NFL comes to Wembly

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NFL (Week 4)
Sporting Life NFL tipster David John says Frank Gore can bounce back to form for San Francisco this weekend against Philadelphia.


2.75pts Frank Gore to have over 62.5 yards rushing at 10/11

2pts Oakland (+3.5) to beat Miami at 19/20

Oakland v Miami (1800 BST, Wembley)

London stages the first of three games this season and although both the Raiders and Dolphins have a solid following on this side of the Atlantic, the early form from the pair hardly screams classic.

Oakland are the team who have travelled over early and practised this week in England as they try to get off the mark for the campaign at the fourth attempt.

They are an organisation that seems to be constantly in a state of flux and there has been more upheaval in the Bay Area this summer with quarterback Matt Schaub picked up in free agency only to be beaten to the starting job by strong-armed Fresno State rookie Derek Carr.

And, all things considered, Carr has settled into the role manfully having shown off his rocket arm and a deal of touch to his passes as well, completing a creditable 63 per cent.

He seems to have built up a promising early rapport with veteran wide receiver and former Packer James Jones but his cause will be helped further if the Raiders can start to establish a running game - which has been pretty insipid so far.

The offensive line is in a work in progress but it has kept Carr reasonably well protected and the feeling is that they are not too far way from opening up a few holes for running back Darren McFadden, who could be joined in the backfield by another new arrival Maurice Jones-Drew, who feels he has sufficiently recovered from surgery on his hand at the start of the month.

Defensively, Oakland are sound and should certainly be encouraged by their efforts against the run last week when they held New England to 76 yards on 22 carries.

It all means I am leading up to giving the Raiders a shot with a start on the handicap as their opponents hardly inspire me with a great deal of confidence.

They looked really good in their opener as they beat the Patriots 33-20 but the form of that does not look quite so good subsequently and two defeats since cranks up the pressure in south Florida.

Head coach Joe Philbin has not really helped himself or the situation by refusing to rule out a change at quarterback as Ryan Tannehill continues to struggle with a passer rating this season of just 74.1 having completed 56.6% of his attempts.

Running back Knowshon Moreno carried the Dolphins on his shoulders in that opening win but he has been out injured since and Tannehill has been unable to take up the slack. Philbin's words will not have helped but perhaps he will be inspired to pull his finger out with the shadow of Matt Moore looming to take his job.

Equally, he could fold and his run of playing every game since being drafted could come to a crashing halt and that makes him a player worth taking on in this game.

Oakland are far from cast-iron here but shape up positively enough and should be able to give Manchester's offensive lineman Menelik Watson something to cheer about back on home turf in a low-scoring success.

Verdict: Miami 16 Oakland 20

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Philadelphia at San Francisco (2125 BST)

The Eagles are one of the unbeaten teams still left in the NFL and made history last week - they have now won their opening three games having trailed by at least 10 points in each one.

Things don't get much easier with a trip to the west coast to take on one of the pre-season favourites for the Super Bowl, who find themselves in a bit of a hole at 1-2 following an indifferent start.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is not unduly concerned though. His side have started the last two years in similar fashion and gone on to be one of the best two teams in the NFC so it looks a case of making an adjustment or two to get things back on track.

"I have great confidence we will attack it," observed Harbaugh in the week following their capitulation at NFC West rivals Arizona having led the game 14-6 at half-time and then failed to score after the break whilst allowing 17 unanswered points.

His opposite number Chip Kelly also seems fairly unruffled too considering the problems his team faces with dwindling numbers on the offensive line.

They are now down to three second-string players to hold the fort in front of quarterback Nick Foles - including David Molk making his first NFL start at centre in places of the injured Jason Kelce.

But Kelly seems to have plenty of faith in the players ready to step in and I do like that attitude - why heap any more pressure on them by doubting their effectiveness?

Foles has been excellent regardless and leads the league in passing yards but Kelly will be desperate to get last year's top running back LeSean McCoy going as he was a virtual non-factor in the win over Washington with a paltry 22 yards on 19 carries.

He will be needed against one of the most aggressive defenses in football who have yet to really hit their stride and might just see this as a ripe opportunity to make an impact in the trenches against that threadbare line.

The bet I like from this game though is 49ers workhorse Frank Gore to have more than 62.5 yards rushing.

The veteran has been the focal point of so many gameplans in San Francisco but he was virtually ignored last week and had just 10 yards from six carries against the Cardinals.

It was nothing really against him - Harbaugh's strategy had been to get the passing game going and then let Gore's physical approach wear down the opposing defense late in the game - but that went out of the window once Arizona got their noses in front and San Francisco had to chase the game.

Gore was left in a bit of a funk but I would wager he will be back in full flow at Levis Stadium and likely to produce his best performance of the season so far.

Verdict: San Francisco 27 Philadelphia 22

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Dolphins defeat sorry Raiders

The Miami Dolphins breezed to a 38-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the first of this season's three NFL contests at Wembley.


Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 23 of his 31 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins bounced back from two straight defeats to improve their record this season to 2-2.

Oakland (0-4) stated the game well but their defence was soon on the ropes and they were powerless to prevent a heavy defeat which will raise further questions over the future of head coach Dennis Allen.

“It was a great experience, coming all the way over here to London and getting the opportunity to score two touchdowns,” the Dolphins’ Lamar Miller, who grabbed a pair of rushing scores, told Sky Sports.

“It was worth it, we got a win so it’s going to be a good, long ride back home.

“I think we’ve got to build off this win. We had a good team win today and we’ve got to build off it going into our bye week.”

The Raiders took an early lead as quarterback Derek Carr orchestrated an impressive drive at the start of the first quarter, finishing it off with a three-yard touchdown pass to third-string tight end Brian Leonhardt.

Miami responded with a Caleb Sturgis field goal and ended the opening quarter on the front foot as Tannehill found wide receiver Brian Hartline on a 34-yard completion.

At the start of the second quarter Tannehill completed the drive with a short pass to Mike Wallace, who fought his way through a number of tackles to break the plane for a score which gave the Dolphins a 10-7 lead.

Miller then ran a fourth-down conversion all the way into the end zone to increase the lead by another seven points, Oakland’s porous defence proving just what the doctor ordered for the previously out-of-form Tannehill.

Another touchdown followed before half-time, Tannehill finding Dion Sims in the end zone for his 14th straight completion and second score of the game.


Oakland’s woes were compounded after the break when Brent Grimes intercepted Carr and returned the ball to the Raiders three-yard line. Miller punched in another touchdown shortly afterwards.

An injured Carr was eventually replaced by Matt McGloin but the new quarterback fared little better as he watched Dolphins cornerback Cortland Finnegan pick up a botched snap take the ball to the house for another touchdown.

McGloin and Tannehill then both threw interceptions off tipped passes before the former found Andre Holmes for a 22-yard consolation touchdown in the fourth quarter.