Tannehill leads Dolphins over Raiders 38-14
LONDON (AP) — Ryan Tannehill played like a quarterback who deserves to start.
In the middle of a storm all week because his coach declined to endorse him as the starter, Tannehill threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 38-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders at Wembley Stadium.
Tannehill took advantage of a depleted Oakland defense to snap a two-game losing streak for the Dolphins (2-2).
The Raiders (0-4) scored on their opening drive but struggled after that. And starting quarterback Derek Carr was injured in the third quarter, replaced by third-stringer Matt McGloin.
Oakland began the game without linebackers Nick Roach and Sio Moore, who were both inactive. Kaluka Maiava, who started in place of Moore, was then injured on the first Dolphins series, allowing Tannehill and his receivers to take even more advantage of the short pass.
Tannehill threw a 13-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace and an 18-yarder to Dion Sims. Lamar Miller rushed for two more TDs, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan ran back a fumble 50 yards for another.
The Dolphins opened the season with a win over the New England Patriots, but back-to-back 19-point losses to Buffalo and Kansas City put Tannehill's starting job at stake.
Coach Joe Philbin was repeatedly asked who his starter would be against the Raiders in London, but he declined to utter the name "Tannehill."
If the controversy had any effect on Tannehill and the Dolphins, it was a positive one. But it was Raiders who jumped out to a quick lead.
Carr completed a 30-yard pass to James Jones on the first play from scrimmage and soon after took a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard catch by Brian Leonhardt.
The Dolphins went ahead for good early in the second quarter, with Tannehill completing six passes in a seven-play drive that culminated with Wallace's TD.
Miller then scored the first of his touchdowns to make it 17-7, running in from 8 yards out, and Tannehill was soon at it again with an 18-yard TD pass to Sims for a 24-7 halftime lead.
Things got worse for the Raiders when Carr injured his left ankle and knee in the third quarter and was replaced by McGloin. Backup Matt Schaub did not make the trip to London.
On his second play, McGloin watched a bad snap fly by and then saw Finnegan snatch it up and run it in.
The Raiders have lost 10 straight dating to last season, putting the pressure on coach Dennis Allen.
The Dolphins are now 1-1 at Wembley Stadium, the home of England's national soccer team. Miami lost the first regular-season NFL game played there in 2007, falling to the New York Giants 13-10.
Sunday's matchup was the first of three NFL games at Wembley this season. The Detroit Lions will face the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 26, and the Dallas Cowboys will play the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 9.
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