Raiders-Dolphins: Key matchups

Share

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Amid the backdrop of the Rolando McClain distraction, a cavalcade of injured playmakers and a just as unlikely exciting playoff chase, the first-place Raiders have a game to play.Against a very dangerous opponent whose poor record belies the talent on Miami's roster.Throw in the fact that the Dolphins have owned the Raiders in recent years -- Miami has won eight of the past nine meetings, including five of the last six in South Florida -- and that the Dolphins have not played since Thanksgiving, you get the sense the Raiders could be walking into, as "Revenge of the Jedi" icon Admiral Ackbar would say, a trap.The Raiders (7-4) are aiming to win their fourth straight for the first time since 2002; the Dolphins (3-8) won three in a row after starting 0-7 and dropped that 20-19 heartbreaker at Dallas on Turkey Day.A look, then, at some key on-field matchups to watch Sunday morning from Sun Life Stadium:TALE OF THE TAPE
Raiders LB Aaron Curry: 6-2, 255, Wake Forest, third season
Dolphins RB Reggie Bush: 6-0, 203, USC, sixth seasonOf course, this matchup could get screwy if Curry has to play middle linebacker in place of McClain for extended snaps.Bush does his damage when he turns the corner, and Curry, who is at his best when he's on the weak side chasing the ball with his blazing speed, is that rare linebacker fast enough to actually catch someone with Bush's quickness.Bush has had a renaissance season, of sorts, in his first year with the Dolphins after five seasons in New Orleans, which had made him the No. 2 overall pick out of USC in 2006. With 567 rushing yards on the season, Bush needs 15 yards against the Raiders to set a single-season career high.Sounds modest, right? Still, he maintains game-breaking speed when he gets around the corner and the Raiders run defense has been known to disappear at times, particularly against scatback-type backs like Bush."Yeah it's something we are aware of and something we would like to exploit a little bit," said Bush, who is averaging 4.3 yards per carry and scored four rushing touchdowns."We'll see what happens when game time comes. It's definitely something we're very well aware of and something we want to take full advantage of."Bush, though, has had his share of growing pains in Miami's offense, even as he has also caught 35 passes for 237 yards and a TD."He's done a good job of running the ball hard, making hard yards and has made a lot of big plays for us," said Dolphins coach Tony Sparano. "So Reggie's playing better and better, and a large part of that has to do with us figuring out how to use Reggie. In other words, he's a complete different back than we've had here in the last three or four years. Had to figure out how to use him a little bit, and we're doing a better job of that. Reggie's doing the rest."From the Raiders' perspective, though, the job of containing Bush comes down to Curry, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2009 draft who was acquired in a trade with Seattle on Oct. 13."He's been outstanding," Oakland coach Hue Jackson said of Curry. "Just his energy, his professionalism, his character. How he comes to practice, how he comes to work everyday as a pro has been outstanding. And not that the other guys didn't. This guy plays the game, in my opinion, the way it's supposed to be played -- with some toughness and some aggression and some enthusiasm."And I love that about him and I love what he's doing. And I think he's truly impacted our defensive football team."But will he make an impact against Bush?Other matchups worth watching:
Raiders C Samson Satele (64) vs. Dolphins NT Paul Soliai (96) -- What Soliai lacks in stats -- he has 21 tackles and no sacks -- the 6-feet-4, 355-pounder more than makes up for in size.Though it might not be bigger than the chip on the 6-3, 300-pound Satele's shoulder.Satele spent the first two years of his career in Miami, which drafted him in the second round in 2007 out of Hawaii, and this will be his first time back to play here since the Raiders acquired him in a March, 2009 trade.And after the Raiders, which had the No. 2-ranked rushing attack in the NFL last season, were held to a mere 16 yards on the ground by the Dolphins in a 33-17 loss to Miami last year, Satele has a lot to prove. Especially if Oakland's ground attack against Miami's 3-4 defense starts with the guy who hikes the ball.Raiders QB Carson Palmer (3) vs. Dolphins LB Jason Taylor (99) -- Yes, I realize Taylor has seen better days -- much better days -- and that he is technically a backup at strongside linebacker to Koa Misi on the depth chart.But these are precisely the games for which Taylor gets up, and Palmer needs to pay attention to where the 15-year veteran is whenever he's on the field.In seven career games against the Raiders, Taylor has nine sacks.And Palmer has had decent success against the Dolphins secondary in his career. In three career games against Miami, Palmer is 2-1, completing 61 of 108 passes (56.5 percent) for 619 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions for a 76.9 passer rating.In his lone game at Miami, back on Dec. 30, 2007, Palmer was 23-32 for 316 yards with three TD's.

Contact Us