Culpepper returns, Porter guarantees win

This Sunday, the Dolphins host the Oakland Raiders, and the man who could start at QB for the Raiders is Daunte Culpepper. With season-opening starter Josh McCown not practicing yet this week due to a toe injury, there's a chance that Culpepper will take the snaps for the silver and black.

Adding to the pregame drama was Joey Porter's declaration that "We will win Sunday." Elaborating on his comment, Porter said, "We're forced into this situation. Our backs are against the wall. It's a must win for us. Write it how you want to write it: we will win on Sunday." Well, if there's an opponent who can give the Dolphins their first win of the season, Oakland is as good a choice as any.

Dolphins sink to 0-3

For a change, the offense looked effective. Unfortunately, the defense and special teams didn't. The end result was the third loss in a row to start the 2007 season, 31-28 to the New York Jets. Ronnie Brown rushed 23 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns, his best performance by far. Trent Green also played well, completing 23 of 36 passes for 318 yards, one TD, and one interception.

On the flip side, the kickoff coverage team allowed one Jets return for a touchdown and squibbed other kickoffs, giving the opposition good field position. This led to the defense, already missing Zach Thomas with a concussion, to give up 24 points and another opposing rusher (Thomas Jones -- 25 carries, 110 yards) to gain over 100 yards.

Cowboys thump Dolphins, 37-20

Trent Green threw four interceptions and the defense gave up the most points it has since 2004 as the Dolphins sank to 0-2 with a 37-20 loss to the Cowboys. The four interceptions tied the most in a game that Green has ever thrown, and he lost a fumble to boot. As in the season opener, the Dolphins couldn't muster a running attack (Ronnie Brown carried 11 times for just 33 yards) while the opposition ran at will.

If there's any silver lining to this loss, it's probably that things can't get much worse.

Dolphins drop opener in OT

If there were points for being close in the NFL, the Dolphins would have something to show for their loss to the Washington Redskins, 16-13 in overtime. From the way they played, the Dolphins shouldn't have had a chance to reach overtime. After trailing 7-3 at halftime, the Redskins controlled the second half, gaining 150 yards on the ground, 191 total. The Dolphins, on the other hand, could only muster 66 rushing yards for the game on 20 carries. Near the end of regulation, a Trent Green pass hit Redskin cornerback Fred Smoot in the chest with no Dolphin in sight to stop him from returning it for a touchdown, but Smoot dropped it, allowing the Dolphins another chance at victory. However, the defense didn't stop the Redskins in OT, and now the Dolphins start this season like they have three times in the last four years, with a loss.

Dolphins lose last preseason game

In a preseason game where the regulars didn't play, the Dolphins lost to the New Orleans Saints 7-0. QB John Beck, who has done well so far against opponents' backups, struggled when he was the starter. He completed 8 of 15 passes for just 63 yards and two interceptions. Let's hope this game was the anomaly, not the past three preseason games. Otherwise, there were no interesting developments from the game. It was meant mostly to decide which players on the edge would be cut and which would stay on the roster.