Oakland Raiders face Miami Dolphins as both teams seek first win – NFL Preview
Oakland Raiders and Miami Dolphins are looking forward to having a revamped performance on Sunday, September 16, 2012, as they face each other in Week 2 game at Sun Life Stadium.
Both teams came empty handed in their respective games in the first week of the season. The two teams are also led by two rookie head coaches.
Raiders’ season opener was rattled by the uncompetitive play by their special teams against San Diego Chargers’ 24-14 loss at home.
Special teams looked vulnerable in absence of Pro Bowl long snapper Jon Condo, who had a concussion during the game and was taken off. Backup linebacker Travis Goethel replaced him and had a shocker of a night.
Goethel botched snaps twice to punter Shane Lechler, who also had a bad day on the field as he missed the kickoff on two occasions.
Raiders’ special teams looked quite unprepared after losing Condo. Head coach Dennis Allen said:
"That falls on me, I've got to do a better job of making sure we're prepared for all those different situations."
Raiders have added long snapper Nick Guess on the roster to further strengthen the backup. Their defence looks fine after a good performance against Chargers.
In the offensive side of the game, Carson Palmer is playing well. Running back Darren McFadden was unable to produce a resounding performance and is fighting to get his form back.
Wide receiver Denarius Moore will return to the side after sitting out Week 1 game due to an injury. Allen said of the next game:
"Every year is a new year so I don't really pay a whole lot of attention to that. . . We have 15 more (games) that we're guaranteed and we're going to try to get better every week."
Dolphins rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill did not have a stellar of a debut last week against Houston Texans as his team lost the game 30-10.
It was continuation of a series of loses that left the Dolphins winless in the offseason. The eighth overall pick of this year draft failed to score a touchdown.
He threw interceptions thrice and also got sacked three times. Dolphins’ offensive output against Raiders’ formidable defence will depend on how Tannehill will play in the game.
Head coach Joe Philbin remains optimistic that his team will be able to recover and get back to winning ways. He said:
"We've got a lot of work to do. Hopefully they accept responsibility, as did I. I didn't coach the game well enough, nor did they play well enough for us to earn a victory. That's my responsibility, and their responsibility."
It will be a tough game for both the teams and the offensive strength might be the difference between the two teams.
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