NFL International Series at Wembley: Miami Dolphins 38-14 Oakland Raiders - as it happened!
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Version 0 of 1. 4.10pm ET21:10 Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, final Ryan Tannehill has an answer for his critics and his coach and that is passing all over the Oakland Raiders. And suddenly, all is right in the world if you’re a Dolphins fan. You even your record at 2-2 and head into the bye week feeling pretty good, before a week six home encounter vs Green Bay. The Raiders, well, that is one long flight home. And for the head coach Dennis Allen, it probably ends with being fired. That my friends, would be one bad way to go. That’s all for our NFL International Series live coverage from Wembley. The Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions come over next on 26 October for a week eight encounter, before the Jacksonville Jaguars face the Dallas Cowboys in week 10 on 9 November. Thanks for reading, and goodbye for now. Updated at 4.17pm ET 4.03pm ET21:03 Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 1:13, 4th quarter Miami are still running plays for whatever reason.....ah, now they take a knee. Shouldn’t be long now. Updated at 4.03pm ET 4.00pm ET21:00 @GdnUSsports @LengelDavid That's not a two minute warning- it is a two minute blessing that it's nearly over 3.58pm ET20:58 Updated at 4.00pm ET 3.55pm ET20:55 INTERCEPTION! Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 2:54, 4th quarter It’s a fourth turnover by Miami after rookie Walt Aikens picks off McGloin to inflict even more pain onto Oakland, that is if they still have any sensory abilities after such a complete and total kicking. Miami ball on the Raiders 19 now. The clock is ticking... 3.52pm ET20:52 Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 3:59, 4th quarter McGloin fires to Butler, who tries to cut but turns his ankle as the wideout limps off the field. He’s not happy about it at all, slamming his hand on the bench. Raiders on the Dolphins 40. 3.50pm ET20:50 Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 4:40, 4th quarter Tannehill is all smiles on the sideline after saving his job, and the season. He’ll call it a day and put his feet up now as Matt Moore comes in to enjoy a bit of gar-bage time. So will backup Miami running back Orleans Darkwa, who spells Miller and Thomas. ...and they punt after a clock burning drive. 3.46pm ET20:46 @HunterFelt @LengelDavid the same thing could have been said about the jags/49ers, and they still sold out 3 more games 3.44pm ET20:44 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 8:40, 4th quarter McGloin floats a pass down the near sidleine into the hands of Holmes for the score. The Miami secondary took a nap on the play, which is excusable considering the circumstances. Can I have a nap? Please? 3.42pm ET20:42 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 9:14, 4th quarter Action - McGloin finds James Jones who has space - he forces a miss, dekes again, before an entertaining catch- and-run ends with a 29-yard gain and brings the Raiders down to the Dolphins 22. 3.39pm ET20:39 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 9:24, 4th quarter McGloin takes it himself on 3rd & inches for a first down, before looking for Holmes deep on the far sideline - it’s incomplete, and even worse, stops the clock. 3.34pm ET20:34 @GdnUSsports @LengelDavid This Raiders O isn't dink & dunk, it's sink & sunk 3.34pm ET20:34 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 11:51, 4th quarter The Raiders defense shows up, forcing a punt after Tannehill to Landy is well short of a first down on 3rd & 10. Meanwhile, Dolphins center Samson Satele is down and holding his knee, but gets up under his own power. Oakland will begin from their own 10 after Carrie calls for a fair catch. 3.28pm ET20:28 3.23pm ET20:23 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, end of 3rd quarter That will do it for this mess of a third quarter. I’m going to go pee now, if that’s OK. 3.21pm ET20:21 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 0:08 3rd quarter OK, so maybe this isn’t the momentum shift we all thought it was. Oakland have to punt after McGloin can’t find Holmes over the middle. 3.20pm ET20:20 INTERCEPTION! Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 1:31 3rd quarter Momentum shift? Tannehill is intercepted - he throws the ball off the bicep of Sims, who has been active on this drive to say the least, and into the trusty hands of TJ Carrie....and here come the RAY-DAH’S! They start on their own 48. 3.18pm ET20:18 Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 2:40 3rd quarter Miami are in the endzone again after Tannehill finds Thomas, but Oakland are saved (if we can say that at this point) by an offensive pass interference call. So score one for Oakland, I guess. 