Monday Night Football Season 6 Episode 1 Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins

It's the kick-off of an all-new season of Monday Night Football and there is no better way to start the season than with a showdown between the Oakland Raiders and the Miami Dolphins. The Raiders led by head coach Jack Del Rio, begin the season with high expectations after their successful 2016 campaign, finishing 12-4 before losing in the wildcard round of the playoffs.

Quarterback Derek Carr, who had a remarkable season last year with a total of 3,937 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, leads the Raiders’ offensive charge. His favorite target, Amari Cooper, will also be back as he looks to build on his spectacular 2016 season where he accumulated 1,153 receiving yards. Cooper will be joined by another great wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, who had an impressive year himself with a total of 1,003 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The offensive line will be anchored by Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson and left tackle Donald Penn.

On the other side of the ball, the Raiders defense will be led by a very talented defensive end, Khalil Mack. Last year, Mack won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, and he'll be looking to build on a season where he had 11 sacks and 73 tackles. Joining Mack at linebacker will be NaVorro Bowman, the former San Francisco 49er who was signed by Oakland after he was surprisingly released by the 49ers. The Raiders secondary will be led by cornerback, Sean Smith who intercepted 2 passes, and safety Karl Joseph.

As for the Miami Dolphins, they had a rollercoaster of a season last year as they finished 10-6 and were able to participate in the playoffs, but lost in the first round to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year, the Dolphins' hopes will rest on the shoulders of their quarterback, Ryan Tannehill, who unfortunately missed all of last season due to injury, but has been cleared to play and is ready to go in this exciting season opener. Tannehill has some very talented wide receivers on his roster in the speedy Kenny Stills, Devante Parker and Jarvis Landry who has been a solid contributor for the Dolphins on a consistent basis.

On defense, the Dolphins are led by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh, who was signed to a massive contract last season, has a lot of expectations to live up to. The defensive line will also feature a promising young defensive end, Charles Harris, who was drafted in the first round from the University of Missouri. At the linebacker position, the Dolphins will rely on Lawrence Timmons and Kiko Alonso to anchor the defense. Furthermore, the Dolphins’ secondary will be a strength with players like Reshad Jones and Byron Maxwell patrolling the backfield in an attempt to shut down Carr’s potent passing game.

With both teams featuring high-powered offenses and talented defenses, this season opener is shaping up to be an intense match-up. There is no better way to start the season than with a game between two teams that are poised to make deep playoff runs. As we count down the hours to kickoff, fans can get ready for a great game of football and a season of Monday Night Football that promises to be exciting from start to finish.