Ahoy, Raider fans! It is I, RaiderDamus, the count of clairvoyance, the dean of divination, the prince of projections, and the World's Freshest Man. This week, I have looked deep into the aether and felt it stare back into me. Then we had a staring contest. I'm pretty sure I won, because the aether gave up all the hot details of what will happen in the upcoming Raiders vs. Dolphins game. After the break, I shall reveal to you what has been revealed to me, as is customary.
First, the aether pointed out the list of quarterbacks who have defeated the Raiders this year. There are only four. The list is as follows:
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Tom Brady
Matt Cassel
Tim Tebow
Then the aether reminded me that Matt Moore is the quarterback of the Dolphins. "But, o great aether," I cried, "Matt Moore is a top-ten QB in passer rating!"
The aether was bemused. "Nonsense," it replied. "Matt Moore sucks." And there you have it, folks. Even the great beyond knows that despite the numbers, Matt Moore is still a jabronie, as The Rock would put it.
So what's going to happen in the game? Well, I expect somewhat of a conservative game plan from the Raiders, at least in the first half. They'll rush directly at the Dolphins, probing for weaknesses. The Dolphins play a 3-4, so play action screens ought to work fairly well since the linebackers like to rush the passer a lot. I think the Raiders offensive line can handle it, as the Dolphins' defensive line is nothing special. I know Jason Taylor is on the team but he's listed at OLB so he can't really be counted as a DE.
The Raiders won't go deep much- they won't have to. They will try to spread the field but most of the yards will be gained on the ground and on short pass routes and screens. Yeremiah Bell, the Dolphins' best safety, is questionable so there's a clear area to target.
The Dolphins, on the other hand, will just try to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers- Bush, Marshall, Bess- and hope it works. Those guys are very fast, but so are the Raiders. I expect a couple big plays from the group of them, but I don't see Miami getting a lot of momentum in this game.
The Dolphins are a terrible home team and the Raiders are 4-1 on the road. Now, the Dolphins have won their last two home games against Washington (who cares) and Buffalo (coming back down to earth) so I'm not sure how relevant that piece of information is. The bottom line is that the Raiders know how important this game is and Miami has nothing whatsoever to play for except a better draft pick. Sparano knows he is fired one way or the other. I don't expect a top-notch effort or game plan from Miami, nor do I expect them to be able to stop the Raiders from imposing their will on the line of scrimmage on both offense and defense. I think it will be a close game, but in the end the Raiders are simply a better team.
Raiders win, 24-20.
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