3.16pm ET20:16 INTERCEPTION! Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 2:40 3rd quarter It’s not McGloin’s fault, but he’s picked by Jimmy Wilson after the ball is tipped off the fingers of Holmes. Man....man. Can I go now? 3.14pm ET20:14 I think this Dolphins/Raiders game has single-handedly ruined any chances of the NFL expanding to London. @LengelDavid Gulp. 3.10pm ET20:10 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 3:59 3rd quarter McGloin is in the shotgun, but the snap isn’t clean, and the ball is past the QB, and bounces into the hands of Cortland Finnegan! Oh me, oh my, he’s in the endzone after a 50-yard TD fumble return. This is bad, this is awful. Cover your screens kids. Actually, everybody should cover their screens. 3.04pm ET20:04 Dolphins 31-7 Raiders, 4:55 3rd quarter A 3rd & 1 is suddenly a 3rd & 6 thanks to another silly Raiders false start penalty. But McFadden takes a pass and bounces outside to the near sideline, and that’s just enough for a down! And how about that? Wait - Carr takes it himself across midfield, and now he is limping!! he is grabbing his left leg. We are told that Schaub did not actually make the trip, so that would mean it’s up to Matt McGloin, a second year man out of Penn State. And here he comes! Is there magic in that man? 2.58pm ET19:58 @GdnUSsports @LengelDavid Chance of Schaub coming on? I suppose it’s possible, but is it really going to make a difference? I wouldn’t mess with the kid, let him ride it out. Updated at 2.59pm ET 2.57pm ET19:57 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 31-7 Raiders, 8:15 3rd quarter Miller waltzes into the endzone with enough time to bake a cake, popping this one wide open. Really, a blowout is not what the NFL wanted here. 2.55pm ET19:55 INTERCEPTION! Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 8:48 3rd quarter Yup, that’s not what Oakland needed right there - Carr throws a pick to Brent Grimes, the very first one Miami has had this season, which is kind of amazing. Grimes takes the return inside the Raiders five, and doom is most certainly near. 2.53pm ET19:53 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 9:04 3rd quarter Oakland look to establish the run - McFadden, into the line, a gain of three. Then a false start penalty backs them up. It’s 2nd & 12 and it’s McFadden as well, who akes another handoff, from shotgun, into the line for another gain of three. That sets up a big 3rd & 9. 2.51pm ET19:51 FUMBLE! Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 10:35 3rd quarter I guess Oakland had Miami just where they wanted them because Lamar Miller has FUMBLED the ball into the endzone! Charles Woodson - that’s 17-year veteran Charles Woodson - has the football and the Raiders have a turnover! Now what? 2.49pm ET19:49 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 10:40 3rd quarter The Raiders hold - incomplete! Oh, just kidding. Defensive holding gives Miami a fresh set of downs. 2.48pm ET19:48 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 10:42 3rd quarter There’s more room to roam on the Wembley turf - Miller, running to his right, easily, has 20 more yards. Suddenly, Miami are knocking on the door here on the Raiders four - it’s 3rd & goal 2.46pm ET19:46 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 13:36 3rd quarter Tennehill’s consecutive pass streak is over at 14, and the Dolphins commit a false start penalty. That means it’s a 3rd and long for Miami and a big moment for Oakland to get an early stop... ...but no. Tannehill starts a new streak straight away. He hits Hartline right for a gain of 12 for a first down. Then the Fish QB is swimming through the Oakland D, gills and all - taking it himself for 18 yards! Is there nothing that Ryan Tannehill can’t do? And you cut him from your fantasy team. Shame on you. 2.41pm ET19:41 We are back Can Oakland save job of their head coach Dennis Allen? Let’s see... 2.38pm ET19:38 The numbers game Ryan Tannehill is a 17/19 for 204 yards and two TD’s, which is ridiculous considering the quarterback controversey which dogged the team this week. The Dolphins have a combined 63 yards on the ground from Miller and Thomas. Meanwhile, Carr, who looked so, so good hasn’t been given much to play with from the stingy Fish D. He’s 12/19 with a TD, and importantly no picks. So, he’s been pretty good considering the way Miami’s defense heated up as the game went along. Oakland’s ground game continues to struggle, just 27 yards, all from the banged up McFadden. Just one carry from the also knicked up Jones-Drew- you’d of expected more from him today. 