3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss: Late penalty prevents comeback attempt
Here are three takeaways from the Raiders' 34-19 loss to the Dolphins on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida:
The Raiders appeared to be in position to pull off a road upset and end their long losing streak when they stopped the Dolphins on third down late in a close game.
Then they saw the flag on the field.
Cornerback Darnay Holmes was called for pass interference for a brief grab of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, giving Miami a fresh set of downs with 3:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders, instead of getting the ball back down 24-19, were forced to stay out on defense. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa took advantage of a busted coverage two plays later and found tight end Jonnu Smith for a 57-yard touchdown that sealed the Dolphins' victory.
The Raiders' late miscues in the secondary came after several defensive backs exited with injuries, including starting cornerback Jakorian Bennett.
Miami (4-6) won its second straight to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Raiders (2-8) lost their sixth straight.
Raiders interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who was promoted Nov. 5, was never going to be able to make wholesale changes before his first game in charge.
He did appear to make a few tweaks Sunday.
The Raiders, who ran the ball often on first downs in the first half under former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, called play-action passes on three first-down plays before halftime.
The team also gave rookie tight end Brock Bowers an early carry. That set up a later play on third down when Bowers lined up in the backfield and caught a pass for a conversion.
Turner seemed to make a concerted effort to get the ball to Bowers, who finished with a career-high 13 catches for 126 yards. It was the first 100-yard game of Bowers' NFL career.
Turner's plan for getting the Raiders' struggling running game going involved getting the ball to as many different players as possible.
The results were mixed.
Six players had a rushing attempt for the Raiders in the first half, and the team had 49 yards on 12 carries before the break. It wasn't eye-popping production, but it was certainly an improvement. The Raiders' success on the ground helped them put together scoring drives of 12 and 16 plays in the first half and keep the Dolphins' offense off the field for long stretches.
Things changed after halftime. The Raiders trailed most of the time and abandoned the run. They finished with 60 rushing yards on 16 carries.
Another development in the running game was that Zamir White appeared to reclaim the starting running back job from veteran Alexander Mattison. White received the first carry of each half, though Mattison was more effective overall.
White finished with nine rushing yards on five carries. Mattison had 19 yards on five carries and added three catches for 50 yards as a receiver. Mattison did suffer an ankle injury in the second half.
