Key Matchups: Kolton Miller's return, Klint Kubiak's HC debut take centerstage against Dolphins

Sep 10, 2026 at 04:08 PM

Digital Team Reporter

A lot has changed for the Las Vegas Raiders since their last regular season game in January.

With a new head coach, new quarterback, and a revamped defense, they'll be looking to prove that they're trending in the right direction. The first task at hand: a home matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins have a new head coach, a new quarterback and a revamped defense. Sound familar?

Here are three key matchups to watch that could determine who comes away victorious in this season opener.

Klint Kubiak vs. Jeff Hafley

This Sunday's matchup will be sixth time in 30 years that two first-time head coaches face each other in a season opener.

The offensive minded Kubiak will test his newly installed scheme against Jeff Hafley, the former defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers and new head coach of the Dolphins. Hafley won 20 games in his two seasons with the Packers while their defense ranked in the top 12 in total points and yardage allowed in that span.

"Planning against him in Green Bay, he's a really good coach," Kubiak said. "The details that they play with, the effort that they play with really sticks out on tape. ... There's a whole two years of tape on them in Green Bay that we're going over but then we have to get ready for the Miami personnel. We have a lot of respect for his team and his defense, especially."

There don't seem to be any jitters for Kubiak going into his first game as an NFL head coach. He sees that this game is much bigger than himself.

"It's our first game as a staff, our first game as a team. That's what I'm excited about," he said Wednesday. "The 'us' part of it."

History plays in the favor of Kubiak. There have been 11 Raiders coaches who have won their first game as a head coach in the NFL, tied for the second most in league history. Additionally, the Raiders have posted a 7-3 record in season openers over the last 10 seasons.

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Nakobe Dean vs. De'Von Achane

The Miami Dolphins running back provides a healthy challenge for the Silver and Black.

Achane is coming off the best season of his career with 1,350 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He accounted for 35.8 percent of the Dolphins' yards last season while also totaling 40 explosive runs (over 10 yards), per Next Gen Stats.

"It's going to take all 11 when you're dealing with that kind of speed," defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said.

Yes, it will certainly more than one player to stop Achane. But if there's one in particular to be heavily dependent upon, it's Nakobe Dean.

While the Silver and Black allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per attempt in 2025, they also allowed the third-most rushing touchdowns to opposing offenses. Dean, despite only playing in 10 games last season, totaled seven tackles for loss and 15 run stops. In Las Vegas, he takes over as the green dot linebacker.

"People look at him as one of the top backs in the league and it's for a reason," Dean said of facing Achane. "But my motto has always been for defenses period, 'Stop the run, then you have fun.' My first priority is always stop the run, any game, every game. Stop the run and then them boys upfront can have fun."

Kolton Miller vs. Dolphins defensive line

Kolton Miller's absence was felt last season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 4.

The Raiders went on to allow the most sacks to opposing defenses and finished with the fewest rushing yards in the league.

Miller has worked hard to return to the field and reclaim the blind side.

"I'm very excited," he said. "The new group, I feel like we've been putting in a lot of work in these these past few months. I'm really excited to see it come together and I think we're all shooting towards the same goal, which is to win."

Miller and the Raiders offensive line could have their hands full with a young Dolphins defense. While a largely unproven unit, there's talent in the front seven with Chop Robinson, who's racked up 10 sacks in his first two seasons. Playing inside of Robinson, Zach Sieler poses a problem as one of the more underrated defensive tackles in the league. He's totaled 25.5 sacks and 61 quarterback pressures over his last three seasons with the Dolphins.

"I think they're a great group," Miller said of Miami's D-line. "It's a true test for us as a group to come together. I know they've been through a lot, they can throw a lot at us. But to see how we perform, I'm really looking forward to it."