Raiders vs. Dolphins: Kirk Cousins Joins the 300-TD Club as Las Vegas Wins Klint Kubiak's Debut

Kirk Cousins wasn't brought to Las Vegas to be the headliner. The Raiders acquired the 15th-year veteran from Atlanta as a bridge to top draft pick Fernando Mendoza, a placeholder with a long résumé. Nobody told Cousins that placeholders aren't supposed to make history in their first game.

Cousins completed his first 10 passes, threw three touchdowns and became just the 15th quarterback ever with 300 career touchdown passes as the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Miami Dolphins 27-13 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. It was also Klint Kubiak's first win as a head coach, and he earned a locker-room game ball for it.

A Methodical Mic Drop

Kubiak's first possession as a head coach was a statement: 16 plays, 93 yards and 8:58 off the clock, capped by a 15-yard Cousins touchdown to Jack Bech. For context, the AP noted the Raiders had one touchdown drive of 90-plus yards all of last season. They matched that total before the first quarter ended.

Matt Gay added a 47-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead, and after Riley Patterson got Miami on the board from 41, Las Vegas punched right back. A seven-play, 54-yard drive ended with Cousins hitting Ashton Jeanty for a 13-yard touchdown, which the Raiders said was career touchdown pass No. 300. Patterson's 37-yarder as the half expired made it 17-6.

Then came the wobble. On the second play of the third quarter, Michael Taaffe intercepted Cousins, and Miami needed only four plays to cash in, with Malik Willis scrambling 14 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly it was 17-13, and the Dolphins had a pulse.

It didn't last. Dylan Laube returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to midfield, and five plays later Cousins found Jeanty again from 13 yards out. Two plays into Miami's next possession, rookie safety Treydan Stukes picked off Willis, and the Raiders followed with a 13-play, 54-yard grind that took 7:07 and ended with Gay's 30-yard field goal. That made it 27-13, and nobody scored again.

Cousins, Jeanty and a Very Rude Pass Rush

Cousins finished 21 of 30 for 160 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Not gaudy, and the picks will get airtime in the film room, but the efficiency and the milestone made the day. Per the AP, his 301 career touchdown passes put him 14th all-time, one ahead of John Elway, and he's the first Raiders quarterback to throw at least three touchdowns in an opener since Kerry Collins in 2005.

"I think it's just a testament to trying to win the long game, trying to have good habits over a long period of time," Cousins said.

Jeanty was the engine. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 draft ran 23 times for 102 yards, caught six passes for 45 more and scored both receiving touchdowns, good for 147 scrimmage yards. The AP noted it was the third 100-yard game of his career and that he showed no ill effects from an ankle injury suffered Aug. 23. With star tight end Brock Bowers out after knee surgery, Michael Mayer chipped in six catches for 32 yards.

The defense was the real headliner, though. Las Vegas sacked Willis five times and didn't allow a single sack. Kwity Paye had two sacks and four quarterback hits, Nakobe Dean added one, and Maxx Crosby got 1.5, making him just the third Raider with at least 70 career sacks since the stat became official in 1982, per the AP.

"You can blame the sacks on me," Willis said. "Sack is a quarterback stat."

Respect the accountability. Willis threw for 220 yards and a pick, and Caleb Douglas gave Miami five catches for 94 yards.

Laube Kills the Comeback Before It Starts

The game turned on the kickoff right after Miami cut it to 17-13. The Dolphins finally had momentum, and Laube's 50-yard return flipped the field before they could enjoy it. Jeanty's second touchdown restored the double-digit cushion, and Stukes' interception slammed the door. Per the Raiders, Stukes became the first Raiders rookie with a defensive interception in his NFL debut since Vann McElroy in 1982.

"That's what we expect from our guys, no head down, no 'woe is me,'" Kubiak said.

Miami still had chances and wasted them. Late in the third, the Dolphins started a drive at the Las Vegas 18, went backward 5 yards in four plays and missed a field goal. After Dante Trader Jr. intercepted Cousins early in the fourth, Miami took over at the Las Vegas 44 and went three-and-out for minus-8 yards. The Dolphins' final possession ended with Jeremy Chinn forcing a fumble that Quay Walker recovered, per the Raiders.

Numbers With Some Swagger

• 301: Cousins' career touchdown passes, 14th all-time per the AP.
• 16 plays, 93 yards: the opening drive. The Raiders had one 90-plus-yard touchdown drive all of last season.
• 5-0: the sack battle.
• 2 for 10: Miami on third down.
• 147: Jeanty's yards from scrimmage.

A New Era That Already Looks Different

According to the AP, the Raiders ranked last in the league in both yardage (245.2 per game) and scoring (14.2 points) last season. Kubiak, the offensive coordinator on Seattle's Super Bowl-winning team a year ago, squeezed 290 yards out of this group in his debut. Not fireworks, but a visible upgrade.

He also wasn't satisfied. Outside the kneel-down possession, the Raiders' four fourth-quarter drives produced three punts and an interception.

"We have a lot to get better at, but I'm very excited for our team and our organization," Kubiak said.

It gets much harder from here. The AP described a six-game gauntlet featuring Kansas City, Buffalo and the Los Angeles Rams, and next up is a trip to the Chargers. Cornerback Darien Porter's foot injury, suffered in the fourth quarter, bears watching.

Miami, the league's youngest team at an average age of 25.5 per the AP, is starting over under first-year coach Jeff Hafley, and it looked like it. Linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr. went down with a hamstring injury in the second half, and next up is a trip to San Francisco.

"We have to coach better and we need to play better," Hafley said.

Cousins Opens His Vegas Residency

Las Vegas loves a legacy act, and Cousins just opened his residency with the greatest hits: quick rhythm throws, a milestone moment and a running back doing the heavy lifting. It won't always look this tidy, and the pass rush won't always eat this well. But for one Sunday, the bridge quarterback looked like the whole highway.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the Associated Press. Additional notes from Raiders.com.