Ashton Jeanty had his third career 100-yard game and accounted for 147 yards in the Raiders’ 27-13 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday.
The 2025 first-round pick had 138 rushing yards against the Bears in his fourth game last season and 188 total yards against the Texans on Dec. 21.
He scored twice against the Dolphins, catching two 13-yard Kirk Cousins’ passes for touchdowns.
Cousins, with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza waiting in the wings behind him, went 21-of-30 for 160 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. His first touchdown went to Jack Bech and covered 15 yards.
The Raiders defense held the Dolphins to 259 yards, sacked Malik Willis five times and forced two turnovers. Linebacker Nakobe Dean had six tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss; defensive end Kwity Paye had six tackles, two sacks and four quarterback hits; rookie safety Treydan Stukes had two tackles and an interception; and defensive end Maxx Crosby had two tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Dolphins running back De’Von Achane gained only 36 yards on 11 carries and caught four passes for 30 yards.
Willis kept it interesting by going 15-of-27 for 220 yards and an interception. He also had six carries for a team-leading 39 yards.
Rookie Caleb Douglas caught five passes for 94 yards.
Kirk Cousins’ first interception of the game got the Dolphins back in the game, but only briefly.
Rookie Michael Taaffe picked Cousins at the Miami 46 on the second play of the second half. Taaffe returned it 2 yards, and the Dolphins drove 52 yards in only four plays.
Malik Willis threw a 25-yard pass to rookie Chris Bell and then a 13-yard pass to rookie Caleb Douglas. Two plays later, Willis ran 14 yards for a touchdown.
That cut the Raiders’ lead to 17-13.
Cousins, though, answered with a five-play, 50-yard drive, capping it with his third touchdown of the day. He passed John Elway for 14th on the all-time passing touchdowns list with his 301st, a 13-yard toss to running back Ashton Jeanty.
The Raiders lead 24-13 with 9:58 remaining in the third quarter.
Jeanty’s first touchdown was also a 13-yard reception.
Cousins is 16-of-20 for 130 yards.
In a matchup of teams expected to be among the worst in the NFL this season, the Raiders were better than the Dolphins in the first half.
Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes and Matt Gay kicked a 47-yard field goal as Las Vegas took a 17-6 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Cousins, who is grooming No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza to one day take his job, went 14-of-17 for 96 yards. His touchdowns covered 15 yards to Jack Bech and 13 yards to Ashton Jeanty.
He has 300 career touchdowns now, which ties John Elway for 14th all time. Fran Tarkenton is next on the list in 13th with 342.
The Raiders outgained the Dolphins 170 to 151 and scored on all three possessions with drives of 93, 38 and 54 yards. They had 32 plays.
Jeanty ran for 43 yards on seven carries and had three catches for 20 yards. Rookie running back Mike Washington had four carries for 35 yards.
Malik Willis is 9-of-13 for 119 yards in his Miami debut and has run for 13 yards on three carries. Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas has four catches for 81 yards.
Running back De’Von Achane has eight carries for 26 yards and two carries for 21 yards.
Dolphins kicker Riley Patterson had field goals of 41 and 37 yards.
The Raiders named Kirk Cousins their starter, and the question has always been: For how long?
Cousins has had one drive in one quarter thus far and is perfect.
He went 9-for-9 on the team’s opening drive, throwing for 64 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown to Jack Bech. He has a 133.3 passer rating.
The Raiders completed the first quarter holding a 7-0 lead.
The 16-play, 93-yard drive included a fourth-down conversion as fullback Connor Heyward ran for 1 yard to the Miami 33. Officials, though, initially ruled Heyward short. Replay reversed the on-field ruling.
Seven years ago, the Dolphins were seemingly trying to lose. (And, eventually, owner Stephen Ross allegedly offered former coach Brian Flores $100,000 for each game he lost, as Miami tried to get in position to draft Joe Burrow.)
As the 2026 season begins, some in league circles are wondering whether the Dolphins are tanking all over again.
Given the 2019 plan, true or not, it’s tempting to think the Dolphins plan to let nature take its course. The better view may be that they’re simply trying to craft a batch of chicken salad from a rancid pile of poultry poo.
The aftermath of the Tua Tagovailoa contract will wreak havoc on the 2026 (and 2027) salary cap, with $55.4 million counting this year for a guy who is no longer there. In all, Miami is carrying nearly $183 million in dead money.
They paid quarterback Malik Willis (three years, $67.5 million). They didn’t trade running back De’Von Achane (and they paid him, too). They’ve cleared out the players who were part of the problem in recent years, and they’re building around those who are deemed to be on board with the new culture.
While they may lose plenty of games, they’re laying the foundation for the future. Yes, the present may not be promising. But they’re not trying to lose; they’re trying to put the mess created by the last regime behind them.
Even if it may take a while to get there.
That said, Sunday’s opener could be one of the best opportunities they have to conjure a victory this season.
