Scooter & Hum: Day 303, Quasi-Quarantine: Dolphins-Raiders Game 15 Review

In one of the most heart-stopping games I can remember as a Dolphins fan, Miami snatched victory from the jaws of defeat (forgive me, I'm going to use that because it's the most apt description) that kept playoff hopes alive.

In a contest that featured peak Fitzmagic (Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 182 yards IN A LITTLE OVER HALF A QUARTER), the cracks of belief in Tua Tagovailoa were deepened, but in the aftermath of such a win, all thoughts were directed squarely at the postseason.

Offense

Tua was, um, careful, hitting 17 of 22 passes, but for an almost-unthinkable 4.3 yards per toss. His 94 yards included a short touchdown throw, but he took three sacks, had two relatively easy interceptions dropped, and essentially looked lost and flustered in the second half. Fitz came in firing (of course), drilling 9 of 13 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown to keep Miami's pulse alive. The Tua-Fitz comparison to "Woodstrock" (David Woodley and Don Strock) of the early-'80s isn't quite fair to anyone involved, but it was clear that Tua's hesitancy provided a stark contrast to Fitz's forking gunslinging.
Obviously, most of the headlines and chatter will revolve around the quarterback situation, but the hero in this game to me was tailback Myles Gaskin. Slippery and rugged, decisive and shifty, he torched the Raiders for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 19 touches. He had a long burst of 24 yards among his 87 rushing yards, then added 82 through the air to lead the team -- obviously including the 59-yard catch and run for a score that gave the 'Fins a late lead. Staggering game from Gaskin that was largely overlooked due to Fitz's dramatics.
Tua added 11 yards on three rushes and Lynn Bowden, Jr., had an eight-yard rush, but other than that Gaskin got no help. Salvon Ahmed was held to a paltry three yards on seven touches, and for unknown reasons Matt Breida (and even Patrick Laird) saw no action.
With no DeVante Parker, the receiving corps predictably posed almost no threat. Jakeem Grant had five grabs for 43 yards, but bobbled an easy crossing route that cost the team a first down. Mack Hollins reeled in the key 34-yarder to help win the game, but that was offset by a dropped touchdown and arguably another drop among his two catches for 42 yards. Isaiah Ford came alive late with four catches for 37 yards, while Bowden was quiet after some heavy-volume games, posting two grabs for eight yards.
Like most everyone else, the tight ends had anemic contributions until Fitz entered the game. Mike Gesicki -- who likely gets uncomfortably excited whenever Fitz comes into a contest -- snared four balls for 54 yards. His 31-yarder was vital to the team's comeback, and the bulk of his seven targets came when Fitz took over. Durham Smythe (two catches, six yards) and Adam Shaheen (one reception, three yards) combined for three grabs for nine yards.
An offensive line featuring three rookies is going to struggle against a front like the Raiders' at times, and that was certainly the case. However, the big men created just enough holes for Gaskin and just enough time for Fitz to keep the Dolphins within striking distance. Among Las Vegas's three sacks were at least a couple of that could be attributed to Tua panicking in the pocket. Ereck Flowers missed a key block on a first-quarter screen pass that should've ended up in a big gainer, while Robert Hunt had a big holding call that halted a promising Miami drive. While improvement obviously has to be made along the offensive front, this was a winning performance by this unit.

Defense

David Carr had all day to throw and racked up 336 yards, but he was sacked three times and was stymied in scoring position. Surprisingly, Josh Jacobs only had 13 carries, racking up 69 yards. Nelson Agholor had 155 receiving yards thanks to an 85-yard score on a blown officiating call, and Hunter "Opie" Renfrow hurt Miami with 34 yards on five catches in key situations. Unsurprisingly, Darren Waller torched the 'Fins for 112 yards on five grabs. Miami rushed three on a lot of occasions -- likely to account for defensive end Shaq Lawson being out for the game -- and allowed the Raiders to pick up big chunks between the 20s, but the Dolphins stiffened big-time in the red zone, forcing four Las Vegas field goals.
Andrew Van Ginkel took on a larger role due to Lawson's absence, and he responded with eight tackles, two sacks, a pass breakup, and two quarterback hits. There were times early on when he almost singlehandedly kept Miami in the game. Emmanuel Ogbah was relatively quiet on the other side, contributing two tackles, but he did have some pressures that forced Carr throwaways.
The interior defensive line was at its best in short-yardage situations. Zach Sieler led the way as usual with three stops and a tackle for loss, while Christian Wilkins (two tackles) and Raekwon Davis (two stops, one QB hit) also had their moments.
Jerome Baker continued his late-season surge with 10 tackles, a sack, and a quarterback hit, while Kyle Van Noy contributed six stops and half a tackle for loss. Elandon Roberts had a single tackle before leaving with what appeared to be a serious knee injury, and Kamu Grugier-Hill had a stop for a loss.
Byron Jones had four tackles and half a stop for a loss, and he was victimized by the refs twice with horrific calls. Xavien Howard had two stops and two pass breakups, one of which saved a touchdown and the other he almost reeled in for his 10th pick.
Eric Rowe had eight tackles. That's the good news. The bad news is they mostly came 20 or more yards down the field after another Darren Waller catch. Nik Needham had a tackle and an effective blitz.
Rookie Brandon Jones and veteran Bobby McCain both had three stops, but the lack of impact plays from the safety position has become more and more glaring as the season has progressed.

