Could the Raiders’ New-Look Rushing Attack Decide Week 1?

DIVING INTO THE DOLPHINS

What exactly are the Raiders up against in the opener against the Dolphins? We’ve got you covered. I went behind enemy lines with Miami Herald Dolphins reporter Omar Kelly to get an inside look at a Miami team with plenty of new faces and unknowns. We dive into what the Dolphins have in new starting quarterback Malik Willis, why stopping De’Von Achane and the running game is so critical, and how the Raiders match up with Miami’s massive offensive line and young receiving corps. We also flip the matchup around to look at where Ashton Jeanty and Kirk Cousins could have an advantage against Jeff Hafley’s defense and break down the matchups that will ultimately decide Week 1.

BUCKLE YOUR CHIN STRAP

Even with Brock Bowers in the lineup, we likely weren’t going to see the Raiders throwing it around the yard against the Dolphins. This offense is going to be more of a “death by 1,000 cuts” kind of deal when things are going well, aside from the occasional play-action shot.

But with Bowers out of the lineup and the lack of 1-on-1 beaters in the wide receiving corps, it’s not hard to imagine the yards per passing attempt being pretty low in this one. That’s not unique to the Raiders, either. At this stage, Miami’s receivers don’t strike much fear into opposing defenses, either.

So, we’ll likely see a heavy dose of the running game and a lot of stacked boxes Sunday. Who has the advantage on the ground in a game like that this weekend at Allegiant Stadium?

Well, it’s Week 1, and both teams have new coaches, play-callers on both sides of the ball and quarterbacks under center running the show, so that’s pretty hard to say. But here’s how the two teams’ running backs stacked up against each other last season:

It’s easy to see the vast difference between the two backs from a season ago. Achane was clearly more explosive than Jeanty, and he averaged nearly 2 more yards per carry than Jeanty did. But it’s important to note that he got almost three times the yardage before contact that Jeanty did.

It’s no secret the offensive line was horrendous last year for the Raiders, so Jeanty had to create a lot more for himself. That’s where Kubiak comes in. Up in Seattle last year, his scheme helped give Kenneth Walker 0.99 yards before contact. For reference, Jeanty averaged -0.37 yards before contact per carry.

So, if Klint’s scheme, the addition of Tyler Linderbaum and Rick Dennison’s coaching can get similar production out of the offensive line, you’ve got to believe Jeanty will be a much more effective runner, and the Raiders’ rushing attack will have a shot to get going at a much more consistent clip.

Now, it’s also worth noting that Bobby Slowik didn’t orchestrate Miami’s rushing attack last year. That was then-head coach Mike McDaniel, who’s now the offensive coordinator for the Chargers. Slowik was McDaniel’s passing game coordinator, so he got an opportunity to work with one of the league’s best run-game orchestrators. But as you’ll see in the comparison below, Slowik is no Mike McDaniel, as evidenced by his time as the OC in Houston from 2023-24.

Long story short, it’s logical to expect the Raiders’ rushing attack to progress and the Dolphins’ to regress. Add rookie Mike Washington Jr. into the mix with Ashton Jeanty, and I like the Raiders’ situation and stable of backs better in the opener than I do Miami’s.

The big question will be which defense can actually stop the run. That’s a much harder situation to compare, given the fact that Rob Leonard has never been a play-caller. But both the Raiders’ defense (16th) and the Packers’ defense (15th) were middle-of-the-road rushing defenses last year in terms of rushing yards allowed per game.

So, I guess we’ll just have to wait until Sunday for an answer on that second part.

REQUIRED READING

First-round draft picks dominate the news cycle heading into an NFL season. After all, most football fans don’t know the guys who aren’t household names, so it makes sense. But what about the players selected — or not selected — on the final two days of the NFL draft? Plenty of those guys go on to make a massive impact for their teams in their first season.

So, shoutout to Jordan Rodrigue for highlighting some of the other rookies who made noise during the preseason and deserve a little more attention. Oh, and make sure you read it all the way through because there’s one Raiders rookie who also makes the cut.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

2026 SEASON PRIMER

If you missed our show earlier this week, this is a great place to get ready for Sunday’s opener against Miami. Ryan Hoag and I put together a full season primer on the Raiders, breaking down what we expect this team to actually look like on both sides of the ball, where its biggest strengths and weaknesses lie, and the players who could ultimately define the season. We also dig into the matchup with the Dolphins and where each team may have an advantage heading into Week 1.

One important caveat: We recorded this before the Brock Bowers injury news, so keep that in mind when we discuss his role in the offense. Otherwise, if you’re looking to get caught up before kickoff, we’ve got you covered.

FANSHOTZ FRIDAY

“FanShotz Friday”

By now, you have seen the phenomenal photos we’ve been using in many of our newsletters. They’re some of the best shots you’ll find of your favorite team, captured through the lens of our friend Arnie Bazemore of Fanshotz.com. Every Friday, we’ll feature Arnie’s favorite Raiders shot of the week that he captures at practice or on game day.

This week, we’re featuring a shot Arnie snagged of Kirk Cousins during the preseason finale against the 49ers. Everyone wants to talk about Fernando Mendoza, and I get it. He’s the future of the franchise, and Raiders fans haven’t had anyone to feel this good about at that position in a very long time.

But right now, it’s Kirk’s time. So I’m very interested to see what he does with this opportunity as he reunites with Kubiak and Janocko.

Check out Arnie’s work at his site linked above and reach out if you’re interested in working with him. He’s a great guy and has been so supportive of me over the years when I was at NBC here in Vegas, and he’s come along for the ride with Silver & Black Sports Network, too.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’re catching up with our guy Matt Perrault to kick off another season of Raiders Rounders on the pod on Friday. We’ll wrap up the biggest news of the week surrounding the Silver & Black as they prepare for the season opener against Miami, then dive into the betting trends we’ll be watching throughout the 2026 season.

Catch ya next time,