Klint Kubiak and the Las Vegas Raiders will go through the gauntlet of the league’s toughest opponents during the 2026 NFL season. So, getting to start the campaign at home against the Miami Dolphins before it all gets more difficult is an absolute godsend.
Week 1 is always a bit weird and not necessarily indicative of how a team will do, but the wins count just the same, and for a young, rebuilding team like the Raiders that is trying to kick off a new era the right way, any time you can find yourself in the victory column should be celebrated.
And more than any other team on Las Vegas’ schedule, Miami looks incredibly beatable. They, too, have a new head coach and a young, unproven roster, and they’ll be playing their first game quite far from home, on the road at Allegiant Stadium.
The more we break it down, the more we love the Silver and Black’s odds.
Raiders should outmatch Dolphins in nearly every facet
Let’s go rapid-fire through all of the matchups and compare these two teams.
Starting at quarterback, I find it hard to believe Kirk Cousins will be outdueled by Malik Willis, especially considering the Raiders’ defense is tougher than the Dolphins’, and the pass-catching weapons in Las Vegas are still better, even without Brock Bowers.
Kubiak’s rushing attack, led by Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr., should have success running outside zone against Miami’s edge rushers, who aren’t good run defenders. Yes, the Dolphins’ defensive tackles and linebackers are good against the run, but Las Vegas can scheme around them.
Is De’Von Achane more talented than either of the Raiders’ backs? Perhaps so. But he is on an island as the only effective skill-position player for Jeff Hafley’s team, so Rob Leonard and Co. can easily key on him and sell out against the run. Plus, Las Vegas’ run defense looks better on paper.
The Raiders’ pass-catching group is better than the Dolphins’, and they’ll be going up against Miami’s league-worst secondary. Las Vegas’ defensive backfield isn’t high-end or proven just yet, but it has more promise, has shown more already, and has an easier task at hand with who the Dolphins will play.
As far as the offensive lines, the Raiders, again, seem like they have the edge. They should be able to handle this Miami front seven, which is led by Jordyn Brooks and Chop Robinson. The Dolphins have a very good center in Aaron Brewer, who can stifle the Las Vegas interior, but Maxx Crosby and the linebackers will be an issue for them.
In terms of special teams, it remains to be seen how the returners compare to each other. Riley Patterson may be better than Matt Gay, but A.J. Cole is better than Bradley Pinion. There just aren’t that many areas that the Dolphins can exploit, nor many position groups where their talent is greater than the Raiders’.
Dolphins have built a roster that won’t be ready this season, let alone in Week 1 vs Raiders
Las Vegas is rebuilding, yes. But John Spytek and Co. have also added enough veteran talent to be competitive this year and to show the young players in the building how to win. A few quick stats about the Dolphins’ roster from CBS will prove that they didn’t build their team this way.
Miami has the youngest roster in the NFL, with an average age of roughly 25.3 years old and they have 14 rookies, the most in the league. Kadyn Proctor, their starting left guard, is only 21 years old. He may have an issue in his debut against a bunch of grown men on the Raiders’ defensive line.
The Dolphins have the most undrafted players on their roster in the league, with a whopping 18. By contrast, Las Vegas has two, and one of them is a punter. Typically, good teams are built through the draft and free agency…
They also have the least experienced roster, with just 608 combined career starts, by any team to open up a season since this started being recorded in 2000. That makes sense given how young the Dolphins are and how many undrafted players they have.
Lastly, and most poignantly, Miami is paying more to players not on their roster than those currently in the building. They tore it down this offseason and took on the dead cap hits that came with it, so they’ve got $183 million in dead cap hits on the books with only $104 million allocated toward the roster. How can you win like that?
Simply put, this Dolphins team is designed to lose games, especially early in the season. At home, the Raiders should take care of business and start the Kubiak era off with a bang.
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