2.34pm ET19:34 Halftime scoreboard 2.31pm ET19:31 So a break in the action and a question from Ben who has been patiently been awaiting an answer. @lengeldavid What are your thoughts on a possible NFL franchise in London? Is it viable and can you see it happening? #MIAvsOAK Well, Roger Goodell, who isn’t here today for some reason I’m sure none of you can figure out, is big on London football. He’s been behind the push that’s resulted in three Wembley games this year, with some 250,000 tickets sold and a season ticket base of over 30,000, which really is kind of amazing when you think about it. So can London support an NFL team? Unquestionably, the answer is yes. As usual, it’s the logistics that get in the way. Jet lag, etc. Personally I believe with some clever scheduling and use of the bye week for recovery, I do believe it can work, and the NFL wants to. If I had a gun to my head, and thankfully, at this moment I don’t, I would say that there is a team in London inside of 15 years. 2.25pm ET19:25 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, end of 2nd quarter Miami run out the clock, seemingly content with a complete reversal in fortune on offense, which is sticking it to Oakland. Now remember, it’s only Oakland, yes, but remember, the Raiders actually have a decent defense, especially against the pass. 2.24pm ET19:24 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 0:19, 2nd quarter Home-nation hero Menelik Watson has his named called, but its for the wrong reasons. A holding call sets back his Raiders 10 yards. Here comes a 3rd & 8, and Carr can’t find Rivera who was open. Credit the Dolphins rush with a rush. Raiders punt...again. 2.21pm ET19:21 Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 1:07, 2nd quarter There’s no place to be conservative here with time ticking down in the first half. Oakland need some points and need them now. They have two timeouts, and Carr has McFadden for nine yards after running out of bounds and stopping the clock. The Raiders are on their own 35. 2.19pm ET19:19 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 1:52, 2nd quarter Tannehill’s 14th straight hookup is good for a touchdown throw to Dion Sims, who he finds in the corner of the endzone. Here’s a bit of sharp-shooting analysis - I think he’s going to keep his job. Another crushing blow to Oakland, who allow another mammoth scoring drive - nine plays, 90 yards. Updated at 2.20pm ET 2.13pm ET19:13 Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 2:00, 2nd quarter Ryan Tannehill = Dan Marino. He has 13 consecutive completions including four on this drive, and is approaching 200 yards, has even rushed the ball for 18 yards. Miami on the march, in the Oakland redzone as we head towards the two-minute warning. Updated at 2.14pm ET 2.10pm ET19:10 2.08pm ET19:08 Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 5:56, 2nd quarter Do the Raiders cash in? No way, not even close. An abysmal drive featuring intentional grounding, a panic-ish timeout, ends in another Oakland punt. Where did Steve Young go? 2.06pm ET19:06 FUMBLE! Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 7:31, 2nd quarter Jarvis Landy loses control on the kickoff and the Raiders have the ball back - just like that!! That’s is a major break for the Raiders who now have the old pigskin on their own 43. 2.03pm ET19:03 Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 7:48, 2nd quarter The Raiders need to stop the bleeding, and find a way to give their defense a breather. Maurice Jones-Drew, whose presence was supposed to help Oakland’s running game, is stuffed - gets a yard, maybe. Then Carr hits Jones with a pass, but he is taken down immediately! Finally, Carr is incomplete looking for Reece and Oakland are three and out...again. Here comes the punting unit. 1.59pm ET18:59 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 9:20, 2nd quarter Lamar Miller takes the handoff, runs left with power, and is into the endzone! The Fish are up 10 after a seven play 63-yard drive hits paydirt! The offense looks spectacular and the defense is asserting itself. That’s everything you want while on holiday. 1.57pm ET18:57 Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 9:27, 2nd quarter Tannehill has nine straight completions, the but the latest, to Hartline, is short of a first down at the Raiders eight. Miami are going for it! 1.55pm ET18:55 Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 9:40, 2nd quarter Daniel Thomas has it - he runs left, right...then left again and next thing you know, he’s got 15 yards! He liked that so much, Thomas figured he’d try again, and there he goes, for another 10, and suddenly, Miami are on the Oakland 18. But Wait, Tannehill hits Wallace, but Carlos Rogers hits him harder - the ball is loose! Miami catch a break - Charles Clay recovers. The drive continues. 