Klint Kubiak and the Las Vegas Raiders won't have as advantageous a matchup every week as they did on opening weekend of the 2026 NFL season against the Miami Dolphins. But every win counts the same in this league, and the Raiders more than got the job done against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Las Vegas has boatloads of things to clean up heading into the next contest, but a lot of promising trends and performances have already emerged in the early going. It's clear that, if this team takes the proper steps, they can do some serious damage this year or at least be competitive every week.
And in a two-score win, there is always more good than bad to reflect on for the team that comes out on top in the scoring column. So, let's dive into those big positives and glaring negatives from the Raiders' 27-13 victory in front of their home crowd to kick off the season.
Positives and negatives from Las Vegas Raiders' Week 1 win over Miami Dolphins
Positives
Ashton Jeanty
How can you start with anyone other than Jeanty? The second-year stud put any concerns about his ankle health to rest on the first carry of the game, and he enjoyed a dominant day both on the ground and through the air. Jeanty was the best player on the field.
He toted the rock 23 times for 102 yards and caught a team-leading six passes for 45 yards and two touchdowns. Life was easy for Jeanty in some ways, as he finally had holes to run through, but he also bailed out a few bad blocks and forced four missed tackles. Dominance in its purest form.
Offensive Line
Speaking of the holes that Jeanty had to run through, the big boys up front in Las Vegas came to play against Miami. Not only did they give up zero sacks, but they relinquished just eight total pressures and one quarterback hit all game. Kirk Cousins had all day to operate, and he was rarely under duress.
The average yards per carry number of 3.7 doesn't paint a full picture of how good this Raiders' offensive line was in run blocking, either, as they bullied the Dolphins' front all game, and it was only at the end, when Las Vegas was running out the clock, that Miami sold out and could stop the run.
Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye duo
Crosby has longed for a Robin to his Batman, and he may finally have one in Paye. The two combined for a whopping 14 pressures and 3.5 sacks against the Dolphins, and Paye chipped in two run stops. This duo gave the Miami tackles the business, and it was refreshing to see Crosby play with help.
Paye's ability to line up on the interior is also a great asset for this defense, as it allows Las Vegas to employ more pass rushers on obvious throwing downs, but they don't lose any run-stopping ability by having him on the edge. Crosby wrecked the game and was fresher late because he didn't play every snap.
Who could have predicted that?
Treydan Stukes
Stukes went from a borderline starter in training camp to playing every single snap on defense in the season opener. And he answered the bell, tying for the team lead with six tackles, including four solo, and Stukes recorded his first career interception, picking off a pass while roaming in centerfield.
He did miss a tackle, and Stukes gave up a first down through the air because while his body was fully in the right position, he didn't whip his head around and locate the football. But overall, what a start for the rookie. Stukes should only get better and be asked to do more as the year goes along.
Klint Kubiak
Kubiak had his team ready to go in all three phases, and they played a fairly clean game. Six penalties for 29 yards is not going to cost you a lot of contests, and while the Raiders weren't perfect, they did a lot of things that teams with winning DNAs do.
Las Vegas didn't give up explosive plays, took the ball away, didn't have backbreaking turnovers at key junctures, and largely took care of business on special teams. Again, there is a lot to clean up, but it's hard not to be impressed with the effort, juice, composure and precision this team played with.
Raider Nation
Raider Nation showed out at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. The energy was felt through the TV screen, and the noise was dizzying for the Dolphins' offense, which had more than their share of pre-snap issues. What a performance by the crowd, and what a way to start off the Kubiak era.
Negatives
Kirk Cousins
Cousins completed 70% of his passes and threw for 3 touchdowns, so how could he be a negative? Well, he threw two interceptions as well, and Cousins' lack of arm strength was glaring to those who watched, but also, when looking at his stats split between throws more or less than 10 yards.
Yes, Cousins was efficient in many ways, but his inability to connect on intermediate and deep throws will be a problem for the Raiders going forward if he doesn't find some oomph in his right arm. Teams will sell out against the run and force Cousins to beat them, and Las Vegas shouldn't bet on that.
WR corps
It's not like the wide receiver room was bad, but they certainly didn't have the impact that fans were hoping they would have against a league-worst Dolphins secondary. The trio of Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Jalen Nailor combined for just eight catches on 13 targets for 67 yards against Miami.
Bech did haul in a touchdown, but overall, it was the Jeanty and Michael Mayer show through the air, as they were the team's top two catch and yards leaders. Part of their ineffectiveness was due to Cousins' inability to throw downfield, but this group has to find more ways to get involved going forward.
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