How the Miami Dolphins Can Kick Off 2026 with a Win
The Miami Dolphins head to Sin City to kick off the 2026 NFL Season against the Las Vegas Raiders, and to absolutely nobody’s surprise, the Dolphins are underdogs. Most sportsbooks have the Raiders as a three-point favorite after news broke about star tight end Brock Bowers not being available for Sunday’s game. Before the season had even started, I felt that this game was one of the few that Miami could actually win, even with all of the newness throughout the entire organization. With all of that, though, how can the Dolphins leave Las Vegas with a win?
Take Advantage of No Bowers
We’ve already mentioned it, but without the Raiders’ star tight end, this Vegas team becomes a lot less talented on the field. Even with the addition of Tyler Linderbaum, who’s one of the best centers in the NFL, the skill positions of the Raiders get ugly quickly after Bowers and Ashton Jeanty. Their three projected top targets for new starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Michael Mayer, posted 1,468 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. This is going to allow Jeff Hafley to put more focus on stopping Jeanty, an area the Dolphins struggled heavily last season, ranking 26th in total run defense in 2025 after giving up 2,251 yards.
Use the Newness of the Dolphins Offense
We’ve talked plenty about all the new faces for the Dolphins in 2026, whether it’s in the front office, coaching staff, or roster. Alongside that, the Dolphins' entire starting offense only played one full drive in the preseason. While offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has been calling plays for a long time in the NFL, he’s never done it in aqua and orange. All of that newness can create an opportunity for Malik Willis and company to take advantage of a middling Raiders defense that didn’t add a whole lot to its ranks this offseason.
Win the Turnover Battle
This last point is a pretty obvious one, because that should be the goal in every game for every team. Better teams can overcome losing the turnover battle, but Miami isn’t going to be one of those teams. The good thing for the Dolphins, though, is that the Raiders were one of the worst teams in the NFL in the turnover margin last season. They ended 2025 with seven more turnovers lost than gained, which ranked 28th in the NFL. The Dolphins weren’t much better, posting four more turnovers lost than gained last season, but the Green Bay Packers, Hafley’s former team, gained one more turnover than they lost last season. Adding to that, Cousins struggled in his two seasons with the Falcons, throwing 28 touchdowns to 21 interceptions alongside 16 fumbles. Generally, we’ve seen offenses struggle during the first week of the regular season, especially considering the fewer reps that projected starters get during the preseason, and in defensive games like the one we’re going to see on Sunday, turnovers become an even bigger focal point.
