A Bad Day for Marino Is Good for the Raiders

Once the Oakland Raiders shut down Miami’s running game, the Dolphins had to rely on Dan Marino’s arm. On Sunday, the error-prone Marino was not good enough to rescue them.

The Raiders, who held the Dolphins to 34 yards on the ground, forced Marino into three interceptions and a fumble in a 17-7 victory.

“I haven’t played this bad in a long time,” Marino said. “You just can’t have those turnovers. Without the running game, we just had to pass, and they were just coming up with the right plays.”

Tim Brown caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Hostetler, Derrick Fenner ran six yards for a touchdown and Cole Ford added a 38-yard field goal for the Raiders (6-7).

The Dolphins (6-7) avoided a shutout when Marino threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Randal Hill with 2:34 remaining. Miami has not been shut out since a 27-0 loss in Buffalo on Nov. 29, 1987.

Oakland defensive tackle Russell Maryland, playing for the first time against former mentor Jimmy Johnson, said the key was stopping the run early.

“Coach Johnson is the type of coach that wants to hammer it,” said Maryland, who played for the first-year Dolphin coach in college and with the Dallas Cowboys. “And I think we set the tone for the game by shutting down some of their running plays. We kept them from getting hot.”

Marino came into the game with only four interceptions this season, tied for lowest in the NFL. Sunday was only the 21st time in his 14-year career that Marino has thrown three or more interceptions in a game.

He was 22 for 39 for 290 yards and fumbled a snap at the Oakland 25 with 11 minutes left.

“For a veteran like him to drop a snap like that, that’s something,” said Raider safety Lorenzo Lynch. “If you shut down the run and they have to resort to the pass and you get four turnovers, that’s a good day right there.”