Ashton Jeanty helps Raiders squash Dolphins to start Klint Kubiak era

Las Vegas Raiders moving backmost Ashton Jeanty (2) runs into the extremity portion for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026. Photo by: Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun

Three weeks aft trainers were forced to assistance him disconnected the signifier tract portion his teammates prayed for his wellbeing, Raiders moving backmost Ashton Jeanty showed wherefore helium elicited specified a response.

The erstwhile first-round prime moving backmost had 1 of the champion games of his vocation to commencement his 2nd nonrecreational season, helping the Raiders to stifle the Dolphins 27-13 astatine Allegiant Stadium Sunday afternoon.

 Jeanty had 23 rushes for 102 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns successful a crippled wherever the Raiders ne'er trailed.

Any lingering interest that helium hadn’t afloat recovered from the ankle wounded that concisely prompted season-long scares tin beryllium washed away. He moved arsenic fluidly arsenic ever, uncovering much abstraction to run successful first-year manager Klint Kubiak’s caller strategy and making defenders miss much than greeting them with interaction arsenic helium often did successful his rookie season.

Much of the absorption connected Kubiak, who won the Super Bowl arsenic the Seattle Seahawks’ violative coordinator past year, arriving successful Las Vegas was connected however helium would modernize the walk crippled and make rookie backmost Fernando Mendoza.

But Kubiak has been a run-first playcaller astatine each halt of his NFL career. Jeanty took vantage of that penchant against Miami down an violative enactment that looked thing similar the portion that ranked dead-last by Pro Football Focus’ metrics a play ago.

Three of the aforesaid starters stay —  tackles Kolton Miller and D.J. Glaze, and defender Jackson Powers-Johnson — but they look to person settled into Kubaik’s zone-blocking scheme. And some the 2 newcomers, halfway Tyler Linderbaum and defender Spencer Burford, created ample abstraction connected immoderate of Jeanty’s biggest runs.    

But Jeanty mightiness person done his astir important harm to the Dolphins successful the walk game. He led the Raiders with six catches connected six targets for 45 yards, scoring some their 2nd and 3rd touchdowns connected receptions from retired of the backfield.

Jeanty chopped implicit the mediate to drawback a 13-yard touchdown walk from Kirk Cousins, the 300^th scoring onslaught successful the 15-year veteran’s career, successful the 2nd 4th and past zipped to the level for different 13-yard people successful the 3rd quarter.

The second enactment the Raiders up 24-13, giving immoderate cushion aft the Dolphins chopped their pb to 4 points retired of halftime. Cousins sailed a walk intended for second-year receiver Jack Bech, who caught the archetypal touchdown of his vocation connected a 15-yard slant to commencement Sunday’s scoring, connected the 2nd play of the 2nd half. Dolphins information Michael Taaffe was determination for an casual interception.

That gave the Dolphins’ discourtesy a abbreviated field, and backmost Malik Willis scored successful 4 plays connected a 14-yard run.

Cousins got disconnected to a accelerated start, completing his archetypal 9 passes, but wasn’t arsenic flawless arsenic Jeanty arsenic the crippled progressed. He threw different interception, the 2nd to Dolphins information Dante Trader, successful the 4th quarter.

But the Raiders’ defence stood beardown aft the 2nd giveaway with Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye combining for a third-down sack to unit a punt.

As crisp arsenic Kubaik and coordinator Andrew Janocko’s discourtesy looked, caller antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard’s portion was conscionable arsenic effective.

The bid earlier Crosby’s sack, free-agent signed linebacker Nakobe Dean enactment an extremity to a thrust with a sack of his own. Dean besides earlier successful the crippled stuffed a third-down tally from Pro Bowl moving backmost De’Von Achane, who managed lone 36 yards connected 11 carries.

The Raiders had 5 sacks successful full with Paye claiming 2 of them and pacing the accordant unit for overmuch of the crippled until Crosby got going late.

Las Vegas besides got an interception of its ain erstwhile rookie information Treydan Stukes joined Taaffee successful scoring a takeaway successful his archetypal vocation NFL crippled erstwhile helium went up to drawback an off-target heavy heave by Willis.

Stukes was the lone rookie starter, though Jeanty’s understudy Mike Washington concisely flashed with 7 carries for 41 yards.

Mendoza drew galore eyes traversing the sidelines adjacent to quarterbacks manager Mike Sullivan and sometimes Janocko. He became the archetypal No. 1 wide drafted backmost not to commencement the play since Baker Mayfield successful 2018, and his eventual ascension volition proceed to beryllium a focal constituent of the season.

But it mightiness not beryllium immoderate clip soon if the Raiders play arsenic good arsenic they did successful the opener. Cousins mightiness person cooled arsenic the crippled went connected — finishing with 160 yards connected 21-for-30 passing with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions — but it didn’t substance with however overmuch of a cushion Jeanty helped provide.

Jeanty wasn’t lone healthy; helium was ascendant to commencement Kubiak’s moving back-friendly tenure.

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