Raiders rewind: What offensive changes were implemented in Miami?

The Raiders looked a bit smoother on offense Sunday after their bye week brought a slew of changes to their coaching staff.

It didn’t help them end their losing streak.

The Raiders (2-8) dropped their sixth straight game Sunday with a 34-19 loss to the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Still, the tape wasn’t quite as ugly as some of the team’s previous defeats.

Here’s a closer look at what went wrong against Miami.

Putting it into perspective

Raiders interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner and his father Norv didn’t have much time to make huge changes to the offense before Sunday’s game, but they tried to put their stamp on the unit in their first game in charge.

One philosophical shift was clear on the first snap of the game. The Turners seemed aware that previous offensive coordinator Luke Getsy preferred to call runs on first downs, especially at the start of a drive.

They tried to exploit that by calling a play-action pass on the Raiders’ first play. They called two more play-action passes on first downs during the team’s first two drives, a clear attempt to throw the Dolphins’ defense off.

Another thing that jumped out was the route concepts Scott Turner called. They appeared to create much better spacing for the Raiders’ receivers, which helped quarterback Gardner Minshew have one of his best games of the season.

The team still lost, so the changes only helped so much. But there were some positive signs for the Raiders’ offense.

Star of the game

There’s not much question about this one. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers had one of the best performances by any player in the NFL on Sunday.

The 21-year-old turned a whopping 16 targets into career highs of 13 receptions and 126 yards.

Bowers was used in a variety of ways against the Dolphins. He even lined up in the backfield, which made it difficult for Miami to match up with him.

The best sign for Bowers was the Raiders didn’t do anything too complex to scheme him open. He mostly did it on his own. He was getting open right off the line of scrimmage, which meant he was often available as a target for Minshew.

The Raiders even tried to bring Bowers in motion and hand the ball off to him at one point, but the play was doomed once Minshew stumbled into the rookie on the handoff. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team returned to the play at some point to continue to find ways to get Bowers the ball.

Play of the game

Tight end Jonnu Smith’s 57-yard touchdown with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter sealed the game for the Dolphins.

It’s difficult to determine exactly what went wrong, but the Raiders had a clear communication breakdown. Smith was left uncovered and simply ran down the field for an easy touchdown.

It’s a play the Raiders have no doubt been discussing in defensive meetings this week.

Drive of the game

The Raiders answered an impressive touchdown drive by Miami with one of their own to cut their deficit to17-12 with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter.

The possession started with a short pass to Bowers on first down and ended with him finding the end zone on a third-and-9 play.

Running back Alexander Mattison did most of the work between those Bowers touches. He picked up a fourth-and-1 with a 6-yard run to give the Raiders their initial first down on the drive. Tight end Michael Mayer made a great block on the play to create space for Mattison.

Mattison picked up 31 yards the next play after taking a short pass from Minshew.

The Raiders faced a third-and-9 from the Miami 23-yard line two plays later. Bowers came in motion to the right side of the formation to create a one-on-one matchup with Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer. Wide receiver Tre Tucker then ran a slant to create traffic.

Tucker’s route prevented Poyer from getting to Bowers until the tight end had already caught Minshew’s pass and turned upfield. Bowers muscled past Poyer and into the end zone for his third touchdown of the season.

What were they thinking?

The Raiders made a whole lot of mistakes after Bowers’ touchdown.

Kicker Daniel Carlson put the subsequent kickoff short of the landing zone, giving Miami the ball at its own 40-yard line.

The Dolphins then picked up a first down and rushed to line up even though the clock was winding down in the third quarter. They feigned a sense of urgency even if it appeared unlikely they were going to snap the football before the clock hit zero.

Defensive end Maxx Crosby still fell for the gambit. He jumped offside, giving Miami and first-and-5 to start the fourth quarter. The Dolphins scored later that drive on a 2-yard run from running back De’Von Achane after defensive end Charles Snowden didn’t set the edge.

It was a tough sequence for the Raiders’ defense and special teams.

Observations

■ The Raiders still appear to be fighting despite their losing streak. One example was DJ Turner’s effort as a gunner on AJ Cole’s lone punt of the day. Turner fought off a block and made a diving tackle inside the 5-yard line.

■ Smith’s first touchdown, which came in the first quarter, also happened because of a communication issue in the Raiders’ secondary. Smith went in motion on a fourth-down play and was open for an easy touchdown. Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao tried to stay with Smith, but the tight end probably should have been passed off to another defender.

■ Snowden had a good game overall despite making a mistake on Achane’s touchdown. He sniffed out a wide receiver screen and tackled Malik Washington in the backfield for a loss of two yards on Miami’s first possession.

■ The Raiders wisely had Carlson squib his kickoff inside the landing zone in the final minute of the first half instead of having him kick the ball through the end zone for a touchback. That ran an extra six seconds off the clock and the Dolphins ran out of time on the ensuing drive.

■ The Raiders continue to commit penalties at the most inopportune times and some of them are just silly. Defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson, who had some good moments, grabbed an eligible receiver off the line of scrimmage on a third-and-20 on Miami’s first possession. The Dolphins, rather than settling for a field goal, got a fresh set of downs at the Raiders’ 17-yard-line. They scored a touchdown six plays later.

Looking ahead

The Raiders will get their first rematch of the year in Week 12, as they’ll host the Broncos at Allegiant Stadium.

Denver (6-5) won the first meeting 34-18 at home Oct. 6. The Broncos remain in the thick of the playoff race despite starting a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.