Klint Kubiak Won His Debut Without Brock Bowers — and the Raiders Ran It 33 Times to Get There

The Klint Kubiak era in Las Vegas opened with a 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium, and the final score undersells how thoroughly the Raiders' new head coach imposed his identity on the game.

Las Vegas ran the ball 33 times for 133 yards in Week 1. Ashton Jeanty carried 26 of those for 118 yards and added six catches for 45 more out of the backfield. That's a rookie workload, not a committee split, and it came against a Dolphins defense that simply had no answer on the ground — Miami ran it 15 times for 35 yards on its own offensive side, a 2.3 yards-per-carry average that reflects how far behind the chains the Dolphins lived all afternoon.

A complementary formula, not a shootout

Kirk Cousins' first stat line as a Raider is fascinating: 21-of-30 for 160 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, an 88.2 passer rating. That's only 5.3 yards per attempt and a 6.7 interception rate — not a profile that wins games by itself. It wins games when the run game is moving chains and the defense is holding opponents to 13 points.

Which is exactly what happened. The Raiders gained only about 290 yards of offense. They were outgained on the day. And they won by two touchdowns anyway, because Miami turned the ball over twice, converted almost nothing on the ground, and never found a rhythm. Kubiak's group scored 27 points on a modest yardage total, and a chunk of that efficiency traces back to field position and takeaways.

The defensive line deserves the credit here. After surrendering 25.4 points per game a season ago, Las Vegas opened 2026 by allowing 13 points on 294 yards, with the Dolphins' rushing attack erased from the gameplan entirely.

Doing it without the offense's best player

None of this happened with Brock Bowers on the field. The All-Pro tight end underwent a meniscus trim in Dallas on Sept. 8 and was ruled out for Week 1, with early reports suggesting he'd miss "a game or two." The Raiders pivoted to Michael Mayer at tight end and leaned on fullback Connor Heyward's versatility, and the offense still functioned.

That's the most encouraging takeaway. A year ago, Bowers was the only reliable chain-mover on the roster. Sunday, Las Vegas found 27 points without him — through Jeanty, through a rebuilt offensive line that Kubiak has actively churned (the team claimed guard Bryce Cabeldue off waivers from Seattle days before kickoff), and through Cousins managing the game rather than carrying it.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported a positive update on Bowers before kickoff, indicating he may not be sidelined long. If he returns anywhere near full strength, the Raiders' offensive ceiling looks meaningfully higher than the slim playoff odds the preseason projections assigned them.

The West picture and what's next

The win puts the Raiders at 1-0, tied with Kansas City atop the AFC West while Denver and the Chargers sit at 0-1. In a division where the Chiefs remain the standard, banking a Week 1 home win — especially one against a conference opponent — matters.

Next up is a trip to SoFi Stadium to face the Chargers, and the market frames it as a significant step up in class. Los Angeles opened as roughly a touchdown favorite, with the line sitting around -7 and Las Vegas priced near +275 on the moneyline, implying only about a 27 percent win probability. That's a steep ask for a team that just threw for 160 yards.

But the Chargers look beatable on paper. Jim Harbaugh's group lost its opener while scoring just 14 points and allowing 26, and their defense surrendered 393 yards. Los Angeles also sits at minus-2 in turnover differential to Las Vegas's minus-1.

The Raiders' path in Week 2 is the same one that worked in Week 1: run Jeanty, protect the football, let the defense keep it close, and hope Bowers is back to give Cousins a security blanket on third down. Kubiak's first game proved the formula can produce a win. The Chargers will tell us whether it travels.