The Las Vegas Raiders got impressive performances from Ashton Jeanty and Kirk Cousins to win Klint Kubiak's debut.
The Las Vegas Raiders gave coach Klint Kubiak an impressive debut win, as Kirk Cousins and Ashton Jeanty led a balanced attack and the defense harassed Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis throughout the second half to post a 27-13 win.
The Raiders dominated the first half offensively as they jumped out to an early lead. Quarterback Kirk Cousins directed their first drive like it came from out of a Kubiak script, with the drive taking 16 plays and going 93 yards. It featured a nice balance between Cousins’ passing and some fine work from running back Ashton Jeanty, and it culminated in a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jack Bech.
That was it for the scoring in the first quarter as the Raiders grabbed a 7-0 lead, and Las Vegas followed up with another scoring drive in the second that resulted in a field goal. That drive featured a 23-yard punt return by receiver Malik Benson to get things started, and Cousins guided a similar drive of 38 yards on nine plays that ended with a 47-yard field goal from kicker Matt Gay.
The Dolphins offense couldn’t get out of its own way for much of the first half, as they got consistent yardage that quickly disappeared thanks to some untimely penalties. But Miami finally put together a 42-yard drive to get on the board with a 41-yard field goal from Riley Patterson.
The Raiders countered by unleashing running back Mike Washington Jr., who showed his explosiveness during the touchdown drive that followed. The finisher was a 13-yard TD strike to Jeanty, but the Raiders defense got sloppy late in the second quarter and the Dolphins were able to get another field goal to make it 17-6 at the half.
But the Dolphins got right back in the game in the third quarter, starting when Cousins got picked by safety Micheal Taaffe in the Raiders opening possession of the half. That energized the Dolphins offense, with Malik Willis finishing off their sole touchdown drive with a 14 yard run to make it 17-13.
The drive that followed featured a big play pass to Tre Tucker that went for 21 yards, and Ashton Jeanty finished it off with more solid running and a 13-yard touchdown catch to put the Raiders up 24-13. Gay hit a short field goal late in the third quarter to give Las Vegas a commanding lead and produce the 27-13 final score as the fourth quarter wound up scoreless.
The defense rose up late in the game with a pass rush that made it tough for Willis to do much of anything. He wound up being sacked five times for 35 yards, with Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye each getting 1.5 sacks.
Jeanty wound up with 102 yards on 23 carries, while Cousins went 21-for-30 with 160 yards to go with three TD passes and a pair of picks. Willis, meanwhile, was unable to produce touchdown in the air as he finished 15-for-27 with a pick.
