be able to find a place in the Dolphins-Roster anymore.
The coach announced on Wednesday that the mood in the team was different after the free long weekend. The training procedures have been changed. We won’t always do the same thing, and we’ll get angry about the same mistakes afterwards,”Gases said.
The coach had already announced after his defeat against the Ravens that Jay Cutler would make his comeback against the Raiders after healed rib fractures. It is still unclear whether Damien Williams or Kenyan Drake will take the position of Ajayi in the backfield. It is safe to assume that gases will continue the trend of a simplified offense and will increasingly play short passes on the two young running backs.
The raiders have also been relying on short passes since the beginning of the season. However, the Raiders-Offense is much too transparent compared to last season. Quarterback Derek Carr would have a receiver corps that would be good for Big Plays at any time. Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper have been playing a mixed season so far, but the Dolphins’ patchy secondary is being challenged by them:”On the one hand you want to dominate, but on the other hand you can’t make it too difficult for yourself in the offense,” said Amari Cooper, who has only been able to catch 50 percent of his passes so far, but who may have regained his old strength in the last game, about the stagnating offense.
In addition to DeAndre Washington, Oakland will also be able to use Marshawn Lynch in the run game. Beast Mode had been suspended for a game after an outburst in the game against the Chiefs because he grabbed referee Julian Mapp’s jersey.”Everyone was excited,”Carr said on the return of Lynch,”You miss a teammate very much because they are like brothers to you. Which is why we’re happy to have him back.”
The Raiders spent the week in Sarasota on the west coast of Florida preparing for a duel with the Dolphins,”We feel very comfortable here,”said Raiders coach Jack Del Rio on Wednesday. Addressing the Ajayi trade, Del Rio made few adjustments to the defense:”The Dolphins won’t change their overall concept now, so there will be very little change for us.
Nevertheless, another weak notion in defence could become a problem. The run-blocking is not terrifying even in the Bay Area. In addition, the harmless Pass-Rush Cutler could give enough time for passes to the Dolphins receivers DeVante Parker and Jarvis Landry, because the Raiders-Secondary can’t compensate for these weaknesses. But first the Dolphins would have to memorize their placements, otherwise the next Tirade of Adam Gases would soon be waiting for them.
Miami Dolphins (4-3) – Oakland Raiders (3-5) (Monday, 2:30 a. m. live on DAZN)
The SPOX NFL Predictor, Week 9:
Pascal
De Marco
71-48