NFL International Series at Wembley: Miami Dolphins 38-14 Oakland Raiders - as it happened!

Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 1:13, 4th quarter

Miami are still running plays for whatever reason.....ah, now they take a knee. Shouldn’t be long now.

Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 3:59, 4th quarter

McGloin fires to Butler, who tries to cut but turns his ankle as the wideout limps off the field. He’s not happy about it at all, slamming his hand on the bench. Raiders on the Dolphins 40.

Dolphins 38-14 Raiders, 4:40, 4th quarter

Tannehill is all smiles on the sideline after saving his job, and the season. He’ll call it a day and put his feet up now as Matt Moore comes in to enjoy a bit of gar-bage time.

So will backup Miami running back Orleans Darkwa, who spells Miller and Thomas.

...and they punt after a clock burning drive.

Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 9:14, 4th quarter

Action - McGloin finds James Jones who has space - he forces a miss, dekes again, before an entertaining catch- and-run ends with a 29-yard gain and brings the Raiders down to the Dolphins 22.

Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 9:24, 4th quarter

McGloin takes it himself on 3rd & inches for a first down, before looking for Holmes deep on the far sideline - it’s incomplete, and even worse, stops the clock.

Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 11:51, 4th quarter

The Raiders defense shows up, forcing a punt after Tannehill to Landy is well short of a first down on 3rd & 10.

Meanwhile, Dolphins center Samson Satele is down and holding his knee, but gets up under his own power.

Oakland will begin from their own 10 after Carrie calls for a fair catch.

Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 0:08 3rd quarter

OK, so maybe this isn’t the momentum shift we all thought it was. Oakland have to punt after McGloin can’t find Holmes over the middle.

Dolphins 38-7 Raiders, 2:40 3rd quarter

Miami are in the endzone again after Tannehill finds Thomas, but Oakland are saved (if we can say that at this point) by an offensive pass interference call.

So score one for Oakland, I guess.

Gulp.

Dolphins 31-7 Raiders, 4:55 3rd quarter

A 3rd & 1 is suddenly a 3rd & 6 thanks to another silly Raiders false start penalty.

But McFadden takes a pass and bounces outside to the near sideline, and that’s just enough for a down! And how about that?

Wait - Carr takes it himself across midfield, and now he is limping!! he is grabbing his left leg.

We are told that Schaub did not actually make the trip, so that would mean it’s up to Matt McGloin, a second year man out of Penn State.

And here he comes!

Is there magic in that man?

I suppose it’s possible, but is it really going to make a difference? I wouldn’t mess with the kid, let him ride it out.

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 9:04 3rd quarter

Oakland look to establish the run - McFadden, into the line, a gain of three. Then a false start penalty backs them up. It’s 2nd & 12 and it’s McFadden as well, who akes another handoff, from shotgun, into the line for another gain of three.

That sets up a big 3rd & 9.

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 10:40 3rd quarter

The Raiders hold - incomplete!

Oh, just kidding. Defensive holding gives Miami a fresh set of downs.

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 10:42 3rd quarter

There’s more room to roam on the Wembley turf - Miller, running to his right, easily, has 20 more yards.

Suddenly, Miami are knocking on the door here on the Raiders four - it’s 3rd & goal

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 13:36 3rd quarter

Tennehill’s consecutive pass streak is over at 14, and the Dolphins commit a false start penalty. That means it’s a 3rd and long for Miami and a big moment for Oakland to get an early stop...

...but no. Tannehill starts a new streak straight away. He hits Hartline right for a gain of 12 for a first down. Then the Fish QB is swimming through the Oakland D, gills and all - taking it himself for 18 yards!

Is there nothing that Ryan Tannehill can’t do? And you cut him from your fantasy team. Shame on you.

The numbers game

Ryan Tannehill is a 17/19 for 204 yards and two TD’s, which is ridiculous considering the quarterback controversey which dogged the team this week. The Dolphins have a combined 63 yards on the ground from Miller and Thomas.

Meanwhile, Carr, who looked so, so good hasn’t been given much to play with from the stingy Fish D. He’s 12/19 with a TD, and importantly no picks. So, he’s been pretty good considering the way Miami’s defense heated up as the game went along.

Oakland’s ground game continues to struggle, just 27 yards, all from the banged up McFadden. Just one carry from the also knicked up Jones-Drew- you’d of expected more from him today.

Halftime scoreboard

• Carolina 7-21 Baltimore
  
• Green Bay 21-17 Chicago
  
• Buffalo 10-0 Houston
  
• Tennessee 3-20 Indianapolis
  
• Detroit 17-3 New York Jets
  
• Tampa Bay 10-17 Pittsburgh

So a break in the action and a question from Ben who has been patiently been awaiting an answer.

Well, Roger Goodell, who isn’t here today for some reason I’m sure none of you can figure out, is big on London football. He’s been behind the push that’s resulted in three Wembley games this year, with some 250,000 tickets sold and a season ticket base of over 30,000, which really is kind of amazing when you think about it.

So can London support an NFL team?

Unquestionably, the answer is yes. As usual, it’s the logistics that get in the way. Jet lag, etc.

Personally I believe with some clever scheduling and use of the bye week for recovery, I do believe it can work, and the NFL wants to. If I had a gun to my head, and thankfully, at this moment I don’t, I would say that there is a team in London inside of 15 years.

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 0:19, 2nd quarter

Home-nation hero Menelik Watson has his named called, but its for the wrong reasons. A holding call sets back his Raiders 10 yards.

Here comes a 3rd & 8, and Carr can’t find Rivera who was open. Credit the Dolphins rush with a rush. Raiders punt...again.

