The Miami Dolphins started the Jeff Hafley Era off with a winless postseason, and they took that trend into the regular season, as they dropped their Week 1 game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, 27-13.
With the Dolphins
in a two-way tie for the last spot in the AFC East with the New England Patriots, Hafley's team will now take on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium next weekend.However, before we get there, let's dive into the takeaways from this Week 1 loss.
Caleb Douglas can play
Douglas made his NFL debut on Sunday, and he proved that his performance in training camp and the preseason wasn't a fluke. Against the Raiders, he caught five passes for a game-high 94 yards. As he becomes more comfortable, he should be able to build on that going
forward.
Jacob Rodriguez was deserving of a starting spot
Rodriguez was Miami's second-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while he entered the league with a ton of buzz, many believed that he would rotate in early behind Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson and take over as a starter eventually.
However, Rodrigues beat out Dodson for the starting job and showed that he belongs by recording 14 tackles, which is the second-most by a Dolphins rookie (Zach Thomas had 16 in 1996).
The pass rush is a real issue
Chop Robinson is Miami's top pass rusher, but he hasn't lived up to his first-round draft status in his two years with the Dolphins. While many expected him to break out in 2026, it didn't happen in Week 1, as he finished with one tackle and without a quarterback hit.
Only Jordyn Brooks and Jordan Phillips actually hit Kirk Cousins throughout this game. That's not going to work this year. The front must be better going forward.
The offensive line is shaky
Malik Willis was sacked five times and probably should've been brought down more if he hadn't used his athleticism to escape bad situations. In the run game, they failed to provide many openings for De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright, who combined to rush for 35 yards on an abysmal 2.9 yards per attempt.
Obviously, they won't play Maxx Crosby every week, but they have to do better than this.
Special teams on thin ice
Miami's kick coverage teams allowed multiple kick returns over 40 yards, and kicker Riley Patterson missed a 41-yard field goal wide left. The Dolphins can't afford to put their defense in poor situations or leave points on the board. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor has his work cut out for him to fix these problems before Week 2.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Takeaways from Miami Dolphins' 27-13 loss to Las Vegas Raiders
