At this point, there's no saving Dolphins coach Tony Sparano, but his team has played at a dominant level in four of the last five games, and Sunday the Dolphins destroyed the AFC West-leading Raiders 34-14 to lift their record to 4-8.

Miami rolled to a 34-0 lead before Oakland scored two meaningless fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Still, this run where the Dolphins have outscored their last five opponents by a combined 139-54 score has been a case of too little, too late.

The defense continues to play lights out, as it held Oakland's potent running game to just 46 yards, and Carson Palmer completed only 20 of 41 passes for 273 yards -- most of them in the fourth quarter when the outcome had long been decided.

Linebacker Kevin Burnett, heavily criticized early in the season for not making much of an impact in place of the retired Channing Crowder, has come on recently, and against Oakland he had four tackles, a sack, a pass defensed, and he put a puncutation mark on Miami's dominant day with a 34-yard interception return for a TD in the third quarter.

Cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith blanketed Raiders receivers, and linebacker Karlos Dansby plugged the middle and led the way with seven tackles.

With the defense in complete command, the Dolphins didn't need much from the offense, but Matt Moore and Regie Bush again delivered.

Bush had his second 100-yard rushing game of the season, gaining an even 100 yards on 22 carries, and he scored a 1-yard TD early in the third quarter to put Miami ahead 20-0. It was part of a 209-yard rushing performance by Miami, the biggest on the ground this season, and it harkened back to two years ago, when Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams led a ground attack that ranked fourth in the league.

For his part, Moore completed 13 of 25 passes for 162 yards and a TD, and he ran for another score.

Tight end Anthony Fasano found open holes in the Raiders defense all day, leading Miami with four catches for 66 yards, while Brandon Marshall added another 60 yards on four receptions.

The Dolphins have been playing with nothing to lose in the last month of the season, and the results show that. But that doesn't erase the memories of how poorly the team played the last two seasons down the stretch with a playoff berth on the line. And though Sparano is most certainly gone after the season, you can't say his team has quit on him.

Outside of last year's season finale in New England, the Dolphins have always played hard for their coach, and that should continue against Philadelphia next week.

Who would have thought that the NFL's preseason "Dream Team" would be coming to Miami with the exact same record as the Dolphins? But that will be the case next week. For now, Miami is playing with confidence and swagger, and the Dolphins truly feel like they can beat anyone.