The Las Vegas Raiders are done with the waiting game. Week 1 is here, and Sunday’s meeting with the Miami Dolphins will be the first real test of everything the Raiders have changed under first-year head coach Klint Kubiak.
Preseason is one thing. Four full quarters with the result counting is another.
Las Vegas has spent the offseason reshaping the roster, but Sunday will show how much of that work actually translates once the games matter. The Dolphins bring their own uncertainty into the opener, which only adds to the challenge on both sides.
This will be Kubiak’s first regular-season game at Allegiant Stadium, and he’s keeping the focus on the work that gets them there. Ahead of Wednesday’s practice, he made that point clear.
"I'm excited about practice today. That's how.
That's how we get to Sunday. You can't get to Sunday by just showing up.
We have to put the work in,” Kubiak said ahead of Wednesday's practice.
He also made it plain what it means to open at home.
“As far as the fans, that will be something - that's something I've been looking forward to for a long time. Our whole coaching staff, all of our players, playing at home in front of the Silver and Black is a privilege."
Kirk Cousins will be under center for the Raiders, giving Las Vegas a veteran starter in its first game of the season. He’ll be the eighth different quarterback the Raiders have started since 2023, and the hope is that he and rookie Fernando Mendoza are the last two the team needs to cycle through for a while.
Cousins was brought in, at least in part, because of his familiarity with Kubiak and the offensive ideas that come with him. That relationship has already shaped the early stretch of Kubiak’s run, and Cousins said Wednesday he can feel what Sunday could become if the Raiders give the home crowd something to latch onto.
“It's a great opportunity for us. I think if you were at the game against the Niners, you could see the noise they brought at one point in the game, when it was some exciting moments down in the red zone,” Cousins said on Wednesday.
“You could feel the noise and the energy, and it gave you the thought of what could be down the road here. So, that's what we want to do. But they're dying to cheer for us, and we've got to give them something to cheer about."
The problem for Las Vegas is that the opener has gotten a lot trickier in a hurry. What once looked like a manageable first step now feels much more even, especially with injuries taking a bite out of the Raiders’ offense. Running back Ashton Jeanty and, more recently, tight end Brock Bowers are both dealing with injuries, and that has stripped away two of the biggest weapons the Raiders were counting on.
That puts even more pressure on Kubiak, who is already being asked to adjust before coaching his first regular-season game. It also turns Sunday into a useful measuring stick for a roster that is still being rebuilt and still has obvious holes.
The Raiders will find out plenty against Miami, especially when it comes to depth. That’s one of the biggest questions hanging over this team right now, along with how far the new regime has actually come.
"We'll never be satisfied. We're always trying to get better.
The culture is about the people in the building. Obviously, it can start with us as coaches, but ultimately the culture is set by the players on the field.
We're going to find out Sunday what we're all about. I really like the guys that we have, but the players set the culture,” Kubiak said.
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For Las Vegas, the combination matters because Bowers is central to what the offense wants to do, and the quarterback room behind the starter has now been shaped by a younger option making a case in practice. Week 1 already brings its usual questions, but this one feels a little heavier for a Raiders offense trying to settle in while waiting to see how Bowers responds and how much the backup change affects the teams early-season comfort level. [Read more 🡒]