1.49pm ET18:49 Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 12:50, 2nd quarter Jared Odrick nearly picks off Carr who was being pursued aggressively. Now the Raiders QB faces a 3rd & 9 - he’s in trouble again, and this time there’s no escape! Derrick Shelby takes him down, and the Raiders have to kick. 1.45pm ET18:45 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 14:17, 2nd quarter Mike Wallace is hit with a quick pass on the far sideline and makes a bee-line for the endzone, bowling over Oakland defenders and pushing into the endzone. A rough, tough TD from the Miami wideout, and that caps a perfect drive for Tannehill, who is 6/6 over the eight play, 91-yard drive. 1.42pm ET18:42 @GdnUSsports @LengelDavid Which of these coaches is on the hottest seat going into the bye? Loser looking for work? It may sound like a cop out, but really, both of these coaches have owners that can be described as heavy handed, the loser may be looking for work on Monday. 1.41pm ET18:41 Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, end of 1st quarter Strong throw right for Tannehill to end the frame - a 16 yard haul over to Mike Wallace. The Dolphins QB has been sharp and accurate on this drive, which is what their fans have been waiting for. 1.38pm ET18:38 Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, 1:10, 1st quarter The Raiders’ run stopping linebacker Kaluka Maiava is out of the game, but Tannehill is taking to the air - a 34-yard gain after Hartline beats single coverage. Miami are at the Oakland 36. 1.35pm ET18:35 Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, 3:03, 1st quarter Carr looks like Steve Young right now. He has two more completions, both to the left side, finding Mychal Rivera for 11 yards total. Carr has already used six separate receivers! But Miami are able to recover defensively and get a stop - we have a 4th &1 after the Jamize Olawale can’t find any room on third down. The Raiders punt and get a fortunate bounce. Miami will begin on their nine yard line. Updated at 1.35pm ET 1.27pm ET18:27 FIELD GOAL! Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, 6:25, 1st quarter The drive stalls. Tannehill looks shaky in search of Brian “turn on your” Hartline, so they settle for a 41-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis. CBS commentators here in the US tell viewers that the London crowd love the kicking game, which seems like a naff thing to say. 1.24pm ET18:24 Dolphins 0-7 Raiders, 6:29, 1st quarter Miami begin on their 30, and Tannehill comes out firing, he hits Gibson on the far sideline for a gain of nine, then Lamar Miller breaks free! He’s on the ground for 21 yards on the next play. He had 108 yards last week, and is helping the Fish forget about the injured Knowshon Moreno. Then Jarvis Landry hauls one in for another big chunk of change - 15 yards, and suddenly Miami are knocking on the door at the Raiders 23. 1.18pm ET18:18 @GdnUSsports @LengelDavid Before anyone moans about Tannehill, can we remind ourselves Miami started Cleo Lemon in the first London game? Let’s see what Tannehill can do here...his defense helped put his back is against the wall already. 1.17pm ET18:17 TOUCHDOWN! Dolphins 0-7 Raiders, 9:38, 1st quarter Wow! The Raiders look like, well, a real football team. Carr finds Brian Leonhart (not Lionheart) streaking across the endzone for the TD! That really was fantastic. Carr was 5/6 for 56 yards on that 11-play drive. Updated at 1.27pm ET 1.13pm ET18:13 Dolphins 0-0 Raiders, 10:59, 1st quarter And here come the Raydah’s! Carr finds former Packer James Jones on the right side for 30 yards. Tack on another first down and you have Oakland on the march down inside Miami’s 30-yard line! But here’s a 3rd & 6 - Carr has it, he’s poised in the pocket, there’s time, he steps up and hits Andre Holmes for another first down. Great opening drive for the time-adjusted “home team”. Updated at 1.13pm ET 1.08pm ET18:08 Kickoff! The first of three, completely sold out games at Wembley Stadium are off! 1.05pm ET18:05 Issac Slade sings the (US) national anthem. A bit throaty, but I think that’s because he’s so cool rather than any medical issues. Serviceable - 7/10. Soprano Laura Wright sings God Save the Queen, which I do not feel qualified to judge...feel free to tweet in to @lengeldavid and let me know how that went for you. Meanwhile, there is now an on-field tribute to dearly departed former Raiders owner Al Davis, which reminds us that the Raiders are the home team. 12.55pm ET17:55 A quick Major League Baseball update - if everything breaks right (or wrong depending on your fandom) there could be as many as three additional games on Monday to settle playoff matters. Oakland have a one game lead over Seattle in the AL Wild Card race, and if they tie they will play 163rd regular season game in which the loser will go home. The Kansas City Royals are a game behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central lead - if they are tied at the end of today, they will play an extra game to determine who will be the Central champ and who will face either Oakland or Seattle in the Wild Card game. