Click here to see all recaps on a single page
| Other Week 4 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL at CLE | CHI at DET | DEN at IND | GB at MIN | HOU at ATL | KC at SD | NE at CIN | NYJ at BUF |
| OAK at MIA | PHI at NYG | PIT at ARI | SEA at SF | STL at DAL | TB at CAR | ||
Week 4 Game Recap: Oakland Raiders 35, Miami Dolphins 17
What you need to know
| Oakland Raiders |
Daunte Culpepper started this game for an injured Josh McCown and completed five of 12 attempts for 75 yards and two passing touchdowns, with no interceptions. He ran the ball seven times for 28 yards, getting in the endzone three times on the ground. Culpepper didn't need to pass the ball a lot with the Raiders running game so successful, but he took what he was given the entire game, and didn't make any mistakes. Accounting for all five scores in this game, it's clear Culpepper has bought himself at least a few weeks with the starting job. With performances like this from Culpepper, McCown will have a difficult time regaining his job whenever he returns.
Lamont Jordan was on his way to another big game, with 74 yards on 15 carries, but was injured late in the second quarter on what appeared to be a regular tackle. He stayed on the ground for a moment before teammates helped him off the field, and was notably not bearing much if any weight. It looked like an ankle issue but there were reports he'd injured his back which has been giving him trouble. He was carted to the locker room, and did not return to this game.
Filling in for injured Lamont Jordan, Justin Fargas blew up for 179 yards on 22 carries. He had a long 48 yard carry in the third quarter, and 32 and 28 yard carries later in the fourth. He looked explosive, and ran with a noted toughness not seen previously. He is used to milking the clock in the fourth quarter when the Raiders had a lead, and he didn't disappoint. He was shaken up on a big hit by Donovin Darius late in the game, but was able to return. With Dominic Rhodes expected to return to the lineup next week, Fargas did a nice job staking his claim at the backup job. And potentially more if it's found Jordan is out for a while.
Jerry Porter found the endzone twice, and totaled three receptions for 52 yards. He was targeted the same amount of times as Ronald Curry, but was able to make much more of an impact with those targets. He looked strong, and likely would have had a much better game if the Raiders didn't commit so much to the run.
| Miami Dolphins |
Trent Green did not look composed in this game. He made a number of unwarranted throws, and paid for it on two occasions. Once where the Raiders intercepted a pass and took it back to the Dolphins 11 yard line. And later with the Dolphins threatening he threw into tight coverage in the endzone. Most of his yardage came on short passes to Ronnie Brown, and another to Justin Peelle, and did not look down the field a lot in this game. The Dolphins got down early in this game, and Green could not will them back through the air.
For a second straight week, Ronnie Brown was the Miami Dolphins offense. He carried the ball 15 times for 134 yards, and caught the ball six times on nine targets for 73 yards. He scored a ten yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. He accounted for eight of the Dolphins 13 total first downs, and would have had a much larger game had the Dolphins kept it closer into the fourth quarter. He looks highly elusive in space, though has plenty of power to finish off runs with emphasis. He rarely goes down on first contact, and was used in all areas in this game. Like he did with Tomlinson in San Diego, it's starting to look like Cam Cameron is going to run the offense through Ronnie Brown.
What you ought to know
| QB Daunte Culpepper, Pass: 5 - 12 - 75 - 2 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 7 - 28 - 3 |
Culpepper started this game for an injured Josh McCown and completed five of 12 attempts for 75 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. While passing the ball clearly wasn't a big part of the Raider game plan, Culpepper was efficient throwing two of his five completions for touchdowns. He only looked downfield a few times, as the Raiders were content allowing the running game to eat up yardage. On his only deep attempt of the game, Culpepper found Jerry Porter streaking down the right sideline and zipped a ball in between two defenders for a 27 yard touchdown. He did not show it off, but Culpepper is obviously still able to make all of the throws. One somewhat ill advised attempt was when he targeted Ronald Curry down the right sideline but in tight coverage, as the defensive back seemed to have a much better play at the ball. The reception was a tie, but Curry was able to grab it away from the defender for a 16 yard gain and first down with the time running down in the second quarter. Early in the game he looked indecisive if his initial read was not there, but seemed to settle down as the game went on.
