Thoughts after the Miami Dolphins' 35-13 victory over Oakland at Sun Life Stadium:
What it means: The new regime in Oakland is off to a rocky start. The Raiders are 0-2 and have not looked good. This is not an overly talented Miami team that just throttled Oakland, but Oakland’s start is predictable. The Raiders are not that deep and it shows.
Early wake-up call: The Raiders have to figure out a way to play in games that start at 10 a.m. PT. They have four more this season, which happens to be the most early starts in team history. Playing early games on the East Coast has been a problem for the Raiders.
There goes the defense: The Raiders’ defense was strong when it needed to be last week. But, Sunday, it wilted against a Miami offense that struggled last week in Houston. The Dolphins racked up 452 yards of offense, 263 coming on the ground. Oakland was stout against the run last week. But it was a major problem Sunday.
Rap on Knapp: The Oakland offense -- which was just 1-of-12 on third down Sunday -- wasn’t good for the second straight week. I know heat is going to be on new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who is in his second go-around in this role. Knapp has brought a West Coast offense and a zone-blocking scheme, and it has not been impressive so far. The big worry is about running back Darren McFadden. He was better in a power-blocking scheme after Knapp was fired following McFadden’s rookie season in 2008. So far this season, McFadden has been a non-factor in the run game. He has 54 yards on 26 carries.
What’s next: It doesn’t get easier. The Raiders host Pittsburgh next week.