Why The Raiders Game Is Big

1. Defending Divisional Honor. Let's be real, the division's taken it on the chin lately and people are starting to think and say it sucks. And they may be right. This is what happens when you keep sending boys to do a man's job I suppose. Then again the Fins can't talk after the Frankfurt Fiasco. It's up to them to show the Raiders (and us) that every AFC East team isn't a bunch of wimps, weenies and wusses.

2. Taking The Series Lead. The Fins-Raiders regular season series is currently tied at 18--after the Raiders won 13 of the first 16 games That this team even has a chance to grab the lead at all is remarkable and they need to do it, if only for bragging rights.

3. Protecting Home Field. IMO this team still has a chance to be 8-0 at home going into the finale. I'm far from a math whiz but that would give them 10 wins minimum. And judging from how they play on the road they'll need every single one of them!

4. Taking Advantage. With all the recent struggles of the other three division teams, a loss here would be arguably the biggest wasted opportunity in franchise history and at that point I would seriously dubt they'd even make the playoffs.

gotta say i agree.  i was gonna pontificate about how i believe this game very well sets the tone for the remainder of the season in a game prediction post.  and while a loss would not be catastrophic on its own, i do believe it would make the remainder of the season much more of a slog.  i think you've fairly well encapsulated it - and if you'll pardon my intrusion, i'll use this thread as the Raiders and Dolphins predictions thread.

Vegas opened this game with Miami as 10 point favorites with an over/under at 47.5.  that would put the score somewhere in the 28-19ish ball park.  since then, the over/under has dropped a point while the Dolphins have picked up a whopping 3.5 points leaving a predicted score in the 30-16 range to account for that spread.  the Phins have been pretty good at covering the spread at home, but clearly the early rush of money on Miami must've scared Vegas into upping the ante to 13.5.  that's a lot of damn points!!  i believe Vegas strongly believes Miami will win, but they are fearing too big of a payout.  Miami will WIN, but they won't cover.

Miami - 27
Las Vegas - 16

i'll even go out of a limb and predict we might even see a Dolphins' TE score a TD - how's that for the impossible?

and remember kids, gambling is very bad for you.  however...

only the Dolphins could come out of a bye week with more players on the injury report that when they went in (especially DNPs).



but Waddle, Holland and Phillips being full participates is key.

This should be an easy win for the Phins. They play better at home, and they're clearly the better team.

Even with the OL and WR injuries, I think the offense will explode with Achane back. And I don't see the Raiders and their rookie QB doing much against the Miami D.

This is a one-sided victory...I'm thinking something like 38-6.

JMP wrote:38-6

from your lips to Don Shula's ears. make it happen.

DolFan 316 wrote:1. Defending Divisional Honor. Let's be real, the division's taken it on the chin lately and people are starting to think and say it sucks. And they may be right. This is what happens when you keep sending boys to do a man's job I suppose. Then again the Fins can't talk after the Frankfurt Fiasco. It's up to them to show the Raiders (and us) that every AFC East team isn't a bunch of wimps, weenies and wusses.

2. Taking The Series Lead. The Fins-Raiders regular season series is currently tied at 18--after the Raiders won 13 of the first 16 games That this team even has a chance to grab the lead at all is remarkable and they need to do it, if only for bragging rights.

3. Protecting Home Field. IMO this team still has a chance to be 8-0 at home going into the finale. I'm far from a math whiz but that would give them 10 wins minimum. And judging from how they play on the road they'll need every single one of them!

4. Taking Advantage. With all the recent struggles of the other three division teams, a loss here would be arguably the biggest wasted opportunity in franchise history and at that point I would seriously doubt they'd even make the playoffs.

Points 1 and 2 are cool, but not something I am really concerned about in-season. Points 3 and 4 are key, though. I think the McD-Tua combo only has 1 loss at home, and continuing that home-field dominance is important. As you said, win all your home games amd you're in GREAT position.

And yes - after all that has happened in the conference and division recently, these next 5 winnable games are a golden opportunity for the Dolphins to really pull ahead - taking the division and moving up in AFC seeding. Can't afford any slip-ups in any of these games.

