After a long offseason filled with many changes to the roster, coaching staff and front office, followed by an 0-3 preseason run, the Miami Dolphins are ready to begin their 2026 campaign.
Miami will play their first game of the season on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, as they'll take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Last year, the Raiders finished with a 3-14 record, which was tied for the worst in the NFL, while the Dolphins finished 7-10.
As we look ahead to this matchup, we spoke to Raiders Wire lead writer Levi Damien to get some a better idea about who Miami will take on in Week 1.
Why do you think the Raiders ultimately chose to ride with Kirk Cousins in Week 1?
"First off, that was the plan from the start. Cousins was familiar with Klint Kubiak’s scheme because he worked with him before in Minnesota. The team always
hoped to not have to rush Fernando Mendoza into the lineup if he wasn’t ready. Mendoza would have had to burst onto the scene in camp and preseason while Cousins struggled. Neither of those happened. Quite the contrary actually. Cousins looked great and Mendoza, while showing flashes, is not ready yet." -- LD
What is Klint Kubiak bringing to Las Vegas that’s different than Pete Carroll?
"They are very different. Carroll is a defensive guy. He’s also exuberant and constantly tried to have fun with his players and was 74 years old. Kubiak is an offensive guy, he’s quiet and very business-like and 39 years old. Carroll’s failings were probably more to do with the game passing him by. Kubiak’s cutting edge, while also having the expertise of being a second generation football coach." -- LD
Who is an under-the-radar player that Dolphins fans should know about before this meeting?
"I’ll go with DT Tonka Hemingway. He came on strong late last season as a rookie and the new coaching staff is really high on him. Throughout camp and preseason, he was the one interior defensive lineman who seemed to never be rotated out with the first team. Always on the field while they rotated the other position." -- LD
If you could add one former Los Angeles/Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders player to this team to help them in this matchup, who would you choose?
"The Raiders are desperate for an X receiver. But since Randy Moss was a POS during his time in Oakland, let’s flip to the other side of the ball and go with Charles Woodson. Preferably from his first stint when he was still playing cornerback." -- LD
Who do you think will win this game and why?
"I see the Dolphins starting a tank season. And since the Raiders had theirs already, they’ll be happy to help Miami get things started off on the right foot. Raiders 20, Dolphins 13" -- LD
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Dolphins' Week 1 game with Raiders Wire
