The Miami Dolphins opened the season at the Las Vegas Raiders, as Jeff Hafley, Malik Willis and more than 10 rookies made their 2026 debut.
The Dolphins lost to the Raiders, 27-13, to fall to 0-1.
Here are our five instant takeaways:
Malik Willis makes plays with legs
Malik Willis is a playmaker and that gives the Dolphins a chance.
Willis scrambled for a 14-yard touchdown to bring Miami within 17-13 in the third quarter. It's the type of dynamite play that only a player with his athleticism can make.
In the first half, Willis confidently scrambled for a first down.
Willis' strong arm and fast feet should make for some memorable moments this season.
Willis did misfire on an interception on a deep attempt for Caleb Douglas in the third quarter.
Willis also lost an untied cleat twice in
this game. He has an internal sleeve that is supposed to keep the sparkly cleats on his feet.
Defensive concerns for 2026
The Dolphins do not have enough pass rushers. The Dolphins do not have enough established talent in the secondary. The Dolphins have very poor depth.
The combination of pass rush and coverage as a negative is a major concern. Will Miami be able to scheme up ways to cover up deficiencies?
The Dolphins are prone to wear down because they will often be on the field too often. And because their top players are going to have to play many snaps.
In this game, the Dolphins did not force a Raiders punt until the fourth quarter. This team could yield 30 points per game this season.
On the bright side, safeties Michael Taaffe and Dante Trader each intercepted Kirk Cousins.
Caleb Douglas' offseason no fluke
The Dolphins played a ton of rookies in the first game and none seemed more comfortable than receiver Caleb Douglas.
Douglas had a very good sping and and summer and he picked up where he left off with 81 receiving yards on four first-half catches.
Douglas is silky smooth. He's a long-strider. He's got a great catch radius. But he's also been finding ways to get open since his arrival from Lubbock, Texas.
Costly self-induced errors
The Dolphins had too many penalties, including holding on Patrick Paul and Aaron Brewer and hands-to-the-face by Austin Jackson and a false start by Kadyn Proctor.
A taunting penalty on cornerback JuJu Brents was debatable but significant. After a third-down pass breakup by Zayne Anderson, Brents signalled incompletion and moved toward Anderson and partially, arguably, over the receiver as he celebrated.
Unless something wild was said, this appeared on the surface to be a weak penalty call. But those are the calls Miami cannot afford to even risk taking.
Cause for coverage concern
The Raiders had a 45-yard kickoff return in the first half in which kicker Riley Patterson had to make the tackle.
The Raiders had a 23-yard punt return in the first half in which punter Bradley Pinion had to make the tackle.
In the second half, the Dolphins allowed a 50-yard kickoff return. There are many inexperienced players on Miami's special teams and it showed.
None of these details will please Dolphins special teams coach Chris Tabor.
One special teams positive came in the third quarter as Jaylen Wright had a 79-yard kickoff return.
But another special teams negative: Riley Patterson soon after missed a 41-yard field goal attempt.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins vs. Raiders revealed these 5 important developments
