As A First Course, Dolphins Will Be Fine Raiders Land An Opponent That Appears To Be The Most Beatable For Oakland

If you were to suggest to any of the Raiders that they caught a break Saturday, they’d likely suggest that you go soak your head in something flammable.

That doesn’t make yours a bad suggestion.

The Raiders could have wound up with any of three opponents for next Saturday’s home playoff game. They wound up with Miami, which doesn’t sound like much of a bargain until you consider the alternatives.

Those would be a) the Broncos, who have whipped the Raiders 11 times in their past 12 meetings, and b) the Ravens, whose goal is to make your offense look as toothless as their own.

In other words, the Raiders faced a short list of unappealing options. In that way, the NFL playoffs are like many presidential elections.

No, Miami was the best-case scenario. Even considering its come-from-behind overtime victory over Indianapolis, which should give the Dolphins a pronounced and prolonged bounce. Even with inexperienced and suspect quarterback Jay Fiedler coming off the best second half of his life. Even with running back Lamar Smith having put a record-breaking postseason performance in his back pocket.

Even considering all that, the Raiders caught a break. The Dolphins are a team they can beat. The Dolphins are a team they should beat.

Suggest that to Raiders coach Jon Gruden, and he’d likely suggest you stick a sweat sock in it until after kickoff.

“Anybody you play at this stage (of the season) you have respect for,” Gruden said after Miami’s victory.

Unless you’re the ‘68 Baltimore Colts. But again we digress.

Looking at the Dolphins, Gruden said, “You see a team that’s very persistent at running the football and very talented. Defensively, what can you say about them? They’ve got great team speed.”

The Dolphins can rush, cover and stop the run. Hence Indy’s Peyton Manning, who led the NFL in passing yardage this season, was held to 194 yards. Marvin Harrison, who tied for the league lead with 102 receptions, was held to a meager five catches for 63 yards. The Colts, who averaged 392 yards per game this season, were limited to 293.

Gruden is right - the Dolphins do a lot of things well. They play their home games on grass, so their team speed is no illusion. But they don’t do everything right, and they don’t do it right all the time. For example: The Colts’ Edgerrin James, who led the NFL in rushing, skipped through the Dolphins defense for 107 yards - his exact per-game average during the regular season.

The Raiders, you might recall, led the league in rushing this season.

Assuming the Raiders are healthy, they can run the ball against the Dolphins. Gruden said backs Jon Ritchie and Napoleon Kaufman both are unlikely to play against Miami. That would leave Tyrone Wheatley, Randy Jordan, Zack Crockett and Terry Kirby to carry the load.