MIAMI GARDENS, Fla – The Miami Dolphins defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 34-19 on Sunday.
The Dolphins executed a well-balanced offensive game plan, relying on their running game and short passes to secure a win over the Raiders, who have now lost a league-leading six straight games.
The strategy paid off, as the Dolphins avoided any offensive turnovers and for the first time all season, went an entire game without punting the ball to the opposing team. The only drive Miami didn’t score on was when the offense ended the first half with the ball.
Tight end Jonnu Smith was one of the stars of the game after catching two of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s three touchdown passes while adding 101 receiving yards, a career-high.
Smith told reporters after the game that he wants to keep grinding with his teammates no matter what the scoreboard says.
“Everybody had these same feelings over the last nine or so weeks,” said Smith. “We experienced it together, experience adversity, and that’s why it’s a special group.”
One of the standout players on Miami’s defense was Zach Sieler.
Sieler, who missed two weeks due to a fractured orbital he suffered in practice before returning to the field last week, had a dominant performance with four tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits. He’s a force on the field and a key to making Miami’s defense click.
Sieler said he and his former Dolphins teammate Christian Wilkins didn’t speak leading up to the game since Wilkins had “blocked” all of his teammates despite being previously ruled out as he recovers from a foot injury.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t hold back when speaking about what Sieler and Calais Campbell’s dominant play means to the team. Local 10 viewers can listen to his comments and how he compared Sieler to a “binky” in the video at the top of this page.
Campbell also told reporters he knows how to enjoy a win, but only briefly. After Sunday’s victory, he reminded his teammates that there’s still plenty of work ahead.
“It feels good,” Campbell said. “But like I told the guys in the locker room, we’ve still got a big hole to climb out of. We can celebrate for 24 hours, but after that, it’s back to work.”
Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead also gave his thoughts on the 10+ play, long and methodical drives in Sunday’s win, and how his team could execute better when given the opportunity.
Miami (4-6) will host the New England Patriots (3-8) in Week 12 while the Raiders (2-8) will host the Denver Broncos in a divisional clash.