Rob Leonard did a fine job in his first game as the Las Vegas Raiders' defensive coordinator, but he'll face a much stiffer foe in Week 2, as the Silver and Black travel to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. And while the secondary had a good game against the Miami Dolphins, they have a ton to clean up.
With seemingly a much better defensive line and a crew of linebackers that can take pressure off of them, the defensive backfield in Las Vegas is not on an island as it was a year ago. But the fact that those two units were on point in Week 1 actually amplified the secondary's handful of big miscues.
Again, the Raiders' cornerbacks and safeties had a lot of good moments against the Dolphins to kick off the 2026 NFL season, but their bad habit of giving up explosive plays was on full display. It didn't cost them the game on opening day, but it very well could against the Chargers in an AFC West bout.
Raiders' secondary looked improved against Dolphins in Week 1, but was not without issues
On one side of things, rookie Treydan Stukes shined in his debut, notching an interception, and veteran Jeremy Chinn forced a fumble that was recovered by Las Vegas and clinched the game. Their coverage was also good enough to aid in several multi-effort sacks by the Raiders' defensive line.
All told, Las Vegas broke up six passes and limited Miami quarterback Malik Willis to just 220 yards and no touchdowns through the air in a game in which the Dolphins threw the ball a lot while trailing. Willis notched just a 21.5 QBR and a 66.9 QB rating, and Miami scored only 13 points.
So, by what metric did the Raiders' secondary play poorly?
Well, to put it simply, they gave up all the big plays that led to the Dolphins' scores. Whether it was miscommunication, poor technique or getting beat by better concepts, the secondary allowed 95 yards after the catch, thanks in part to four missed tackles and five plays of 25+ yards in the air.
Some of the success that Miami had through the air can be attributed to young players like Stukes or Darien Porter not turning their heads in time, which is a simple fix. Other times, the Raiders played deep and gave up receptions underneath on third-and-longs or in more prevent situations.
But the Dolphins' ability to get explosive plays, even without their rushing attack being a threat, was concerning. And with Porter potentially out in Week 2 and a rookie fifth-rounder in Zeke Masses set to take his place if that happens, that is even more youth and inexperience to have on the field.
Let's dive into what the film told us and why Las Vegas could be in trouble if it doesn't make corrections against Los Angeles before this Sunday.
Chargers will burn Las Vegas' secondary for the mistakes they made against Miami
Obviously, the Chargers did not look very good on opening day against the Arizona Cardinals, but it would be silly to act as if they are not a perennial playoff team with legit talent at every level on both sides of the ball. Justin Herbert is "the if man," but "if" has turned into "when" so much vs. the Raiders.
Los Angeles, when compared to Miami, has a better quarterback, better play-caller, better pass-catching weapons, better offensive tackles and potentially just as good a rushing attack if they hit anywhere near their ceiling on Sunday. So, let's talk about what Las Vegas did wrong in Week 1.
In a general sense, they misread a few screens, following the eye candy and not seeing that short throws were being set up. That was the least of their concerns, though, as they only gave up a few small chunks of yardage there. But I thought it was worth mentioning.
The big play that everyone remembers was the Caleb Douglas reception near the end of the first half, when it looked like Stukes and Eric Stokes weren't clear on how deep the latter was supposed to carry the receiver. This led to a 25-yard gain and firmly put the Dolphins in field goal territory.
Stokes actually struggled against Douglas several times, as twice he got caught with his hips facing the wrong way and couldn't flip them in time to catch up to an out route, which resulted in gains of 13 and 14 yards. Both plays went for first downs on drives that ended in scores.
Douglas was a problem for the Raiders all day, as he just flat-out juked veteran Taron Johnson with a simple upper body fake at the top of the route to shake free and catch a 30-yard pass that gave the Dolphins yet another field goal.
Stukes also had one play in the second half where he bit too hard on play action or thought a screen was developing, and he lost his depth. Combine that with Porter being too far behind Chris Bell on a crossing route, and Las Vegas gave up a 25-yard catch. This was the first big play on a scoring drive.
Malik Washington also caught a pair of passes that went for 30 and 26 yards, but to be fair, both just looked like good calls to beat Leonard's coverage, and Willis made a tremendous throw on one of them. Johnson could have broken to the ball sooner, but sometimes you just get beat.
The problem for the Raiders is that next week, it won't be rookie third-rounder Caleb Douglas doing this in his NFL debut; it'll be Quentin Johnston. It won't be Malik Washington; it'll be Ladd McConkey, if he plays. And the Chargers have a pair of tight end threats that the Dolphins just didn't have.
Giving up explosive plays is never ideal, but especially not against a foe like Miami, which has, to many, one of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL. And if Las Vegas can't button up the issues I've just outlined, it could make for a long game in Week 2 if Los Angeles plays like it is capable of.
If you would like to see the clips that I have outlined, feel free to DM us on Twitter @JustBlogBaby or @LeviDombro, or on Facebook @JustBlogBaby.
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