Where Culpepper made more of a game impact was with running the ball. He had seven attempts for 28 yards, and three scores. Culpepper was also able to convert on two first downs. His past knee injury did not seem to be of any concern, and looked quick for a man his size while scrambling from the pocket. The Raiders also appear to be comfortable with Culpepper's restructured knee, as there were a couple of running plays called for him.
| RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 22 - 179 - 0 |
Taking over for an injured Lamont Jordan in the late part of the second quarter, Fargas was able to finish out the game as the Raiders starting RB to the tune of 22 carries for 179 yards. He started off slowly, but broke a long gain of 48 yards up the middle in the third quarter. With the Raiders milking the clock in the fourth, they continuously fed Fargas and he rewarded them with long carries of 32 and 28 yards, both going to the middle left side. He had numerous other tough carries. At one point late in the fourth quarter Fargas took a hard hit from Dolphins safety Donovin Darius, and went to the sideline. He showed some toughness returning a play later though. He was not targeted in the passing game.
| RB LaMont Jordan, Rush: 15 - 74 - 0, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (2 targets) |
Jordan started the game as usual, and carried the ball 15 times for 74 yards. He showed great patience behind his line, and proved a load to bring down. His longest run was for 15 yards, but was not stopped behind the line and kept the ball moving forward. He was targeted twice, catching one pass for seven yards. On that last reception, he was tackled and the defender rolled over him. There didn't appear to be any evident issues as he went down, but Jordan stayed down after the tackle. After a few moments, Jordan was helped over to the sideline, with what appeared to be a lower body injury. He did not bear much if any weight, and was carted to the locker room. It was initially thought to be an ankle injury but there was also talk he'd injured his back which has been troubling him. He did not return to the game, though was on his way towards what was looking like a great game at the time.
| RB Justin Griffith, Rush: 5 - 18 - 0 (1 targets) |
Griffith played primarily from the fullback position, however did temporarily take over for Justin Fargas in the fourth quarter when he went to the sideline. He carried the ball five times for a total of 18 yards, all of the head down straight up the middle variety. He was targeted once in the receiving game, but did not come away with a catch after the ball was under thrown by Daunte Culpepper.
| WR Jerry Porter, Rec: 3 - 52 - 2 (3 targets) |
Porter was targeted three times in the passing game, coming down with receptions on all three for 52 yards and two touchdowns. In the first quarter with the Raiders in the redzone, Daunte Culpepper found Porter on a slant to the left side in tight coverage for Porter's first score of the game. Later in the fourth quarter, Culpepper hit Porter down the right sideline on a perfect throw for a 28 yard score.
| WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (3 targets) |
Curry was targeted three times, and caught one pass for 16 yards. With the passing game not a priority, Curry did not make much of an impact. On his only reception of the game, Curry took the ball away from a defender on what looked to be a sure interception on a poor decision by Culpepper. On his two other targets, Curry could not come down with two tough catches on the sideline, one of which in the endzone.
| WR Mike Williams (2 targets) |
Williams scored a touchdown in the first quarter when Daunte Culpepper targeted him in the back of the endzone, however Williams was called for offensive pass interference and the play was reversed. The call appeared to be somewhat questionable. Williams only had one other target, and he dropped it. He lined up as the slot receiver in this game, though the Raiders did not run a lot of three receiver sets.
| TE John Madsen (1 targets) |
Madsen played in two tight end formations in this game, and was only targeted once in the passing game, but it was into tight coverage and fell incomplete. He was used more as a blocking TE.
| TE Zach Miller (1 targets) |
Miller caught a short pass to the left side, however the play was nullified by a defensive penalty. He was never targeted again, and was more of a blocker in a game where the Raiders were content just running the football.
| PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 0 FG, 5 - 5 XP, 5 points |
Janikowski was good on all five PAT's, and did not have any fieldgoal attempts. With the clock running down in the fourth quarter, the Raiders could have sent Janikowski out for a sub 50 yard attempt, well within his range, but instead decided to go for it on fourth and one.
| OAK Rush Defense |
The Raiders allowed 141 total rushing yards on 20 carries for an average of seven yards per carry. With the Dolphins getting down early in the third quarter, the Dolphins were forced to abandon the run even though it was highly effective. Ronnie Brown started the game slowly, but ran for 81 yards on only three carries in the third quarter. This unit tightened it up a bit thereafter, though when Brown got the ball in the third quarter he still looked effective. Had this been a closer game into the fourth quarter, you got the feeling that Brown and the Dolphins could have run up some yardage on a weak effort by the Raiders.
| OAK Pass Defense |
The Raiders pass defense set the tone in the first quarter when Thomas Howard intercepted a Trent Green pass and brought it back to the Dolphins 11 yard line. It was in a man to man coverage, but Howard dropped back to shadow Green and made a great reaction on a bad decision by the quarterback. Throughout the day this squad had relentless pressure on Green sacking him twice, with a hurry on nearly every other play. They picked the ball off twice, and held down the Dolphins receivers, with most of Miami's passing yardage going to Ronnie Brown.
