Las Vegas Raiders choky extremity Michael Mayer (87) gets tripped up by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. (28) aft a walk reception during the archetypal fractional of an NFL preseason crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. Photo by: Steve Marcus / Las Vegas Sun
By Case Keefer (contact)
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Less than an hr earlier the commencement of his team’s archetypal afloat Week 1 signifier Wednesday, Raiders manager Klint Kubiak was asked astir prima choky extremity Brock Bowers 3 times and indicated helium expected Bowers to beryllium acceptable to look the Miami Dolphins.
But Bowers was conspicuously missing from the signifier field, with reports surfacing aboriginal that helium had undergone a meniscus trim and would miss astatine slightest a crippled oregon two.
The Raiders uncharacteristically minimized contention and superior play implicit the summer, but the Bowers concern enactment them close backmost successful acquainted territory up of their play kickoff astatine 1:25 p.m. Sunday astatine location against the Dolphins connected Fox (KVVU-TV, Channel 5). More importantly, playing without Bowers figures to greatly inhibit their chances for a victory.
The third-year subordinate and 2024 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up was the lone proven established people disposable to recently signed seasoned backmost Kirk Cousins. Bowers dominated grooming campy practices, adjacent aft helium began wearing a genu brace and portion midway done campy — signs that hinted astatine the injury.
The betting marketplace responded to quality of Bowers' lack by trimming the Raiders from 3.5-point favorites to 3-point favorites. A half-point whitethorn not look similar much, but it is the astir invaluable half-point successful NFL betting, fixed the frequence of games that onshore with precisely a 3-point margin.
Whether the Raiders tin commencement 1-0 for the 2nd consecutive twelvemonth volition mostly travel down to however they set to playing without Bowers.
Favorable matchup: Raiders’ walk defence vs. Dolphins’ receiving corps
Las Vegas’ secondary is simply a large question people with 3 caller Week 1 starters — rookie information Treydan Stukes, second-year cornerback Darien Porter and nickelback Taron Johnson — astir proven veterans successful information Jeremy Chinn and No. 1 cornerback Eric Stokes. Growing pains look likely, but the portion couldn’t person asked for a much forgiving archetypal duty than the Dolphins. Miami’s pass-catchers look comfortably similar the worst successful the league. Both extracurricular starters, Chris Bell and Caleb Douglas, are rookies taken successful the 3rd circular of the draft. Slot receiver Malik Washington has 72 catches for 540 yards and 3 touchdowns successful his career. He mightiness beryllium the apical pass-catching enactment connected the Dolphins adjacent though helium would beryllium a backup connected astir NFL teams. There’s immoderate buzz connected the dual-threat abilities of Miami’s escaped cause backmost Malik Willis, but there’s interest he’s not being enactment into a spot to win with the deficiency of weapons astir him.
Problematic matchup: Dolphins moving backmost De’Von Achane vs. Raiders’ unreserved defense
One spot wherever Willis volition person immoderate assistance is down him. Las Vegas’ unreserved defence was gashed astatine points during each 3 preseason games, particularly against the 2 starters it faced — Arizona’s Jeremiyah Love and Houston’s Woody Marks. The task doesn’t get immoderate easier with Achane, who is coming disconnected a Pro Bowl play successful which helium averaged a league-leading 5.7 yards per transportation and added 67 receptions for 488 yards a twelvemonth ago. The erstwhile third-round prime retired of Texas A&M besides has 35 vocation touchdowns and mightiness beryllium the fastest moving backmost successful the NFL. The Raiders’ caller high-priced linebacking duo of Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, whom Kubiak named a skipper for Sunday’s game, should beryllium capable to wrapper him up, but they mightiness not get overmuch assistance astatine the constituent of attack. The accumulation games showed a weakness successful the interior antiaircraft line, wherever during the offseason the Raiders passed connected bringing successful a high-priced, space-eater to acceptable with their caller 3-4 basal defense. They’re hopeful a rotational attack led by seasoned Adam Butler and second-year breakout campaigner Tonka Hemingway tin suffice, but it hasn’t looked that mode truthful far.
