National Football League

Dolphins observations: Ryan Tannehill solid in victory at Wembley Stadium

Published Sep. 28, 2014 4:55 p.m. ET

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It wasn't looking good from the start.

With Oakland Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr easily leading his team 74 yards down the field on their first drive, the Dolphins were again facing a first half deficit just as they had through the first three weeks of the season.

That's when embattled quarterback Ryan Tannehill took over and proceeded to lead the Dolphins en route to 38 consecutive points for the comfortable 38-14 victory in front of 83,436 spectators at Wembley Stadium.

Tannehill showcased every facet of his game and he ran the ball himself five times for 35 rushing yards while looking confident and decisive in and out of the pocket. Whether the quarterback controversy earlier in the week had a direct effect on him or not, the team desperately needed Tannehill to step up and he responded with one of his best games of his career. His quarterback rating of 109.3 was a quantum leap over his 75.4 average in his first three games of the season.

Yes, it was against the winless Raiders -- which never threatened to make it a close game -- but Tannehill's issues the previous two games were largely self-inflicted. Oakland could do little to prevent the Dolphins receivers from amassing 278 total passing yards, with Brian Hartline coming through for 74 yards on six receptions.

Here are five takeaways from the inspiring victory that brings the Dolphins record back to 2-2 ahead of their bye week.

1. Tannehill leads the charge in the first half.

It was a risky decision for the Dolphins to wait until Thursday evening to travel more than 4,400 miles to London facing a five-hour time difference. Three straight slow starts to open the season could have been a recipe for disaster but instead Tannehill and the offense quickly responded to the Raiders first scoring drive and pounded the Raiders both on the ground and in the air.

When the dust had settled at halftime, Tannehill had thrown for 204 yards on 17-19 attempts with two touchdowns. Impressively, he strung together 14 straight completions to close the first half. Running back Lamar Miller, again filling in capably for the injured Knowshon Moreno, rushed for 38 yards on six carries and a touchdown to lead an offense that totaled 15 first downs and 284 total yards, averaging a whopping 8.9 yards per play.

The 24 points the Dolphins scored in the first half was almost twice the amount of points they had scored in the three prior first halves combined.

2. Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas strong in the back.

For the second game in a row, Miller was spectacular with his increased opportunities in place of the injured Knowshon Moreno. After his career high 108-yard performance against the Chiefs, he followed it up with 64 total rushing yards and two touchdowns. Daniel Thomas is also making the most out of his second chance with the Dolphins while Moreno continues rehabbing his elbow.

Already ranked the second-worst rushing defense in the league, the Raiders put up little fight as Miller and Thomas led the way for the Dolphins rushing game which totaled 157 yards on 35 carries.

3. Timely first Dolphins interception of the season.

Miller looked like he was on his way to his second touchdown of the day early in the third quarter when the ball popped out of his hands just yards away from the end zone and ended up in the hands of Raiders safety Charles Woodson.

Any fears of momentum lost were quickly made moot three plays later, safety Brent Grimes notched the first Dolphins interception of the season when he picked off Carr's pass at the 35-yard line and almost ran it back to the end zone.

With three yards to work with, Miller first ran for a two-yard gain and then got into the end zone untouched the very next play to make it 31-7 and help put the game away early. It was his first multi touchdown game of his career.

4. Safeties powered the effective defense.

When it's all clicking together for the Dolphins -- much like it did in the second half of their Week 1 victory against the New England Patriots --every component of the team is working in harmony. After an ineffective performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, the last line of the defense came through with a dominant display together as a unit.

Brent Grimes, Jimmy Wilson and Walt Aikens each intercepted Carr and returned them for 106 combined yards to help put the Dolphins in excellent field position. To help put the game completely out of reach, Cortland Finnegan returned a quarterback fumble 50 yards for the easy touchdown.

5. Banged up Dolphins head into bye week.

Several Dolphins players failed to make the trip to London including starting defensive tackle Randy Starks, who broke his streak of 111 consecutive games played. Guards Shelley Smith and Billy Turner were out for the game and linebacker Chris McCain also did not travel due to a personal matter.

The victory didn't come without a cost though. Left tackle Branden Albert suffered a shoulder injury, receiver Jarvis Landry needed medical attention and starting center Samson Satele did not return to the game after getting injured in the second half. Wilson and linebacker Philip Wheeler also headed to the sidelines as the game wore on.

Thankfully, the bye week will give them an extra week of rest in which center Mike Pouncey will likely be back in the lineup for the first time this season. Starting safety Reshad Jones also returns to the team from his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy.