Klint Kubiak galloped Sunday off the sod in Allegiant Stadium, down the tunnel adjacent to the sideline from which he coached the Las Vegas Raiders. Before arriving in their locker room, though, he jumped off 2 feet to high-five a fan, who caught his attention with an outstretched arm.
The Raiders were eagerly awaiting his arrival.
Following Kubiak’s first postgame breakdown, general manager John Spytek presented him a game ball for his first head coaching win — igniting a chorus of cheers in response.
“Little bit of tradition in the league when you win your first game, you get a game ball,” said quarterback Kirk Cousins, who played for Kubiak when he was the offensive coordinator years ago with the Minnesota Vikings. “Hopefully many more up ahead, but you always remember that first win. It was a team win. So many phases of football and people contribute, and that’s the way Klint wants it to be and it should be around here.”
Kubiak coached the Raiders to a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins before a vibrant sellout crowd, tempering his joy at the postgame pulpit with a focus on improvement ahead of Week 2. Cousins threw three touchdown passes (amid 21-of-30 passing for 160 yards with two interceptions) and tailback Ashton Jeanty rushed for 102 yards — adding 45 receiving yards while catching two of the aforementioned scores.
Las Vegas held rebuilding Miami to 2 of 10 on third-down attempts and neutralized its rushing offense, regarded a strength before the season. Standout running back De’Von Achane ran 11 times for 36 yards and quarterback Malik Willis (15-of-27 for 22o yards) was sacked five times and picked to mitigate his rushing score.
Said Kubiak expressionlessly, moments after his postgame speech: “Really appreciative of the guys. It’s great to share this moment with them, but we know we have 16 more. One at a time.”
Here’s what helped him to his first career win:
Rebuilt offensive line coalesces: Powering Jeanty past the century mark was the mauling effort from the offensive line, retooled in free agency with star center Tyler Linderbaum and left guard Spencer Burford and fortified by Kolton Miller, healthy at left tackle. Jeanty had lanes to wiggle through — unlike last year, when he was often swarmed at the point of attack — with rookie running back Mike Washington Jr., who added seven carries for 41 yards to give them 143 yards on 30 carries as a tandem.
Cousins wasn’t sacked and his two-first half touchdowns (a 15-yarder to wide receiver Jack Bech and a 13-yarder to Jeanty) staked the Raiders a 17-6 halftime lead.
“The run game just kept us in favorable downs and distances throughout much of the game,” Cousins said. “The way we ran the football to start the game, it just made everything easier. It kind of opened up much of the rest of our offense. Anytime we can run the football like that, it puts us with a wind at our back. … Great protection, so that’s what we love to see.”
Jackson Powers-Johnson played right guard alongside right tackle DJ Glaze and Linderbaum controlled the middle, elevating the unit with mobility.
“We ran the ball well. We were effective. We can still keep getting better,” Kubiak said. “But I saw the same guys I saw in practice, so they’re taking practice to the field.”
Defense overwhelms the Dolphins: The Raiders controlled the trenches defensively to stymie Achane and fluster Willis, who broke contain from the pocket on occasion, but couldn’t find a rhythm as a rusher or a passer.
Edge rusher Kwity Paye had two sacks as bookend Maxx Crosby had 1.5. Nakobe Dean sacked Willis from his linebacker post and Malcolm Koonce had a half-sack from the edge.
Cornerbacks and safeties were sticky — for the most part — in coverage, allowing Las Vegas to set its rush. Rookie safety Treydan Stukes gauged and intercepted a deep ball. Dean also teamed with linebacker Quay Walker to bulldoze Achane on a third-and-1 for a 1-yard loss on a second-quarter drive that neared the red zone, but ended with a field goal.
Crosby presented defensive coordinator Rob Leonard with a game ball alongside Kubiak.
“Everyone played their role,” Crosby said. “Obviously, on the back end, they did a great job. … Our DBs and linebackers flying around and being on the same page. It’s just playing together, playing as one.”
Efficient and clean football: Plagued by preseason penalties, Las Vegas conceded 29 penalty yards while advancing 61 yards from Miami’s flags. Kubiak and his assistant coaches have stressed disciplined execution since training camp ended and it reflected against the Dolphins.
As a result — of not gifting the Dolphins first downs or hamstringing their offensive with procedural penalties — the Raiders had the football nearly 10 minutes more than Miami.
“That was one of the main goals, to play clean football,” cornerback Eric Stokes said. “Don’t have no first-game butterflies, no first-game mishaps and all that stuff. So, just play clean ball and don’t just try to beat ourselves. That was our main focus.”
Las Vegas returns to play next Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