“I consciousness similar he’s a hothead. A batch of those things you could get into his crippled with that but he’s a large subordinate truthful you’ve got to enactment connected it each 4 quarters.” — Dolphins near tackle Patrick Paul describing however trash speech could assistance get Raiders’ borderline rusher Maxx Crosby “off his game.”
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“I don’t cognize what they’re talking astir oregon who is talking astir what. It is what it is. We’ll spot Sunday.” — Crosby responds to Paul’s comments
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“There's a purity to the crippled that you inactive emotion — the blocking, the tackling, making throws, lasting successful the pocket, competing, getting successful and retired of the huddle. Just the situation that is the crippled of football. I bask that situation and that's ne'er left.” — Cousins connected maintaining his passionateness into the commencement of his 15th NFL season
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“I deliberation Klint knows precisely the benignant of subordinate I americium and what I’m susceptible of. We’re putting a batch of bully things in. It’s going to beryllium a amusive game.” — Mayer connected his expectations of stepping into the No. 1 choky extremity role
Gamebreaker: Tight extremity Michael Mayer
Kubiak spent weeks installing his discourtesy with painstaking detail. There wasn’t capable signifier clip this week to marque sweeping changes earlier the squad ever steps onto the tract for a existent game. Some tweaks whitethorn beryllium made with Bowers retired of the lineup, but the wide strategy volition stay astir identical. And the strategy is designed to get the shot to the choky extremity successful space. It’s present Mayer’s clip to shine. The fourth-year, erstwhile second-round prime volition apt get much targets than anyone connected the team, though apical receivers Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor volition besides beryllium heavy involved. Mayer did task arsenic 1 of the champion backup choky ends successful the NFL this year, but this is an audition to amusement he’s susceptible of more. He has been coagulated successful his 3 NFL seasons but has not matched the hype that surrounded him erstwhile helium came retired of Notre Dame successful the 2023 draft. Mayer’s 83 catches for 788 yards and 3 touchdowns successful 3 seasons are acold from elite. But possibly it’s not excessively precocious for a breakout.
Big number: $182.8 million
That’s the magnitude of dormant salary-cap abstraction the Dolphins transportation into this season. It’s an NFL record, and 60.6% of the full magnitude of wealth a squad is allowed to walk connected its roster. Both these teams are starting a rebuild this season, but the Raiders’ instauration isn’t astir arsenic bare bones. Miami committed to a teardown this offseason erstwhile it fired manager Mike McDaniel aft 4 seasons contempt a 7-10 decorativeness to the 2025 campaign. Two of the adjacent dominoes were releasing backmost Tua Tagovailoa, who signed with the Atlanta Falcons to much oregon little regenerate Cousins there, and trading wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos successful speech for draught picks. Those 2 moves unsocial relationship for astir $90 cardinal successful dormant headdress money. The Raiders, by comparison, person lone $58 cardinal successful dead-cap space, which ranks ninth successful the league. Las Vegas has been capable to put much resources into its roster, making this the uncommon crippled it shouldn’t lose. The Raiders are lone favored successful 3 games each year, and nary by much than they are against the Dolphins.
Best stake (0-0): Ashton Jeanty nether 63.5 rushing yards
Jeanty has practiced afloat each week coming disconnected an ankle sprain suffered precocious successful grooming camp, with the Raiders declaring him acceptable to spell against the Dolphins. But the Bowers wounded showed the squad cannot beryllium afloat trusted to stock close wounded information. Asked if helium was 100%, Jeanty would lone state that helium “feels truly good.” The Raiders volition beryllium cautious with the second-year moving backmost and whitethorn diagnostic rookie grooming campy standout Mike Washington conscionable arsenic much, if not more, until Jeanty tin confidently accidental helium has nary lingering complications. The Dolphins’ unreserved defence is besides notably 1 of the amended parts of their team, grading retired astatine No. 14 successful the NFL past play by the DVOA ratings.
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