Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory vs. Miami Dolphins

The Oakland Raiders will face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football this week. Here are the five keys to victory for the Raiders in this one.

While it may not have the national appeal it did at the start of the season, the Oakland Raiders will play arguably their most important game of the season on Sunday night versus the Miami Dolphins. At 3-5 on the year, the Raiders cannot afford to fall any further in the AFC standings. Only the Indianapolis Colts (2-6) and the winless Cleveland Browns (0-8) have a worse record than Oakland in the AFC.

Though Sunday Night Football between the Raiders and the Dolphins is only happening in Week 9 of the 2017 NFL season, this is essentially a cross-off game for the losing team. A 3-6 Oakland team will have to accept that 2017 is lost and it’s full-steam ahead to the 2018 NFL Draft. Miami falling to 4-4 means that this .500 team has given up on doing much of anything this season.

Both teams looked dreadful last week. Oakland was pushed around by the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon at New Era Field, 34-14. Miami was actually worse, as they were humiliated on Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, 40-0.

Neither team feels great about itself at the halfway point, but there is a win available for whichever team wants to rise to the occasion and grab it. Here are the five keys to victory for the Raiders when they take on the Dolphins in primetime Sunday night.

Take care of the football

This is really simple. For the Raiders to win this gotta have it game, they cannot be as lackadaisical with the football as they were last week up in Orchard Park. Of course, the Raiders were going to lose versus the Bills when they lost the turnover margin 4-0. Oakland had two fumbles and two interceptions in that laugher of a game.

While Miami will too turn over the football, Oakland hasn’t shown an ability to force turnovers in the passing game. The Raiders are the only team in football without an interception. It’s Week 9. That’s almost unbelievable.

Miami does have a few good players in the secondary, including safety Reshad Jones. However, Miami is more likely to force a fumble or a strip sack in this game. Linebacker Kiko Alonso has a knack for finding the football. This Dolphins’ defensive line features elite players like Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle and Cameron Wake out on the edge.

Ball security in the ground game is paramount in this one for the Raiders. Quarterback Derek Carr could be a little more adventurous in the passing game, as Miami is more likely to force a fumble than an interception. Oakland can still win this game being in the negative in the turnover differential, but it can’t be as bad as last week’s effort.