Oakland 27, Miami 24
When: 8:30 PM ET, Sunday, November 5, 2017
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Temperature:
77°
Head Official:
Terry McAulay
Attendance:
65139
By The Sports Xchange
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Marshawn Lynch and Jay Cutler both made fairly successful comebacks on Sunday night, but only one of them was victorious.
Lynch, playing for the first time since serving a one-game NFL suspension for bumping an official, ran for two touchdowns as his Oakland Raiders defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Lynch ran 14 times for 57 yards. His 22-yard touchdown up the middle was his longest run of the season. And his 3-yard touchdown with 4:37 left in the fourth quarter gave Oakland what turned out to be an insurmountable 27-16 lead.
"We wanted to run the ball," Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said when asked about Lynch. "It's still not what we would like to have (84 yards total on 27 carries), but it was good to see some moments where it came together."
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was outstanding, completing 21-of-30 passes for 300 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Oakland tight end Jared Cook also had a big performance with eight catches for 126 yards as the Raiders (4-5) won for just the second time in the past seven games.
"It was fun," said Cook, who had three catches for first downs on Oakland's first scoring drive. "When you can open up the offense and make plays -- staying on the field helps the whole team."
The Dolphins (4-4) were led by Cutler, who returned after missing one game due to cracked ribs. He completed his first 16 passes -- the streak was stopped when defensive lineman Denico Autry batted down a throw.
On the night, Cutler completed 34 of 42 passes for 311 yards and two touchdowns, but it was not enough to keep Miami from losing its second straight game.
Cutler nearly brought Miami back, throwing a 15-yard touchdown pass to Julius Thomas with 1:32 left in the fourth quarter. Miami added a 2-point conversion on a run by Kenyan Drake, but failed to recover the onside kick, sealing their fate.
Another Dolphins highlight was provided by wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who set an NFL record for most catches in the first four years of a career, breaking the previous mark of 343 set by Anquan Boldin.
"It's something I feel I can't be too proud about because we lost," Landry said. "But it's a tremendous feeling. I'd rather take the win, but it's definitely a milestone."
The Raiders took the opening kickoff and posted a 36-yard field goal by Giorgio Tavecchio. The drive went 58 yards on 12 plays, with Carr finding Cook three times for gains of 35, 15 and 10 yards. All three completions were for first downs as Cook beat linebacker Kiko Alonso each time.
Miami took a 6-3 lead on a 10-yard pass from Cutler to running back Damien Williams, who bounced off simultaneous hits from defensive backs Karl Joseph and Dexter McDonald. But Cody Parkey missed the extra point off the left upright.
Parkey recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Miami's drive ended when Drake fumbled.
Oakland took a 10-6 lead on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Johnny Holton, who beat Pro-Bowl safety Reshad Jones.
The teams then traded long field goals -- 49 yards by Parkey and 53 by Tavecchio -- as the Raiders went to halftime with a 13-9 lead.
In the third quarter, the teams traded touchdowns. Lynch's 22-yarder gave Oakland a 20-9 lead. But Miami battled back on Cutler's 6-yard touchdown pass to Landry, who beat a safety blitz.
And after Oakland took its 27-16 lead, Miami was unable to rally, much to the disappointment of Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.
"We weren't getting off the field on third down," Suh said. "(Carr) is the best in the NFL at getting the ball out in 2.3 seconds or less. We couldn't get there."
NOTES: Raiders TE Lee Smith was called for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter when he faked launching himself into a Dolphins player, but did not make contact. When the referee turned his microphone on to make the call, Smith was heard to yell: "I was just kidding around!" ... Dolphins G Ted Larsen (biceps), who has yet to play this season, is nearing a return but was inactive. ... The Raiders were without three injured cornerbacks: David Amerson, Gareon Conley and Demetrius McCray. ... Raiders starting FB Jamize Olawale also sat out. ... The Dolphins visit the Carolina Panthers on Monday, Nov. 13. ... The Raiders are off until Nov. 19, when they play the New England Patriots in Mexico City.
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Oakland |
|
Miami |
Jared Cook
|
Player |
Julius Thomas
|
8 |
Receptions |
6 |
126 |
Yards |
84 |
15.8 |
Avg Yards |
14.0 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
35 |
Long |
27 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Oakland
|
379 |
84 |
295 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
1.0 |
1 |
Miami
|
395 |
86 |
309 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1.0 |
2 |
Upcoming Games
-
Miami will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Dolphins have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .333 after a loss.
-
Oakland will play their next game at home against New England. The Raiders have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .500 after a loss.