Special teams

Clayton Fejedelem had an eventful game here. He converted a vital fake punt with a 22-yard run that saw him spin out of trouble on the wrong side of the first-down marker. Fejedelem also secured the fumble recovery that ended the game. However, he and Grugier-Hill were among the Miami special-teamers put on tilt by Renfrow, the Raiders' punt returner.
Speaking of Opie Renfrow, he picked up 61 yards -- including a 32-yarder -- on five punt returns, and was generally a thorn in the 'Fins' side all night.
Matt Haack averaged 46.6 yards on five punts, but the low trajectories gave Renfrow time to set up strong returns. Haack did place one within the 20-yard line.
Jason Sanders was back and at his best, drilling four field goals and both extra points. His game-winner had a frightening moment where it appeared headed for the goal post, but immediately curved back into the near-dead center. Sanders was his dependable self after an inexplicable Pro Bowl snub.

Momentum plays

The teams traded three-and-outs, but Renfrow's nifty return set up the Raiders at Miami's 43-yard line. A Renfrow catch and a Jacobs run put Las Vegas inside the Dolphins' 5-yard line, and Carr reached over the pile for an early 7-0 lead.
On the next drive, Grant converted a third down with a reception and Tua converted a fourth down with a clutch run. Ahmed lost a yard on a third-and-short run, forcing Miami to settle for a 37-yarder from Sanders, trimming the margin to 7-3.
After a Van Ginkel sack forced a Raiders punt on the next drive, the 'Fins were pinned at their own 8-yard line after a mysterious holding call on Kavon Frazier and quickly went three-and-out. Another Van Ginkel sack and pass breakup brought up a third-and-19, but Vegas managed 18 yards on a draw, then converted 4th & 1 after an iffy spot that Miami didn't challenge. Pressures by Sieler and Ogbah forced Carr throwaways, and the Raiders kicked a 23-yarder to go up 10-3.
On Miami's following drive, Bowden converted a third-and-short with a Wildcat run, then Fejedelem's 22-yard gallop after a fake punt put Miami in business. A Gaskin 9-yarder gave the Dolphins a 2nd & 1, but back-to-back negative-yardage runs by Gaskin and Ahmed ended the drive with a lack of imagination and physicality. Sanders hammered it home from 39 yards out to cut the lead to 10-6.
A holding call on Needham and two roastings of Rowe in three plays got Las Vegas going on the ensuing drive. Ogbah's pressure forced a third-down incompletion, forcing the Raiders to close the first-half scoring with a 38-yard field goal with just 11 seconds left, pushing the advantage to 13-6.
After an ugly first half that saw Vegas dominate the stats, Gaskin got Miami going with a 24-yard run to start the final 30 minutes. Three catches by Grant in four plays ended with an injury that forced him out, but Tua hit Ford with a big third-down pass. Gaskin then ended a crucial drive by taking a short screen, breaking two tackles, and ramming into the end zone to tie it at 13.
The Raiders' next drive featured a 4th & 1, but the run had no chance as Sieler crushed his blocker to stymie the play and give the 'Fins the ball back. However, Tua threw an incompletion and took a sack, giving the ball right back to the Las Vegas.
A big pass to Waller got Vegas going again, but pressures by Wilkins and Van Ginkel helped stop the Raiders in a goal-to-go situation, forcing a short field goal to push the home team ahead, 16-13.
Tua followed by taking a sack and throwing what should have been an easy interception, leading to a Miami punt. Waller ended the quarter by beating Rowe yet again, and his spike somehow went uncalled as a taunting penalty as the third quarter ended. Howard broke up a third-down pass and nearly reeled in an interception on a play that looked like he may have been celebrating a PBU before realizing he could have picked the tipped ball.
After a touchback on the Raiders punt, Tua rolled into a sack, leading to yet another three-and-out. A slippery punt return by Opie put Vegas in Miami territory at the 45-yard line, but another "X" PBU and a sack by Baker got the 'Fins out of trouble and forced a punt.
Fitz came in with 9:46 to play and immediately got Miami rolling, using a soft touch to convert third downs to Ford and Gesicki, then nailing a deep ball down the seam to G-Sick. A dropped TD by Hollins led to a short Sanders field goal to tie it at 16.
After a holding call, the Raiders faced a 1st and 20, but with Carr having all day thanks to a three-man rush, he fired deep to Agholor, who pushed off of Byron Jones and then turned McCain around on a ridiculous 85-yard touchdown that never should have been. Vegas did miss the extra point however, making the lead 22-16.
Following two more Ford grabs, Gaskin took a short pass, broke a tackle, got to the sideline, picked up two blocks from Hollins, and raced 59 yards for a touchdown, pushing Miami ahead 23-22 on the immediate answer.
On the next drive, the officials again put their imprint on the game, calling an inexplicable 49-yard pass interference penalty on a ball played perfectly -- and nearly intercepted -- by Byron Jones. After the 2-minute warning, Van Noy jumped offsides to convert a 3rd & 1, and Jacobs slid twice to avoid scoring the winning touchdown. On the go-ahead field goal, the snap was low, but the Raiders converted the 22-yarder to regain the lead, 25-23, with just 19 seconds remaining.
With the Dolphins getting the ball back on their own 25-yard line, Fitz made one of the best throws I've ever seen considering the circumstances. In the midst of a brutal facemask, he lofted a perfect pass to Hollins between zone coverages, allowing the receiver to reel it in and fall out of bounds with 12 seconds remaining. With the facemask penalty tacked on, it was a 49-yard play all told. After Fitz scrambled and fired out of bounds to burn some time, Sanders came in to drill a 44-yard field goal with one second left to cement the victory for the 'Fins, 26-25.