"I am takin' da points and the Raiduhs. Put me down for a dime on dis' game, see."

"Are you nuts? Da Phins got this one in da' bag. Dey'll beat dem Raiders like a drum."

"No, no, see... I got de' word from Merc Two Twice dat de Phinz won't cover. Dis is easy money."

"Merc Two Twice said dat? Let me in on this action den!"



Gotta say I agree with Merc. I expect the Phins to win, but the question is by how much?

Any seriously sloppy craptastic play like the Offense had against the Chiefs might let the Raiders hang around.

Maybe... maybe this is the week the Fangio Defense starts to show why they ponied up all that loot for Fangio. Now is the time for the defense to start forcing some turnovers.

I'm gonna guess 30-18 Dolphins win.

finfanatic wrote:

Maybe... maybe this is the week the Fangio Defense starts to show why they ponied up all that loot for Fangio. Now is the time for the defense to start forcing some turnovers.

I think they started to show it last week in Germany, holding the Chiefs to 14 points (none in the second half) and allowing just two good drives all game. In these next 5 games, looking at the opposing QBs, we should force a bunch of turnovers.

BTW - just saw that the weather could be awful in Miami on Sunday...that could impact the passing game for both teams.

finfanatic wrote:"I am takin' da points and the Raiduhs. Put me down for a dime on dis' game, see."

"Are you nuts? Da Phins got this one in da' bag. Dey'll beat dem Raiders like a drum."

"No, no, see... I got de' word from Merc Two Twice dat de Phinz won't cover. Dis is easy money."

"Merc Two Twice said dat? Let me in on this action den!"

Love it!

mercury22nathan wrote:and remember kids, gambling is very bad for you.  however...

WOOHOO!!! Merc finally learned how to embed a Youtube video That might be the best development this week yet

And yes, I don't think the Fins are covering either, that spread is ridiculous even to my uneducated eyes.

JMP wrote:

BTW - just saw that the weather could be awful in Miami on Sunday...that could impact the passing game for both teams.

Oops - checked again and it's actually supposed to be hot and sunny on Sunday. The bad weather and flooding will end by Friday.

DolFan 316 wrote:I don't think the Fins are covering either, that spread is ridiculous even to my uneducated eyes.

I'll take a win at any score at this point in the season, but there's really no reason the Phins shouldn't cover the spread. The Raiders are not a good team, even with wins over the Giants and Jets, and they have a weak OL and a rookie QB. The Dolphins should dominate this game in every facet.

JMP wrote:

JMP wrote:

BTW - just saw that the weather could be awful in Miami on Sunday...that could impact the passing game for both teams.

Oops - checked again and it's actually supposed to be hot and sunny on Sunday.  The bad weather and flooding will end by Friday.

McDaniel might want to pull a Shula and "forget" to cover the field the night before

BTW I couldn't help but see that Claypool now suddenly has a knee situation I say why take a chance, just go ahead and IR him now the rest of the season. I'm only concerned about his well-being of course...

finfanatic wrote:"I am takin' da points and the Raiduhs. Put me down for a dime on dis' game, see."

"Are you nuts? Da Phins got this one in da' bag. Dey'll beat dem Raiders like a drum."

"No, no, see... I got de' word from Merc Two Twice dat de Phinz won't cover. Dis is easy money."

"Merc Two Twice said dat? Let me in on this action den!"

you'se a very wise guy, you is.

Barry Jackson
@flasportsbuzz

Liam Eicenberg has moved to right guard this week, he says. Cotton at LG. Liam started at LG last season but more comfortable at RG.

2:55 PM · Nov 16, 2023

JMP wrote:

Barry Jackson
@flasportsbuzz

Liam Eicenberg has moved to right guard this week, he says. Cotton at LG. Liam started at LG last season but more comfortable at RG.

2:55 PM · Nov 16, 2023

seems like they are willing to flop the o-line around anyway they have to in order to find the spot where Eich sucks the least.

I think they should shiite-can Eich but if SOMEBODY on the staff thinks he is better than the others...and he well might be...the Oline depth for the Phins (as well as the rest of the NFL I might add) stinks to put it mildly...if he can perform moderately well at RG, maybe plug Hunt in at LG when he is healthy?

