Jeanty, Cousins Deliver as Raiders Open Kubiak Era With 27-13 Win Over Dolphins
Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty finished with 147 scrimmage yards and two receiving touchdowns as Las Vegas beat the Miami Dolphins 27-13 at Allegiant Stadium in head coach Klint Kubiak's debut. Photo by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 13, 2026.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - The Klint Kubiak era started exactly the way Raider Nation hoped it would. Las Vegas controlled the Miami Dolphins from the opening drive to the final whistle in a 27-13 win at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, and it did it with the kind of balanced, complementary football this franchise has been missing.
Kirk Cousins completed his first nine passes as a Raider and finished 21 of 30 for 160 yards and three touchdowns, opening the scoring with a 15-yard strike to Jack Bech before turning the rest of the day over to Ashton Jeanty.
The second-year back was the best player on the field, grinding out 102 yards on 23 carries and adding six catches for 45 yards and both of Cousins' other scoring throws. The Raiders ran 67 plays to Miami's 50, held the ball for nearly 35 minutes, and never trailed.
Miami Dolphins #2 Malik Willis (QB) being flush out of the pocket with several Las Vegas Raiders’ defenders giving chase at Allegiant Stadium. This photo is by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 13, 2026.
The defense was every bit as good as the offense. Malik Willis was sacked five times, with Kwity Paye setting the tone early and Maxx Crosby, Nakobe Dean and Folorunso Fatukasi each getting home on third down to end Miami drives.
Rookie safety Treydan Stukes grabbed the first interception of his career, becoming the first Raiders rookie to pick off a pass in his debut since 1982. When Miami cut the lead to 17-13 in the second half on a Willis scramble, the offense answered immediately with Jeanty's second touchdown catch.
Matt Gay tacked on his third field goal of the day, and Jeremy Chinn's forced fumble, recovered by Quay Walker, slammed the door. That is the formula Kubiak has been preaching since he arrived: run the ball, protect the quarterback, take the ball away.
Las Vegas Raiders #8 Kirk Cousin (QB) threw for 160-yards with 3 touchdowns and two interceptions in his debut against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium. This photo is by Omer Khan/TGSportstv1 September 13, 2026.
What should have Raiders fans excited is not just the win but what it says about the rest of the season. Jeanty looks like a true three-down workhorse who can carry an offense, Cousins looks comfortable in a system built around him, and the pass rush has legitimate depth beyond Crosby.
There will be things to clean up, starting with Cousins' two interceptions, and the schedule gets real in a hurry with a trip to SoFi Stadium next Sunday to face the Chargers in the first AFC West test of the year.
But at 1-0, with a rookie head coach who just called a near-perfect opener and a roster that finally looks built to play a physical, ball-control style, the Silver and Black have every reason to believe this season can look very different from the last few. The Chargers game will tell us a lot more, but Sunday told us plenty.