MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Same story, different city.
For the third time in as many games, the Oakland Raiders blew a second-half lead and lost with a fourth-quarter collapse after a strong offensive start.
The 28-20 defeat, a game in which the Raiders led 17-7 in the third quarter, dropped Oakland to 0-3, leaving coach Jon Gruden winless in his return to the sideline. Gruden has also lost his past seven games as a head coach, dating back to December 2008 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Raiders have also lost seven straight, dating to last season -- all with a suddenly dangerous and motivated Hue Jackson-led Cleveland Browns coming to Oakland next week.
Only a late 52-yard field goal by Mike Nugent kept Oakland from remaining scoreless in the fourth quarter and joining the 2014 San Francisco 49ers as the last team to go scoreless in the final quarter of a season’s first three games.
The Raiders have been outscored 37-3 in the fourth quarter this season, against the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos and Dolphins. The Raiders, who have outscored their opponents by a combined 35-17 in the first halves of games, have been outscored by a cumulative 64-17 after halftime.
“We have a lot of work to do here,” Gruden said. “We're going to continue to work. I'm proud of the way we're competing. We played three teams, I think, that might be undefeated. I don't know. We’ve played three good football teams. We played them hard. We have a lot of work to do here. We'll continue to work and we'll get this show on the road here hopefully soon.
“All three phases, we’ve got to all pick it up, and it starts with me.”
Oakland was at the Dolphins’ 13-yard line, trailing by four, with less than three minutes to play and driving before disaster struck.
Derek Carr was blasted by Cameron Wake, who beat backup right tackle T.J. Clemmings, as he released the ball and Carr was picked off in the end zone by Xavien Howard on the underthrown ball to Martavis Bryant. (Donald Penn was lost to a concussion in the first half.)
“I just saw one-on-one with Martavis,” said Carr, who completed 27 of 39 passes for 345 yards with a touchdown and two picks. “Obviously he was hot and he was doing some good things. I just gave him a chance, just like I have a hundred other times in my life. They ended up making a good play. It sucks, right? The outcome sucks, but I think going back through in my head, getting one-on-one with that guy I'd probably have to do it again.”
Two plays later, a 74-yard shovel pass from Ryan Tannehill to Albert Wilson gave Miami a 28-17 lead at the two-minute warning.
The Raiders' defense folded again after a strong start, allowing 150 yards of offense on four plays and two TDs on two possessions in the fourth quarter.
The loss ruined a 173-yard receiving day for Jordy Nelson, who had six receptions and a 12-yard touchdown catch.
“I think we’ve played well in spurts,” Nelson said. “We need to finish drives on offense and get touchdowns and finish games, obviously. That’s what it comes down to and we’re extremely close but it makes a huge difference in this league. We got to continue to grind and just continue to improve and kind of you need to breakthrough that barrier and then they can start coming.”