That might mess Hunt up I guess, and he is the best OG on the team, so...

This brings up a question I have been pondering: What kind of trade value would the Phins get for Eichenberg in the offseason? Ain't nobody would give up a 2nd rounder for him I am thinking? A third maybe... Low down third maybe?

confirmed, no Hunt this weekend.

But guard Robert Hunt will miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. “It’s not that far way,” McDaniel said of Hunt’s return. “It would be pretty risky this week. He hasn’t had a setback.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article281100558.html

finfanatic wrote:I think they should shiite-can Eich but if SOMEBODY on the staff thinks he is better than the others...and he well might be...the Oline depth for the Phins (as well as the rest of the NFL I might add) stinks to put it mildly...if he can perform moderately well at RG, maybe plug Hunt in at LG when he is healthy?

That might mess Hunt up I guess, and he is the best OG on the team, so...

This brings up a question I have been pondering: What kind of trade value would the Phins get for Eichenberg in the offseason? Ain't nobody would give up a 2nd rounder for him I am thinking? A third maybe... Low down third maybe?

     

The thing with Eich is, he's cheap, plays multiple positions, and knows the offense. I doubt we'd get much back in a trade - I'm thinking a 5th? - but he does have value to the Phins. As much as I kill him, the reality is that he's been mostly serviceable this season, and in a league where OL depth is almost non-existent, that's a big deal. He stepped up and played a position he'd never played before (center), with almost zero practice reps, and played better than anyone could have expected (even though "better" doesn't equal "good"). I'd be inclined to keep him as a key interior backup, much as that pains me.

That said, if someone offered a 3rd for him...well, I'd help him pack! LOL

mercury22nathan wrote:confirmed, no Hunt this weekend.

But guard Robert Hunt will miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. “It’s not that far way,” McDaniel said of Hunt’s return. “It would be pretty risky this week. He hasn’t had a setback.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article281100558.html

That sucks. I guess that injury was much worse than expected. Hopefully he's back for the Jets game - we REALLY need him for that one.

JMP wrote:

mercury22nathan wrote:confirmed, no Hunt this weekend.

But guard Robert Hunt will miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. “It’s not that far way,” McDaniel said of Hunt’s return. “It would be pretty risky this week. He hasn’t had a setback.”

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins/article281100558.html

That sucks.  I guess that injury was much worse than expected.  Hopefully he's back for the Jets game - we REALLY need him for that one.

The message I'm getting is, "We don't need Hunt to beat the Raiders, we'll whip them easily without him and maybe the Commanders too."

Rather arrogant if you ask me. It's one thing for the fans to get carried away (and every time they do it comes back to bite them, just sayin') but for a COACH to insinuate this? That's just begging for trouble

Achane better damn well play, otherwise the bye week will have healed...nobody.

BTW hamstrings are notoriously slow healing. My issue is McDaniel kinda sorta hinting that Hunt could play before yanking the rug out at the last minute for "gamesmanship" when it's obvious he was never going to play this time from the start. Back in the pre-internet days this crap might've worked but come on man, anybody who wants can look and see that Hunt hasn't practiced all week. You're not fooling anybody.

I'm sure Hunt could play - but McD wants to wait till he's 100% healthy so he can hopefully avoid re-aggravating the hamstring. Better to have him healthy as we head into the playoff run.

JMP wrote:I'm sure Hunt could play - but McD wants to wait till he's 100% healthy so he can hopefully avoid re-aggravating the hamstring.  Better to have him healthy as we head into the playoff run.

If the Raiders game is a loss I am going to keep bringing this up until everyone gets sick of me. You've been warned.

Old habits die hard. I've been feeling myself slip more and more back into Potentate Of Pessimism Mode for 3 days now. It was great while it lasted but fun time is officially OVAH~!

A lot of key inactives today:
Braxton Berrios, Robert Hunt, Jeff Wilson, Durham Smythe, Robert Jones, Chase Claypool.

That leaves us real thin at TE and OL.

Looks like Wilson & Cracraft will be our 3rd & 4th WR Today, Achane will probably be in the Slot some Today.