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REPORT: Dolphins at Raiders Week 1

Originally posted on Dolphins Talk | By Mike Oliva | Last updated May 14, 2026 10:59 AM ET

REPORT: Dolphins at Raiders Week 1

There had been conflicting reports about who Miami would play in Week 1. ESPN Radio in NYC, the home of the NY Jets, on Wednesday reported the Jets would be traveling to Miami for Week 1. That was apparently incorrect.

NFL Insider Jordan Schultz is now reporting the Jets travel to Tennessee in Week 1, and another reliable social media outlet that breaks schedule releases and has a good track record reports the Dolphins are traveling to Las Vegas in Week 1 to play Fernando Mendoza and the new-look LV Raiders.

As always, nothing is official until the NFL releases the schedule at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday evening.

BREAKING

Dolphins at Raiders – Week 1 – 4:25

Fernando Mendoza will make his NFL debut at home, against Miami. pic.twitter.com/2zmQinfYdV

— Ozzy (@OzzyNFL) May 14, 2026

The Miami Dolphins have the second-toughest strength of schedule in the NFL for the 2026 season. Their opponents have a combined 2025 winning percentage of .542, trailing only the Chicago Bears.

The Dolphins will face 11 teams that finished above .500 last season, including two games each against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. They also draw the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, and Detroit Lions, all teams expected to enter the year with playoff expectations again.

Even some of the “easier” games carry danger. The Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals both finished below .500 last season, but nobody around the league expects either franchise to stay down for long.

In May, schedule strength always looks intimidating before injuries, breakout players, and coaching changes begin altering the landscape.

There are variables that schedule-strength models cannot properly account for in May.

And honestly, that is why these conversations become fascinating every year.

A difficult schedule can expose weaknesses, but it can also sharpen good teams early. Meanwhile, softer schedules sometimes create inflated expectations that disappear once adversity arrives.

Right now, the Dolphins look like a team facing one of the NFL’s toughest roads.

History suggests that it may not tell the whole story at all.

Below is a list of their opponents.