The Raiders got more than just a win over the Dolphins in Week 1. They got a reminder that special teams can still swing a game in a big way.
Las Vegas leaned on long, productive offensive drives and a defense that kept Miami from getting comfortable, but the third phase mattered too. In a season opener that showed the kind of complementary football the Raiders have lacked in recent years, special teams helped tilt the field in their favor.
That showed up most clearly in the return game. Dylan Laube brought back two kickoffs for nearly 100 yards, and both returns gave the Raiders offense strong starting position. For a unit still finding its footing, that kind of field position is no small thing.
As Las Vegas prepares for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2, the formula is pretty clear: run the ball, defend well, and keep getting something out of special teams. It’s only the second game under Klint Kubiak, but it already has the feel of another early test for a team trying to prove Week 1 wasn’t a one-off.
Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis liked what he saw from the group, even if he isn’t pretending the job is finished.
“They've done a good job. I thought, obviously, the one play that hurt us last week was the long return. I believe in the league there were 10 returns over the plus 45-yard line last week, which everyone says is a dynamic play,” DeCamillis said.
“I'd say it's a volatile play. That's what I would say.
But I think that the young guys have really gotten into it. I think our older guys have too.
They're really buying in, doing what we want them to do. And I'm encouraged by what we did last week, but I'm not totally satisfied.
That's for sure."
The Raiders know one good Sunday doesn’t finish a rebuild. But it can point to something real. If they can keep getting impact plays from returners and other special teams contributors, that becomes another way to shorten games, steal field position and support the offense and defense.
That matters even more for a team still putting its new identity together. The Raiders may not get everything to break their way every week the way it did against Miami, and they’ll eventually run into opponents that can slow the offense and test the defense more aggressively. When that happens, special teams could be the difference.
The staff has clearly made time for all three phases, and the early payoff was there in Week 1. If Las Vegas is going to keep building on that start through the rest of the 2026 season, the special teams unit is going to stay in the conversation.
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