Raiders vs Dolphins: 10 Keys to the Game for Miami

Week 1 couldn't have been more unkind to the Dolphins, but the football gods are compensating by sending a banged up Oakland Raiders team to Miami in Week 2. 

The Raiders' injury report includes marquee names such as Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, Rolando McClain, Ronald Bartell and Taiwan Jones. Ford and Bartell have already been ruled out, and McClain, Moore and Jones were limited in practice this week. 

To make matters more favorable, the Raiders played on Monday night. So, not only did they have a short week of rest and preparation, but they also have to fly across the country. 

However, none of these factors will matter if the Dolphins play as poorly as they did last week. This is a golden opportunity for Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill to curb the aura of pessimism and ineptitude currently surrounding the franchise. 

If the Phins follow these 10 keys, then they can emerge from Week 2 at .500. 

Contain Darren McFadden

Darren McFadden rushed for just 32 yards on 15 carries against the San Diego Chargers on Monday night, but don't expect him to average 2.1 yards per carry this weekend—or ever again for that matter.

Even if the Dolphins shutdown the Raiders' rushing attack (which they should—Houston's offensive line is far superior to Oakland's, and Miami held Arian Foster and Ben Tate to just 85 rushing yards on 31 carries), they still have to worry about McFadden inflicting damage in the passing game. 

Last week, Carson Palmer targeted "Run DMC" a whopping 18 times (for perspective, the next most targeted Raiders player, wide receiver Rod Streater, was targeted 10 times). McFadden caught 13 of those targets and racked up 86 receiving yards. 

The Dolphins have to assign a detail to McFadden on every play. He's too good to shutdown entirely, so Kevin Coyle needs to figure out how to limit his production and impact on the game. 

Exploiting the Raiders' Depleted Secondary

This is what the Raiders' starting secondary will look like on Sunday afternoon: Shawntae Spencer (CB), Pat Lee (CB), Tyvon Branch (FS) and Michael Huff (SS).

And you thought the Dolphins' secondary was in bad shape. 

Phillip Rivers completed 24-for-33 passes for 231 yards against this secondary last week, so it is capable of holding its own, and the Chargers' offense is incomparably better than the Dolphins'. But, without Bartell in the lineup, anonymous cornerbacks Joselio Hanson and Phillip Adams will inherit increased roles.

Ryan Tannehill couldn't ask for a better opportunity to rebound from last week's disastrous performance.

Play Conservatively Against Oakland'S Vertical Threats

In 2011, five Raiders wide receivers averaged more than 11 yards per catch:

Name	Receptions	Yards	Y/R
Denarius Moore	33	618	18.7
Jacoby Ford	19	279	14.7
Darrius Heyward-Bey	64	975	15.2
Louis Murphy	15	241	16.1
Chaz Schilens	23	271	11.8

Louis Murphy and Chaz Schilens are no longer with the team, and Jacoby Ford will likely miss Sunday's game with a foot injury, but you get the point: Oakland's wide receiver corps is uncannily fast. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford and undrafted free agent Rod Streater all recorded 40-yard dash times between 4.27 and 4.42. 

This allows the Raiders to break the game wide open on any play, so it's pivotal that the Dolphins' secondary prevents these deep threats from slipping through cracks and making big plays. The Raiders completed only one pass of 20-plus yards last week, but that was without Denarius Moore in the lineup. If Moore plays this week, then the Phins have to be conservative. 

Unleash Ryan Tannehill and Open Up the Passing Game

The Dolphins shackled Ryan Tannehill down in his NFL debut last weekend. According to Pro Football Focus, only seven of his 36 pass attempts were more than 10 yards, even though Miami faced a 21 point deficit entering the second half. 

Mike Sherman and Joe Philbin designed such a conservative game-plan because the Texans have one of the league's best defenses. In order to prevent Tannehill from crumbling under the pressure of their pass rush, the Phins emphasized a short, quick passing game—which is typical of the West Coast offense, just not to the degree we saw on Sunday.

Fortunately, Tannehill faces a much more favorable test this Sunday. He'll get a chance to pick apart Oakland's banged up secondary and sit back against a front seven that registered just one sack last weekend (and only 39 all of last season).

Phillip Rivers had success with passes of 10-plus yards against the Raiders on Monday night, completing seven of 14 attempts for 140 yards. It's time for the Dolphins to test Tannehill's arm and see what he can do. With another week to develop chemistry with Anthony Armstrong and Brian Hartline, the Dolphins' passing game could be much improved and much more productive on Sunday. 

Emphasize the Uptempo Offense as Much as Possible

If there's one word that defines the Dolphins' offseason—besides ineptitude—it's uptempo.

From the day he was hired, Joe Philbin stressed his desire to implement an uptempo, no-huddle offense that would tire defenses out, especially under the harsh Florida sun. In August, Mike Sherman explained the philosophy:

"

Now, the [play] clock starts at 40, and I'd like to get the play snapped before it hits 20. Get the play, signal, call in at the line of scrimmage, and snap the ball at 20. The advantage is, it gives us some chances to make the adjustments we need to make in protection. We're not up against the clock so to speak.

