The Miami Dolphins walked into Allegiant Stadium with a chance to open the season against a beatable opponent. They left with a pretty harsh reminder of where things stand.
Las Vegas, a team with a bleak outlook of its own, controlled the game in the places that matter most. The Raiders won the battle up front on both sides, and Miami never really answered. In a matchup featuring two young running backs, Ashton Jeanty came through for Las Vegas while De'Von Achane was held in check for most of the afternoon.
There were a few moments that stood out. Malik Willis scored on a 14-yard touchdown run, the longest by a Dolphins quarterback since the 2001 season finale, when Jay Fiedler ran for 18 yards against the Buffalo Bills.
Michael Taaffe and Dante Trader Jr. also came up with interceptions from the rotating trio of safeties. But the bigger picture was hard to ignore: this looked like a team that is expected to have a rough 2026.
Willis’ touchdown was the kind of play that jumps off the screen, but his overall day landed in the middle. There’s clearly something to work with, but it’s nowhere near enough to start talking about him as Miami’s franchise quarterback.
The Dolphins also never got the ground game going. Achane was stuck in traffic all game, with a nifty 10-yard run in the first quarter standing out as the rare exception. For a team that was supposed to lean on the run, that was a major letdown.
The issues up front didn’t stop there. The blocking was shaky in the run game and just as unreliable in pass protection, especially against twists and games through the middle, the same problem that showed up in the joint practice against the New York Giants. Aaron Brewer was flagged twice, Patrick Paul once, and Paul’s penalty came when he tried to make up for Kadyn Proctor getting pushed back in the backfield.
Special teams had one bright flash and then too much mess around it. Jaylen Wright ripped off a 79-yard return, a play that reinforced why he should handle most of those duties while Malik Washington takes punts.
But the unit also gave up a long kickoff return at a damaging point in the third quarter, and Riley Patterson missed a 41-yard field goal that wasted Wright’s big run. When a team is already short on offense and defense, it can’t afford to bleed yards and points in the kicking game.
If there was one player who really disappointed, it was Chop Robinson. The 2024 first-round pick was barely noticeable and didn’t show up on the stat sheet until the fourth quarter, when he assisted on a stop against the run. As a pass rusher, he offered almost nothing.
That said, the whole front was quiet. Nobody recorded a sack, and Kirk Cousins was only hurried a handful of times.
There were still a few individual performances worth noting. Chris Johnson showed a willingness to step up and tackle near the line of scrimmage.
Rookie receiver Caleb Douglas played a key role in the late field goal drive before halftime, though he finished with just one catch after the break. Chris Bell’s one-catch debut may have disappointed some people expecting an immediate breakout, but that was never the expectation here.
Rookie linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, meanwhile, was active right away and finished with 14 tackles without looking overwhelmed.
The defensive line, though, had a rough day. Outside of Zach Sieler’s two tackles for loss in the second half, the group didn’t do much. That includes Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers.
The secondary did grab two interceptions, with Trader and Taaffe punishing bad throws or decisions by Cousins, but the coverage was loose for much of the game. Miami wants to keep everything in front of it, but that only works if the coverage tightens up - especially if the pass rush can’t get home.
Willis also took five sacks, which probably wasn’t what anyone expected given his mobility. He’s going to have to get quicker with his decisions and start taking off sooner instead of waiting for a receiver to uncover.
It doesn’t get any easier next Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. For Miami, this is still about the long game. The first order of business is simple: get tougher and better in the trenches.
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For a fan base that wanted cleaner tackling and more stability in the kicking game, the early returns were hard to ignore. Missed tackles showed up alongside the coverage problems, and the Raiders were able to build comfortable field position far too often. The Dolphins have only one game on the books, but the opener already put a spotlight on the same areas that can change the tone of a season quickly if they are not cleaned up. [Read more 🡒]