The Raiders head into Sunday’s opener with a clean slate, a new coach in Klint Kubiak and a season that already feels steadier than what Las Vegas has had in recent years. Miami comes to Allegiant Stadium for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, and the matchup gives the Silver and Black a chance to set the tone right away.
One of the biggest early storylines is Ashton Jeanty’s status. He is still up in the air for Week 1, though the Raiders sound optimistic that the second-year running back will be available against the Dolphins.
Even if Jeanty is in the lineup, Washington Jr. should still carve out a role. The fourth-round back has flashed explosiveness and power throughout training camp and the preseason, and those traits fit nicely alongside Jeanty.
Las Vegas could have one of the league’s better backfield pairings, and Sunday may be the first time that shows up.
That ground game should be helped by what the Raiders have done up front. The front office spent free-agent and draft resources on the offensive line, and this group looks positioned to handle a weak Dolphins defensive line. With Kubiak handling the play-calling, a steady quarterback situation and better protection, Las Vegas should be able to put together scoring drives without much trouble.
Kirk Cousins is still expected to be the pilot of that offense, but the Raiders are not asking him to do anything flashy at this stage. At 38, he should not be expected to overwhelm a defense, even one like Miami’s.
He is more game manager than centerpiece right now, and that fits what Las Vegas needs. Cousins should be solid, just not spectacular.
On the other side of the ball, Maxx Crosby has a chance to make life miserable for Miami. Crosby already has added motivation after what happened this offseason, and the Dolphins’ offensive line gives him a favorable matchup. The Raiders won’t need a monster stat line for Crosby to change the game; even without a five-sack outburst, two sacks is well within reach.
In the passing game, Brock Bowers stands out as the clearest weapon on the roster. Las Vegas does not have a true WR1, which should send plenty of targets Bowers’ way.
Against a quarterback with mobility and arm strength limitations, Bowers figures to work mostly underneath and in the intermediate areas, where he can pile up catches. With the rest of the receiver group still lacking punch, a heavy workload for the tight end makes sense.
In Other News...
Raiders Depth Chart Just Settled Several Big Week 1 Battles
The Raiders finally put some structure around the opening weeks of their 2026 season by releasing an official depth chart before Week 1, and it answered several of the roster questions that had lingered through camp. Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback, while battles at right guard and the second cornerback spot are now settled on paper, giving Las Vegas a clearer sense of how the first game plan will come together.
There is also some important clarity on special teams and the back end of the defense, where Dylan Laube and Dareke Young will handle kick returns and Malik Benson is listed as the punt returner. On defense, veteran Foley Fatukasi has carved out a meaningful place in the defensive tackle rotation, and Stukes is set to start at free safety ahead of Isaiah Pola-Mao, a sign the Raiders are leaning into a few different lineup choices as they head into the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Bowers Suddenly Leaves Raiders With A Big Week 1 Problem
Brock Bowers knee situation has quickly turned into one of the biggest early storyline shifts around the Raiders, because the tight end is not just another piece of the offense. After undergoing a meniscus trim, he is expected to miss one or two games, leaving Las Vegas to navigate the start of the season without one of its most important playmakers.
For a Raiders team trying to get its footing in Week 1, the timing is far from ideal. Bowers had already dealt with a knee issue earlier in 2025, and his absence has even moved the betting market for the upcoming matchup with the Miami Dolphins, a reminder of how much pressure now falls on the rest of the offense to pick up the slack. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders May Be Ready To Use Brock Bowers Very Differently
The early read on Brock Bowers in Las Vegas is that the Raiders may not be treating him like a conventional tight end at all. Head coach Klint Kubiak is expected to feature the first-round pick heavily in the offense, and the buzz around the league has only grown as former coaches and media voices have described him as the kind of weapon who can shape how a passing game is built.
That shift matters for a team that took plenty of heat when it used a first-round pick on Bowers in the first place, only for the move to start looking smarter to outside evaluators. The more intriguing question now is how far the Raiders are willing to go in pushing his role beyond the traditional tight-end label, especially with some around the game already talking about him in terms usually reserved for wide receivers. [Read more 🡒]