The Las Vegas Raiders are set to face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, a team they lost to heartbreakingly last year. But, this time the Raiders are even worse than they were last year. Despite coming off of a bye week, the Raiders should see this game turn into an L on their current 2-7 win-loss record. A loss to the Cincinnati Bengals pretty much put them out of the playoff race last week, while the Dolphins are still fighting for a spot.
But, these teams don't play each other as much as you might think, despite them playing the last two years in a row. So, I teamed up with A to Z Sports' Craig Smith, who covers the Dolphins, to ask him a few questions about how this season has gone for the team in South Florida.
Here are the three burning questions I asked, and his answers:
3 burning questions for Raiders vs. Dolphins
Who is one Miami Dolphins player on the offense that Raiders fans may not know about that has had a sneaky good season?
Miami’s offense has been a hot mess this season, largely due to Tua’s stint on IR. But it hasn’t looked quite the same as last year even with him in there. I’d say as far as players who’ve produced above expectations, Jonnu Smith (who most fans surely know) has elevated the TE group, particularly in the passing game. Swing tackle Kendall Lamm will be taking over at RT this week after Austin Jackson’s season was announced as over yesterday. He played well last season on the left side.
Who is one Miami Dolphins player on the defense that Raiders fans may not know about that has had a sneaky good season?
Defensively Calais Campbell (who everyone also knows) has played at a surprisingly high level this year, better than anyone could have hoped. As far as off the radar, edge rusher Quinton Bell had a sack and looked disruptive on Monday against LA. Keep an eye on him moving forward. Hasn’t gotten much run, but the team is trying to find pressure where they can with Jaelan Phillips out for the rest of the year and Bradley Chubb still recovering from a December 2023 torn ACL.
The Dolphins seem to be doing a bit better with Tua back. But, they have a lot of ground to make up. Based on what you’ve seen from this team with him back, do you think that’s possible?
Yes, the path to the playoffs is there for Miami, incredibly. They’re only one game back of the Denver Broncos in the loss column, and Miami has games against the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, and New York Jets at home with another game against the Jets on the road. There’s notice margin for error, but there’s a chance.
After their game against the Miami Dolphins, the Raiders are set to take on the Denver Broncos and then the Kansas City Chiefs.
