
The Las Vegas Raiders open their 2026 NFL season against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday at 4:25 pm ET.
It's a plus matchup for the Raiders, and one that they should be fully capable of taking advantage of, as the Dolphins have been consistently mentioned as candidates for the No. 1 overall pick. With that in mind, here are stat line predictions for Las Vegas' offense in the season opener.
The 38-year-old quarterback may be a shell of his former self, but he is still more than capable of managing an NFL offense. With head coach Klint Kubiak at the helm, Cousins should have ample opportunities to produce chunk plays.
Additionally, Miami's defense is porous and unlikely to give the Raiders' offense many issues. The passing yards may be a tad high in this projection, but this is an advantageous spot for a quarterback in an offense-friendly system.
At this point, I'm expecting the second-year running back to suit up on Sunday. This would be a slightly heavy workload coming off the injury, but if he's 100 percent healthy, there's no reason to limit Jeanty's impact.
Against Miami's lowly defense, Jeanty should have a field day. The only thing holding the 2025 first-round pick back this week is the coaching staff easing him back into action after an injury.
The 2025 fourth-round pick is the variable that could affect Jeanty's workload. Throughout training camp and preseason games, Washington Jr. proved to be an explosive and powerful runner. The Arkansas product can break any play for a touchdown, which is why he's the perfect complementary piece to Jeanty.
Nevertheless, Washington Jr. has earned a healthy workload, and Kubiak's system deploys multiple running backs.
Yesterday, we released predictions for Sunday's game, and I mentioned that Bowers will secure 8+ receptions. He will meet that mark, and as the clear top pass-catching option, the superstar tight end should be peppered with targets.
The third-year tight end is an elite athlete with wide receiver skills, and because Cousins' mobility is extremely limited, Bowers should see plenty of targets underneath. Bowers' target share this season will be immense, and that will start right away in Week 1.
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