Jonnu Smith ran a few yards down the field and waved his left arm to get Tua Tagovailoa’s attention.
The Raiders’ secondary didn’t seem to notice Smith until he was wide open, and Tagovailoa saw him right away. He threw the ball to Smith, who ran 57 yards for a touchdown, with his teammates already celebrating as he was still running toward the end zone.
“The red seas parted,” Smith said. “It was a busted coverage. Tua, me and him locked eyes and made the rest happen.”
Tagovailoa threw two more touchdown passes on Sunday, including a 1-yard score to Smith in the first quarter, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 34-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. This win gave the Dolphins their second straight victory.
It was another solid win for the Dolphins (4-6), who haven’t been able to match the offensive fireworks from last season, but they came off a tough win against the Rams on Monday night. The Raiders (2-8) lost their sixth game in a row.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins with long, steady drives — three of them lasting more than seven minutes each — and all three ended in scores. The Dolphins scored 30 points for the first time this season.
Tagovailoa completed 28 of 36 passes for 288 yards. His third touchdown of the day went for 8 yards to wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who caught seven passes for 61 yards and scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Smith finished with a season-high 101 yards receiving.
“We’ve got good enough players to where if we get them the ball in space, we like our chances,” Tagovailoa said.
The Raiders were trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter after Dolphins running back De’Von Achane ran for a 2-yard touchdown to add to his 73 yards on 17 carries.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew then led the Raiders on an 80-yard drive and found Ameer Abdullah for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Abdullah took advantage of a missed tackle by Dolphins cornerback Kader Kohou.
But the Raiders’ hopes were dashed on the very next drive. Miami caught them off guard with a blown coverage, leaving Smith wide open for a 57-yard touchdown that ended the game for the Raiders.
Minshew finished the game completing 30 of 43 passes for 282 yards and one interception. Tight end Brock Bowers caught 13 passes for 126 yards.
Late in the game, Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey intercepted Minshew, marking Minshew’s 13th turnover of the season.
“We just have to keep executing and strain a little bit more,” said Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. “We had opportunities. Brock had a big day. I thought Gardner got rid of the ball quickly in the passing game. Opportunities were there for shots, but we didn’t get them down there again.”
Bowers caught a 23-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter from Minshew, and earlier in the drive, Minshew connected with running back Alexander Mattison for a 31-yard gain. The score made it 17-12 entering the fourth quarter, following a failed 2-point conversion. This was the first touchdown the Dolphins’ defense had allowed in their previous six quarters.
The Raiders made significant changes to their coaching staff during their bye week, hoping to improve their struggling offense. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was fired along with the offensive line and quarterbacks coaches.
Sunday’s game showed improvement under interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner. The Raiders scored on four of seven drives and converted eight of 14 third downs.
“We’re down, man, but I tell you I’ve been on teams where you send it in,” Minshew said. “But we’re not doing that. We practice hard. Everybody’s doing the right things. We haven’t been getting the results. We’ve been a play short, but I feel if we continue our process and continue to try to get better, it’s going to break for us.”
The Raiders started the game with a punt, but Dolphins defensive tackle Calais Campbell ran into punter AJ Cole, giving the Raiders a new set of downs. Minshew then led them down the field, and Daniel Carlson made a 27-yard field goal to put the Raiders on the board at the end of the first quarter.
The Raiders struggled to stop the Dolphins’ long drives, even when Miami started its first possession of the second half from its own 3-yard line. Tagovailoa led another long drive — this one 14 plays and 97 yards — that ended in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Hill. Achane had a 30-yard rush earlier in the drive, setting up the score and stretching Miami’s lead in the third quarter.
The Dolphins converted eight of 12 third downs and scored on three of four trips inside the red zone.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel praised his team’s performance over the last two games after what he described as a long stretch of being close but “not good enough.”
“I don’t know about you guys,” McDaniel said, “but winning feels a lot better than losing. So I think we’re going to keep trying to do that.”
