Miami Dolphins Week 1 recap: Raiders 27, Dolphins 13

Miami started six rookies, three on offense and three on defense, in the first game under the new regime of Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley, and it showed. Kirk Cousins completed his first 10 passes to lead a 16-play, 93-yard first drive for the Raiders, aided by a fourth-down stop reversal that chewed up nine minutes and gave the Raiders a lead they would never relinquish.

The Raiders led 17-6 at halftime. Miami started the third quarter on a positive note, with rookie Michael Taaffe picking off Cousins and Malik Willis scrambling for a 14-yard touchdown. Alas, that’s as close as the Dolphins would get, as their kickoff coverage let the Raiders start from midfield on the subsequent kickoff, Ashton Jeanty did Ashton Jeanty things, and the Raiders won 27-13.

The positives:

1. The rookie starters: Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Douglas, Michael Taaffe and Kadyn Proctor all played well. Chris Johnson looked very much like a player who is still learning to play multiple positions in the secondary, and Chris Bell is clearly still working his way into football shape.
2. De’Von Achane: He’s the best player on the offensive side of the ball. It would have been nice to see him used more.
3. Malik Willis: To those who expected a small sample size to immediately translate to superstardom, I applaud your optimism, but that clearly isn’t what happened. Still, there’s plenty to be optimistic about here, as the inconsistent results contained numerous examples of why Dolphins fans should feel optimistic about his potential as the future quarterback of the Dolphins.

The negatives:

1. Special teams: The kickoff coverage was absolutely abysmal. When you watch the team kick off and think, “Boy, I hope the Raiders start in their own territory,” it’s not a great sign. Riley Patterson shanking an easy field goal late in the third quarter capped off a thoroughly wasted scoring opportunity.
2. The veterans on the front seven not named Jordyn Brooks: This wasn’t a good day for Chop Robinson, Zach Sieler, Jordan Phillips and others. There was zero pass rush and zero ability to stop the run early. The run defense improved in the second half, but this is an area of concern.
3. The offensive scheme: This was the most troubling aspect of all. Jeff Hafley has preached physicality, a run-first mentality and a heavy workload for De’Von Achane. That is not what occurred. There was a disconnect somewhere between what we, as fans, were led to believe would be the identity of the 2026 Miami Dolphins and what was presented against the Raiders. This needs to be fixed and/or explained. Quickly.

Up next: Miami stays out West and travels to Santa Clara to play the San Francisco 49ers.

Watch the Fins Faithful postgame show for our complete reaction and analysis of Miami’s Week 1 loss: