Ryan Tannehill got the game off to a good start for the Dolphins offense, but things didn’t really continue in that direction in Miami.
They managed just 67 yards after an opening 80-yard drive that led to the team’s first offensive touchdown of the 2012 season, allowing the Raiders to get back into the game and take a 10-7 lead at the half. They rode Carson Palmer’s passing to that lead.
Palmer finished the half with 239 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Mike Goodson on a screen play that broke big behind excellent Oakland blocking. The return of wide receiver Denarius Moore has seemed to open up avenues that weren’t in evidence against the Chargers in the opener and Palmer has done a decent job of taking advantage.
But not so much advantage that this isn’t a game. The Dolphins defense forced a field goal after the Raiders drove all the way down the field in the second quarter, they’ve gotten off the field on third downs and they’ve held Darren McFadden totally in check. That effort will give their offense a chance to win the game in the second half, but the offense has only shown that one brief flicker of hope that they could actually pull it off.