The Five Biggest Storylines for the Dolphins-Raiders Week 16 Matchup
The Miami Dolphins will look to continue their playoff push Saturday night when they face the Las Vegas Raiders in a crucial game at Allegiant Stadium.
The Dolphins are 9-5 and coming off a 22-12 victory against the New England Patriots and hold possession of the seventh spot in the AFC standings; the Raiders are on the brink of playoff elimination after their 30-27 overtime loss against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 left them with a 7-7 record.
RELATED: The Updated Dolphins Playoff Scenarios
Here are the five biggest storylines for the game:
The Dolphins will get some key offensive players back against the Raiders, with tight end Mike Gesicki and wide receiver Jakeem Grant returning after a one-game absence and guard Ereck Flowers coming back after missing two games. The Dolphins still will be missing wide receiver DeVante Parker because of a hamstring injury, but running back Myles Gaskin also will be back.
2. The Raiders QB question
Marcus Mariota for sure. Probably Marcus Mariota. Well, maybe David Carr. Definitely David Carr? Yep, that's the way it's been all week when it comes to figuring out who the Dolphins defense would be facing as the Raiders starting quarterback. As we approached game time, it sure looked as though Carr was fully ready to go, which means more pressure for the Dolphins secondary because Carr is having a great season throwing the ball. If Mariota does come into the ballgame, the challenge then becomes stopping his running out of the pocket.
Whether it's Carr or Mariota in the lineup, the Dolphins' biggest concern when it comes to the Raiders passing game is containing Darren Waller, who's coming off the best three-game stretch in NFL history for a tight end in terms of receiving yardage. The Dolphins had problems with Travis Kelce two Sundays ago and need to do a better job of slowing down Waller.
Rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. has become a key performer for the Dolphins and one has to think he'll be jacked to go against the team that took him in the third round of the 2020 draft only to give up on him a few months later.
5. Ready for prime time
The game will mark the first NFL prime-time appearance for Tua Tagovailoa, but anybody worried about the moment being too big for him obviously doesn't know about his background. It's not like he didn't play in a lot of big games on the national stage during his time at the University of Alabama. Besides, his personality is such that he doesn't get overwhelmed by any situation and that cool is one of his best traits.
