In fact, the Dolphins have been up and down in all areas this season.
They had a bad first half against New England, bad games against Buffalo and Kansas City, and an outstanding game against Oakland.
What they want to do before returning from their bye week is find consistency.
“Now we have to start playing at a consistently high level,” Philbin said. “It’s time. I told the team before the game that we’ve been at this thing since July 24. You know what to do. You know what your job is. We haven’t changed a whole lot. Let’s go out and play football.”
INJURY NOTES: LT Branden Albert (shoulder), S Jimmy Wilson (hip) and C Samson Satele (leg) left the Oakland game in the fourth quarter and didn’t return. There was no update on their status Monday. … DT Randy Starks (back) didn’t play against Oakland, ending a streak of 111 consecutive games played, the most among active DTs. There’s no word whether he’ll play in Miami’s next game, Oct. 12 against Green Bay.
REPORT CARD VS. RAIDERS
PASSING OFFENSE: A-minus — QB Ryan Tannehill completed 14 consecutive passes at one point. The wideouts were factors and so were the tight ends. The line didn’t allow a sack. There was a drop and errant pass that led to an interception. They weren’t perfect, but they were good.
RUSHING OFFENSE: B — RB Lamar Miller was effective, but he also lost a fumble at the end zone that Oakland recovered. Still, the running game (157 yards) was strong, the line blocked well, and Tannehill and RB Daniel Thomas (each had 5 carries, 35 yards) provided a nice boost.
PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — There was some early leakage. Oakland quarterbacks completed 64 percent of their passes. But the Dolphins had three interceptions, two sacks and good pressure overall. CBs Will Davis and Jamar Taylor both played in the nickel, so that’s unsettled. There was also late leakage when the backups played.
RUSH DEFENSE: A — Oakland had 18 carries for 53 yards. Missed tackles were at a minimum, unlike other games this season. The linebackers did a good job and the defensive line was solid at the point of attack. No worries this week.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus — WR Jarvis Landry lost a muffed punt. That’s his second this season. The coverage teams were OK, but not where they need to be. Return teams were fairly solid, but losing a punt hurts. The Dolphins are still playing lots of rookies and it shows.
COACHING: B — Joe Philbin’s mid-week non-committal stance on Tannehill was a huge miscalculation, but it didn’t affect the game. Play-calling was solid for both offense and defense. The Dolphins had their first halftime lead and they made wise defensive adjustments after being plowed on the game-opening drive.