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a game behind the St Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and if they are tied by the end of Sunday, the teams will play Monday to determine who will face the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card game. So yeah, there’s a lot going on today... 12.50pm ET17:50 Let’s take a look at the US based NFL match-ups today: Remember, the New York Giants have already beat up on Washington in the Thursday night game. 12.46pm ET17:46 Here are some views of the happenings around Wembley as Def Leppard entertain pre-kickoff. PHOTO GALLERY: View some of the best images of our @Wembley_Park Gameday Fan Plaza here #NFLUK http://t.co/7zOwZb6AUQ pic.twitter.com/47obGa8Z27 12.45pm ET17:45 Brit to watch It all must seem a bit surreal for Raiders offensive lineman Menelik Watson, who grew up in Manchester and is back in the UK, on the pitch at Wembley. Watson, a former no. 42 draft pick had a press conference this week (probably the only backup right tackle to get one of those), and should hopefully get a few snaps today. 12.42pm ET17:42 Preamble The Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders arrived in London with plenty of baggage and their seasons on the line, as good a sign as any that NFL fans at Wembley will be treated to a quality match-up come kickoff. Both of these teams need a win if their 2014 season is going to amount to anything, so yeah, it’s only week four, but this NFL International Series contest is as close to an elimination game as you’re going to get this early on. Last we saw Miami, they were down by just six points in the fourth quarter to the then winless Chiefs, before Kansas City shut down the Fish in the final frame, taking a 34-15 road victory. The Raiders actually came with in a holding call of tying up the New England Patriots late, but the infraction wiped out a would-be Darren McFadden rushing touchdown, and Oakland QB was intercepted on the next play - ballgame over, 16-9 the final. So the Dolphins are now 1-2 and the Raiders are 0-3 after losing their 15th straight game in the Eastern time zone - today we’ll find out how British Summer Time treats them. Oakland are some eight timezones away from home, playing in a city that reportedly has been anything but buzzing about the game, until that is, a six digit crowd oddly appeared for an NFL fan rally on Saturday. But I digress... The Raiders bid to shake that time zone jinx involved Dennis Allen schlepping his team right after the game in New England. It’s a sensible move, and allowed the Raiders to do the tourist thing before getting down to business. Despite their record, there is some faint optimism - the Raiders pass defense is among the best in the NFL and their rookie quarterback Derek Carr has been reasonably steady considering the overall state of the team. Still, Allen has won just eight times in his 35-game tenure as head coach, so there’s little to no job security there, and Raiders owner Mark Davis could make like daddy Al and fire him tomorrow if 0-4 should appear on the standings. Then there’s the Dolphins, who didn’t arrive in London until Friday, after one of the more tumultuous weeks the Dolphins have experienced since, well, last year. There was more chaos in Miami’s camp after under fire head coach Joe Philbin refused to name underwhelming quarterback Ryan Tannehill (one complete pass over 25 yards this season) the starter under center, a move managed so poorly he basically had to come out and apologize. Meanwhile, there were murmurs about denfense players upset with their coaches. The team is trying to put on a brave face, but if you think everything is OK because Tannehill came out and said “We’re all on the same page” and because coaches gave their first-class seats to some players on the flight over, well, I’ve got a (London) bridge to sell you. And to think, just two weeks ago, Miami seemed on the verge of becoming something special NFL after their second half destruction of the Pats...there’s still time to bring that beat back, but they simply must win today. The first of the International Series games are coming up, so go get whatever you need to settle in for the long haul, that being some Ribena, salad cream and mackerel, which seems to have gone up in price since I last visited the local market. You should also feel free to come aboard and join in on the fun - tweet in your thoughts to @lengeldavid or via email at david.lengel.freelance@theguardian.com. 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