The rebuilding Las Vegas Raiders kick off a new era for the franchise by hosting the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Both teams are in various stages of trying to assemble a foundation for future success.
While neither appears ready to challenge for a playoff berth, the start of a new year always breeds optimism.
The Raiders believe Klint Kubiak, their fourth different opening-game head coach in four years, is finally the answer.
He will look for a positive start to his tenure on Sunday.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders vs. Dolphins
■ When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: Allegiant Stadium
■ TV: Fox (Chris Myers, play-by-play; Mark Schlereth, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Raiders -3½, total 40½
Series history
The Dolphins have won four of the last five meetings to even the all-time record at 21-21-1.
That includes four playoff games, of which the Raiders have won three.
The only postseason win for Miami in the series was the 1973 AFC championship game, which the Dolphins won 27-10 before winning a second consecutive Super Bowl.
Last meeting
Nov. 17, 2024 — Tua Tagovailoa threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns as the Dolphins pulled away for a 34-19 home win over the Raiders.
Miami scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to close out the victory.
Tight end Jonnu Smith had six catches for 101 yards and De’Von Achane added 73 rushing yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Brock Bowers erupted with 13 catches for 126 yards and a score.
Bold predictions
1. Michael Mayer, Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty will all have at least five catches as the Raiders try to spread the ball around to account for the absence of the injured Bowers.
2. Tonka Hemingway will build off a strong offseason by recording a sack of Malik Willis.
3. Rookie safety Treydan Stukes will either force or recover a fumble in his NFL debut.
Storyline
The Raiders open the season with one of the few teams projected to finish with fewer wins than them this year.
Miami is in a full rebuild and even chose to accelerate the process by piling on dead cap money this year.
As a result, the Dolphins are paying about $180 million to players who are no longer on the roster. That means less than half of their salary cap is dedicated to players who will suit up against the Raiders on Sunday.
It’s a strategy meant to absorb the pain of past failed contracts all at once in the hopes of getting past it and moving forward into prosperity. It’s not great for the current situation, however.
Miami and its new coach, Jeff Hafley, will be overmatched most weeks.
The Dolphins have the league’s youngest roster and will carry an NFL-high 13 rookies, including five projected starters.
It’s not like the Raiders are an established juggernaut, however.
Second-year general manager John Spytek brought in Kubiak after a failed attempt at a quick turnaround with Pete Carroll last year. Now the GM and coach appear to be on the same page on a long-term vision that will eventually include top overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback.
His time will come. For now, it will be veteran Kirk Cousins showing him the ropes and teaching him the ways of the NFL world.
Cousins will lead a young team and hold down the position until the organization believes Mendoza is ready to take over.
When the Dolphins have the ball
The questions about this offense far outnumber the answers.
Bobby Slowik was held over from the previous staff and gets a promotion to offensive coordinator, but the Raiders should have plenty of film on his scheme from his time in the same role with the Houston Texans.
Slowik has two dynamic playmakers to work with, beginning with the star running back Achane.
“(Discipline is) everything. Gap integrity,” Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said of dealing with Achane. “It’s going to take all 11 when you’re dealing with that kind of speed. It just is what it is. It always does, but it takes all 11. It’s not going to be on one guy this week for sure.”
Leonard, in his first game as a defensive play-caller, will also be tasked with slowing down new quarterback Willis.
The ultra-talented dual threat playmaker appeared to finally turn a corner last year in his brief run as the starter in Green Bay and it earned him a free-agent deal with Miami.
“He’s a very explosive athlete with a big arm,” Leonard said. “He definitely has a skill set that you’re pretty aware of, and you watch the Green Bay tape of him playing, and there’s a reason why Miami picked him up. It’s people over scheme right now, and we’ll see where we’re at.”
When the Raiders have the ball
Cousins has shown a high-level of understanding of Kubiak’s system all through the offseason.
He has never been an elite athlete or possessed a great arm, but he knows where the ball needs to go and has picked up right where he left off when they worked together with the Minnesota Vikings for several years.
But he will have to operate it on Sunday without the tight end Bowers, who has been far and away the top option in the passing game during training camp.
Bowers will miss the game with a knee injury, putting a tremendous amount of pressure on a much-maligned wide receiver group that Kubiak has challenged to step up even before Bowers went down.
Tight end Michael Mayer will also be asked to do more, but he would have had a role in the offense regardless of the status of Bowers.
An additional onus will also fall on the running game, which got a boost from the quick recovery of Jeanty. He will not miss any game action after what first appeared to be a scary injury in training camp less than three weeks ago.
Center Tyler Linderbaum was the big free agent acquisition to help bolster an offensive line that must be vastly improved for any of the skill position players to succeed.
Friday’s injury report
■ Raiders: Out: TE Brock Bowers.
■ Dolphins: None.
The pick
Raiders 27, Dolphins 17
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
