The Raiders didn’t just beat the Dolphins in Week 1. They announced a different way of doing business under Klint Kubiak, and it showed up before the game even had a chance to settle in.
Las Vegas opened with two early defensive stops, grabbed control fast and never gave it back. It was the kind of complementary football the Raiders haven’t been able to lean on much lately, and for a team that underwent major coaching and roster changes in the offseason, the home win felt like a clean first look at the new version.
The biggest swing came on the first offensive drive. With the Raiders already backed by that early defensive stand and having deferred to the second half, they were effectively operating with an extra possession. On the Dolphins’ 34-yard line, the safe play was right there: take the field goal, take the three points, move on.
Kubiak didn’t go safe.
Las Vegas went for it on fourth-and-one, and the staff’s call sent a clear message. The Raiders were going to be aggressive, but not reckless - aggressive with a plan. That decision turned into a touchdown drive that ate nine minutes off the clock and helped set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
The play itself was just as notable as the choice to keep the offense on the field. The Raiders lined fullback Connor Heyward under center in an unusual look that likely helped get the first down. The play was initially ruled a turnover on downs before a review overturned it.
Kirk Cousins later explained what Heyward means to the offense after the win over Miami.
"He brings a ton of value. I mean, I've played in a system similar to this many times with fullbacks who may have been afterthoughts in other systems that don't use a fullback, and then when you do use one, you realize how valuable they can be to your offense,” Cousins said following the win over Miami.
“We ask a lot of Connor [Heyward] in protection in the run game, catching the football, and that's really the value of a fullback is what they can- the Swiss Army knife-they can be. So he's someone we can put a lot on, and we trust him, and he's another guy with great energy in the huddle. He just wants to be there, wants to get better, and it's fun to play with a guy like that."
That was the fork in the road. Kick the field goal, play it cautious, and hope the game breaks your way.
Or trust the plan, trust the offense, trust the defense, and keep pressing. Kubiak chose the second path, and the Raiders cashed it in with an 11-point halftime lead and a 14-point victory.
For a franchise that has often settled for the easy answer in recent seasons, the message was hard to miss: this staff believes it can win by leaning into calculated risks. And on that first big fourth down, it looked exactly right.
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