| QB Trent Green, Pass: 14 - 25 - 158 - 1 TD / 2 INT |
Green passed for 158 yards, while throwing one touchdown and two interceptions. Early in the game Green made a mistake by targeting Marty Booker in man coverage, however Thomas Howard dropped back from the middle linebacker position and jumped on the poor decision. He brought the ball back 28 yards to the Dolphins 11, setting up the first score of the game. Later in the game Green was under pressure and tossed the ball up hoping to make a play in the endzone where Chambers was single covered, however this ball was also picked off. Green did lead a third quarter drive down the field and capped it off with a three yard touchdown throw to Justin Peelle on a play action pass. He faced a lot of pressure throughout this game, though even when he had some time he appeared to be shaky and tentative in the pocket. He showed little ability to elude the rush, though he did make one nice play where he got outside the pocket and threw back across the field to an open Ronnie Brown.
| RB Ronnie Brown, Rush: 15 - 134 - 1, Rec: 6 - 73 - 0 (9 targets) |
Brown carried the ball 15 times for 134 yards, and one touchdown. He also caught six passes for 73 yards, while being targeted on nine in total. Brown ran with power, though showed a lot of elusiveness for a bigger back. Much was made of him losing 25 pounds in the offseason, and he certainly appears to have been able to take advantage of the weight loss. On Brown's lone score of the game, he finished strong up the left middle for ten yards, bowling over a Raider defensive back in the process. On Miami's next drive, backed up at their own endzone, Brown took a ball up the middle for 60 yards, setting up another score later in the drive. He was a key part of the passing game as well, with Green looking for him frequently on dump off's and screen passes. Brown accounted for eight of the Dolphins 13 first downs.
| RB Jesse Chatman, Rush: 3 - 2 - 0 |
Chatman ran the ball three times for a total of two yards. He only spelled Ronnie Brown a few times in this game, and no longer appears to be a threat to Brown's playing time. He was used on the kick return team. Chatman was not targeted in the passing game.
| RB Reagan Mauia, Rush: 2 - 5 - 0, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets) |
Mauia played fullback for the entire game, and had two carries for five yards. He was targeted twice coming down with both receptions for five yards.
| WR Chris Chambers, Rec: 2 - 21 - 0 (6 targets) |
Chambers was targeted six times, catching two of those passes for 21 yards. He caught a ball in the second quarter over the middle that went for 15 yards, however he was called on a penalty for delay of game when he tossed the ball. That play was nullified, further dampening his day. He was targeted deep on a desperation play by Trent Green, but was in tight coverage and the ball was picked off. Chambers had one drop.
| WR Marty Booker, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (5 targets) |
With the exception of a short reception of eight yards for a first down, Marty Booker was a non factor in this game. He was targeted on a pass over the middle that was intercepted, and later had a drop over the middle.
| WR Derek Hagan (1 targets) |
Hagan dropped his only target of the game. He was used as a slot receiver in three receiver formations.
| WR Ted Ginn |
Ginn was used on kick and punt returns as usual, but did not see any targets on offense. Derek Hagan was used as the slot receiver in this game.
| TE Justin Peelle, Rec: 3 - 45 - 1 (3 targets) |
Peelle was targeted three times in the passing game, catching all three for 45 yards. On one of Peelle's targets to the short right side, after making one defender miss he ran down the sideline for a big 36 yard gain. It appeared at the time to be a big momentum shifting play, as Ronnie Brown later capped off the drive with a touchdown. Later in the second quarter after Ronnie Brown took the ball for a big 60 yard gain, Peelle was used in a play action as Trent Green found him for a short three yard score to the left side. Peelle listed as a tight end, also lined up in the backfield as a fullback at times. He did not have any carries.
| TE David Martin, Rec: 1 - 6 - 0 (1 targets) |
Martin caught his only target of the game for six yards. Despite Cam Cameron and Trent Green both being fond of using the tight end on their previous teams, Martin wasn't a big part of the passing game.
| PK Jay Feely 1 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 5 points |
Feely hit his only attempt of 29 yards on the day, and converted both of his PATs.
| MIA Rush Defense |
With Zach Thomas still out for this game, it was clear the Raiders planned to rely on using the running game to move the ball on offense. The Raiders ran for 299 yards on 49 carries and a 6.1 yards per carry average, so this strategy clearly paid off. When Lamont Jordan was in the game he didn't always have large holes to work with, but methodically found small creases to find positive yards. When he went down, little used Justin Fargas came into the game and tore it up, running for big games of 48, 32, and 28 in the second half. Daunte Culpepper didn't have to attempt many passes, as the Dolphins were pushed around by the Raider lineman up front the entire game. Without Zach Thomas this squad is highly susceptible to giving up yardage against the run.
| MIA Pass Defense |
Whenever Daunte Culpepper did drop back to pass the ball, the Dolphins were able to provide adequate pressure. The big problem was, the Raiders weren't forced to pass much in this game with their running game so successful. At one point in the second quarter it appeared as though Culpepper was forced into an interception, however Raiders receiver Ronald Curry took the ball away from the Dolphin defender, allowing the drive to continue.
