5 things you need to know about the Dolphins vs. Raiders in Week 11

Mike McDaniel's team owns a disappointing 3-6 record, meaning the Miami Dolphins have already lost as many games this season as they did a year ago when they grabbed a wild-card berth. Now, thanks to the struggles of many teams in the conference, all is not lost for the 'Fins in terms of getting back to the postseason.

While catching the surging Buffalo Bills for the top spot in the division is very much a longshot, keep in mind that 10 of the 16 teams in the AFC don't own winning records. All told, six teams in the conference have winning records, and obviously, seven teams in both the AFC and NFC will qualify for the playoffs.

The Dolphins have four home games and four road games remaining on their schedule. Six of those games are vs. AFC teams. If they are to make a second-half run, it needs to start this Sunday against the reeling Las Vegas Raiders—who were off in Week 10 and are in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

All-Time Series Record

This series has had some legendary moments, and the vast majority of those more than 50 years ago. Including four postseason clashes (three of those in the 1970s), the Silver and Black owns a one-game advantage (21-20-1) in the all-time series standings. Sunday's clash will mark the sixth time these clubs will meet in eight seasons dating back to 2017. Last year at South Florida (Week 11), the Dolphins came away with a hard-earned 20-13 victory. Miami has prevailed in three of the last four meetings between the clubs dating back to '18.

Quarterbacks: Tale of the Tape

Gardner Minshew gets the nod for the Silver and Black, and he will have to play a lot better than he has in his first eight appearances (seven starts) this season. He's hitting on 67.0 percent of his passes, but for only 1,501 yards and six scores. He's been picked off eight times, lost four out of his five fumbles, and been sacked 23 times. In six seasons (57 games), there have been 65 TD passes and a disturbing 53 turnovers.

While he had moments when he held onto the football a bit too long, Tua Tagovailoa made enough plays on Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams to lead the team to victory. However, three sacks that resulted in 36 yards in losses, as well as a pair of turnovers, nearly ruined a night in which he hit on 20-of-28 passes for 207 yards and a TD pass to Tyreek Hill. He tried to do too much vs. the Rams, and it was almost costly.

Defensive Analysis

Inside linebacker Robert Spillane leads the Raiders with 86 tackles, and defensive end Maxx Crosby has almost half (6.5) of the Raiders' 17 sacks. The team is a mediocre 22nd in the league vs. the run, allowing 129.9 yards per contest, and has limited only two of their nine opponents below the century mark on the ground. Las Vegas has picked off five passes and still hasn't recovered an opponent's fumble in '24.

READ MORE: Tyreek Hill provides good and bad news about his injury status for rest of season

You could make a strong case that coordinator Anthony Weaver's unit played its most physical game of the season in the Monday night victory over the Rams at SoFi Stadium. They kept pressure on veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, and kept productive running back Kyren Williams under wraps. The Dolphins' defense once again waned in the second half, but still kept Los Angeles out of the end zone.

Keys to the Game

Raiders: Is it any wonder that Pierce's team leads the league with 19 turnovers? The Raiders are dead last in the league in rushing yards per game (76.9 average), and quarterbacks Minshew (12), Aidan O'Connell (two), and third-stringer Desmond Ridder (one) have combined for 15 of those miscues. Pierce's club has run the ball 25-plus times in just three games. The Raiders must challenge the NFL's 12th-ranked run defense.

Dolphins: On Monday night, McDaniel's offense got off to a fast start, but stalled too many times the rest of the game. What saved the Dolphins was an aggressive front seven that came up with a season-high four sacks. Miami forced two turnovers, bringing their season total to a disappointing eight takeaways in nine outings. Weaver could turn up the heat early in this game and take advantage of the sloppy Raiders.

Dolphins Player to Watch

Rookie wide receiver Malik Washington was a sixth-round pick in April from the University of Virginia. He's played in the last six games, and last Monday night he finally made his first significant contribution to the club in terms of his total versatility. In the 23-15 win over the Rams at SoFi Stadium, he got McDaniel's club on the board first. He made his first NFL start, and his 18-yard touchdown run with just 2:59 elapsed capped off the club's five-play, 70-yard scoring drive.

Washington was also targeted twice by Tagovailoa in the game, and hauled in a 17-yard pass as Miami added a field goal to take a 23-12 lead. Along with three punt returns for 21 yards, he finished the night with five total touches, good for 56 combined yards and one TD. His added presence could be a sign of things to come as the Dolphins look to make a playoff run.

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