The Raiders’ first regular-season game under Klint Kubiak arrives with plenty of curiosity attached to it. Las Vegas opens at home against the Dolphins on Sunday, and after an eventful offseason, the real answers now have to come on the field.
Kubiak enters Year 1 with a roster that looks better than it did at the end of the 2025 season, but that only matters if the new pieces fit once the game starts. The Raiders have spent the past few months reshaping both the roster and the staff, and now they have to show that the work means something beyond paper.
The challenge is bigger than just one matchup. Las Vegas has spent the past three seasons stumbling out of the gate, and those slow starts buried them before the season could really breathe. This time, the Raiders get a chance to set a different tone right away, with a manageable first four games giving them a real shot to build some momentum.
Kubiak said the focus has to stay on the team itself, especially with so many unknowns in a Week 1 game plan.
"No, it's a game. It's not my first NFL game.
It's our first game as a staff, our first game as a team. That's what I'm excited about.
The 'us' part of it," Kubiak said ahead of the team’s final practice before Sunday’s matchup against the Dolphins.
"It's game one for everybody. There's unscouted looks, there's unknowns. So, you worry about yourself, focus on yourself, and being the best version of ourselves."
He also pointed to the realities that come with a first game together, saying preparation has to outweigh the emotions of the moment.
"It's just so much more important to be prepared than excited. So, our staff, our coaches, our players, it's their game.
They play on Sunday, and it's been a blast being able to be in front of this team since April. It's been a blessing.
I'm so grateful for the opportunity, and I'm so grateful for the players that we have and the coaches that we have,” Kubiak said.
"It's things that you learn on the fly that you don't have time for that maybe you did in the past, and that's why you rely on your people. Our coaches, our trainers, our strength staff, it takes everybody to get ready for the game. So, we put a lot of pressure on our coaches to help me, and we all help each other."
That’s the backdrop for a game where the Raiders are still trying to sort out how everything will look once the ball is snapped. Sunday will offer the first real glimpse of how Kubiak’s approach plays out, and how much of the offseason progress actually translates into wins.
Las Vegas will have to do it without star tight end Brock Bowers, a major loss as the Raiders try to open the season 1-0. The team has already dealt with injuries to some of its best players, and it hopes that trend doesn’t keep growing.
Below are the Raiders’ inactives against the Dolphins.
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