"

The Dolphins also split their practice field in half, which allowed players to receive multiplied reps. Sherman told the Palm Beach Post, “those young receivers in a normal NFL practice, they’d walk off the field maybe if they were lucky with 10 snaps. Today they probably got 40.” 

Sunday's forecast calls for temperatures as high as 86 degrees, and that's without humidity. On the field, heat index is bound to creep into the mid-90s. This gives the Dolphins a distinct advantage over the Raiders, who will wear their black jerseys. Not to mention, the Raiders are traveling across the country on a short week's rest. 

It's time for Joe Philbin to really showcase his uptempo system. If the Dolphins execute it well, then they should have no trouble scoring points on Oakland's defense. 

Take Away the Raiders' Short Passing Game

Last week, Carson Palmer and the Raiders' passing game was extremely effective in short and intermediate routes. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Palmer attempted 29 passes of 10 yards or fewer. He completed 23 of those passes, which collectively accounted for 152 of his 297 passing yards. 

Ideally, Miami could combat by utilizing bump-and-run coverage and jamming Oakland's wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. However, the Dolphins' secondary cannot play too aggressively, or one of the Raiders' many vertical threats will shed the coverage and reel in receptions downfield. 

It's a double-edged sword. 

One scheme Kevin Coyle can use to protect against the short and deep passing game is Cover 1 Robber coverage. In this scheme, cornerbacks play basic man-to-man coverage while the free safety drops back to protect the deep middle zone of the field. The strong safety is the key player as he comes forward to take away any short passes over the middle. This puts pressure on the cornerbacks to stick with their assignments and the free safety to cover a wide range of the field. 

Whatever defense the Dolphins use must find a balance between aggressiveness and conservativeness.

Get Reggie Bush and Lamar Miller into Open Space

Although the Raiders played almost as poorly as the Dolphins did last week, they did one thing extraordinarily well: get Darren McFadden into open space. 

McFadden is Oakland's most dangerous weapon by far, and he generated 119 yards of total offense thanks to the efforts of Carson Palmer and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. 

The Dolphins made an effort to get Reggie Bush into open space, but to a lesser degree. He was only targeted on six passes, which pales in comparison to McFadden's 18 targets. Maybe 18 is a bit extreme, but admire the Raiders for acknowledging and fully utilizing their best offensive player.

This week, Mike Sherman needs to get the ball into Reggie Bush's hands early and often because he was the lone bright spot in last week's dismal offensive performance. It may take some time for Ryan Tannehill to develop good rapport with Brian Hartline and Anthony Armstrong, so in the meantime, the Dolphins should lean on their most dangerous weapon.

Fourth-round pick Lamar Miller will also get some reps as he steps in for Daniel Thomas, who is sidelined with a concussion. Miller is one of the most explosive players from the 2012 Draft Class, and Mike Sherman should try to get him into open space whenever possible. 

Beware Rolando McClain

The Raiders' defense is mostly devoid of impact players, but one player the Dolphins must be wary of is linebacker Rolando McClain. 

The former first-round draft pick is entering his third NFL season, and if Monday's game was any indication, then he's ready to become a dominant player. McClain was excellent in run support, racking up all four his tackles at the line of scrimmage. 

John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus writes, "[McClain] had perhaps the most dominant performance against the run of any linebacker in Week 1, even though the stat sheet reads just four stops."

Although Oakland's defense isn't even on par with Houston's, the Dolphins can't take it lightly, especially with McClain roaming the middle of the field. 

Execute in the Red Zone

One of, if not the most troubling statistic from the Dolphins' Week 1 loss to the Houston Texans is red-zone percentage. Miami made three trips to the red zone and failed to score a single point, resulting in an ugly zero percent conversion rate. 

Granted, Daniel Thomas' early exit hurt the red zone package and the Dolphins couldn't settle for field goals, but there's no excuse for such poor efficiency. 

Without a big-bodied, physical possession wide receiver, the Dolphins are automatically at a disadvantage. Ryan Tannehill doesn't have a weapon who can out-muscle defensive backs and consistently get open in the abbreviated field. This is where Michael Egnew should've come in, but he wasn't even active last week. 

If the Dolphins don't improve in the red zone, then they won't win a game anytime soon. 

Get into Travis Goethel's Head

On Monday night, longtime Raiders longsnapper Jon Condo suffered a concussion, propelling backup linebacker Travis Goethel into action. 

Goethel had a night to forget—to say the least. He botched two snaps which gave the Chargers excellent field position and momentum. And, his lone good snap resulted in a blocked punt.

Condo didn't practice this week, so there's a good chance he'll miss Sunday's game. If this is indeed the case, then the Dolphins need to find ways to get into Goethel's head. Punter Shane Lechler and kicker Sebastian Janikowski are two of Oakland's most valuable assets. By hindering their timing the Dolphins can gain a huge advantage.