Dolphins 24-7 Raiders, 1:07, 2nd quarter

There’s no place to be conservative here with time ticking down in the first half. Oakland need some points and need them now. They have two timeouts, and Carr has McFadden for nine yards after running out of bounds and stopping the clock. The Raiders are on their own 35.

Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 5:56, 2nd quarter

Do the Raiders cash in? No way, not even close. An abysmal drive featuring intentional grounding, a panic-ish timeout, ends in another Oakland punt.

Where did Steve Young go?

Dolphins 17-7 Raiders, 7:48, 2nd quarter

The Raiders need to stop the bleeding, and find a way to give their defense a breather.

Maurice Jones-Drew, whose presence was supposed to help Oakland’s running game, is stuffed - gets a yard, maybe.

Then Carr hits Jones with a pass, but he is taken down immediately!

Finally, Carr is incomplete looking for Reece and Oakland are three and out...again. Here comes the punting unit.

Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 9:27, 2nd quarter

Tannehill has nine straight completions, the but the latest, to Hartline, is short of a first down at the Raiders eight.

Miami are going for it!

Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 9:40, 2nd quarter

Daniel Thomas has it - he runs left, right...then left again and next thing you know, he’s got 15 yards!

He liked that so much, Thomas figured he’d try again, and there he goes, for another 10, and suddenly, Miami are on the Oakland 18.

But Wait, Tannehill hits Wallace, but Carlos Rogers hits him harder - the ball is loose! Miami catch a break - Charles Clay recovers.

The drive continues.

Dolphins 10-7 Raiders, 12:50, 2nd quarter

Jared Odrick nearly picks off Carr who was being pursued aggressively. Now the Raiders QB faces a 3rd & 9 - he’s in trouble again, and this time there’s no escape! Derrick Shelby takes him down, and the Raiders have to kick.

It may sound like a cop out, but really, both of these coaches have owners that can be described as heavy handed, the loser may be looking for work on Monday.

Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, end of 1st quarter

Strong throw right for Tannehill to end the frame - a 16 yard haul over to Mike Wallace. The Dolphins QB has been sharp and accurate on this drive, which is what their fans have been waiting for.

Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, 1:10, 1st quarter

The Raiders’ run stopping linebacker Kaluka Maiava is out of the game, but Tannehill is taking to the air - a 34-yard gain after Hartline beats single coverage. Miami are at the Oakland 36.

Dolphins 3-7 Raiders, 3:03, 1st quarter

Carr looks like Steve Young right now. He has two more completions, both to the left side, finding Mychal Rivera for 11 yards total. Carr has already used six separate receivers!

But Miami are able to recover defensively and get a stop - we have a 4th &1 after the Jamize Olawale can’t find any room on third down. The Raiders punt and get a fortunate bounce. Miami will begin on their nine yard line.

Dolphins 0-7 Raiders, 6:29, 1st quarter

Miami begin on their 30, and Tannehill comes out firing, he hits Gibson on the far sideline for a gain of nine, then Lamar Miller breaks free! He’s on the ground for 21 yards on the next play. He had 108 yards last week, and is helping the Fish forget about the injured Knowshon Moreno.

Then Jarvis Landry hauls one in for another big chunk of change - 15 yards, and suddenly Miami are knocking on the door at the Raiders 23.

Let’s see what Tannehill can do here...his defense helped put his back is against the wall already.

Dolphins 0-0 Raiders, 10:59, 1st quarter

And here come the Raydah’s! Carr finds former Packer James Jones on the right side for 30 yards. Tack on another first down and you have Oakland on the march down inside Miami’s 30-yard line!

But here’s a 3rd & 6 - Carr has it, he’s poised in the pocket, there’s time, he steps up and hits Andre Holmes for another first down. Great opening drive for the time-adjusted “home team”.

Issac Slade sings the (US) national anthem. A bit throaty, but I think that’s because he’s so cool rather than any medical issues. Serviceable - 7/10.

Soprano Laura Wright sings God Save the Queen, which I do not feel qualified to judge...feel free to tweet in to @lengeldavid and let me know how that went for you.

Meanwhile, there is now an on-field tribute to dearly departed former Raiders owner Al Davis, which reminds us that the Raiders are the home team.

A quick Major League Baseball update - if everything breaks right (or wrong depending on your fandom) there could be as many as three additional games on Monday to settle playoff matters.

Oakland have a one game lead over Seattle in the AL Wild Card race, and if they tie they will play 163rd regular season game in which the loser will go home.

The Kansas City Royals are a game behind the Detroit Tigers for the AL Central lead - if they are tied at the end of today, they will play an extra game to determine who will be the Central champ and who will face either Oakland or Seattle in the Wild Card game.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a game behind the St Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and if they are tied by the end of Sunday, the teams will play Monday to determine who will face the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card game.

So yeah, there’s a lot going on today...

Let’s take a look at the US based NFL match-ups today:

• Green Bay @ Chicago
  
• Buffalo @ Houston
  
• Tennessee @ Indianapolis
  
• Carolina @ Baltimore
  
• Detroit @ New York Jets
  
• Tampa Bay @ Pittsburgh
  
• Jacksonville @ San Diego
  
• Atlanta @ Minnesota
  
• Philadelphia @ San Francisco
  
• New Orleans @ Dallas
  

Remember, the New York Giants have already beat up on Washington in the Thursday night game.

Here are some views of the happenings around Wembley as Def Leppard entertain pre-kickoff.

Brit to watch

It all must seem a bit surreal for Raiders offensive lineman Menelik Watson, who grew up in Manchester and is back in the UK, on the pitch at Wembley. Watson, a former no. 42 draft pick had a press conference this week (probably the only backup right tackle to get one of those), and should hopefully get a few snaps today.