Three silver linings from the Miami Dolphins’ 27-13 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders
The Miami Dolphins fell to the Las Vegas Raiders 27-13 — but it wasn’t ALL bad on Sunday afternoon.
Look, I get it. No one likes moral victories. Miami Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley made that plenty clear when speaking after Miami’s 27-13 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders last night.
“No one is sitting in there feeling good right now, and I’m certainly not feeling good right now,” said Hafley. But the reality of such a young football team is that moral victories are going to be a central focus in some weeks throughout the course of this season. That includes Week 1. So what were the biggest developments for the Miami Dolphins beyond the scoreboard? Here are three silver linings — and it’s no surprise they all feature rookie players making plays.
Three silver linings for the Miami Dolphins in Week 1
Rookie WR Caleb Douglas ties a franchise record for receiving yards in first game
Douglas’ 94 receiving yards ties a franchise record for the most in a player’s debut, per the Miami Dolphins’ team release after the game. He’s tied with none other than Tyreek Hill for that mark, which Hill posted back in 2022 against the New England Patriots. Given how controversial the Douglas pick was back in April, it’s a nice development for Miami’s wide receiver room.
Douglas has splashed all summer long. He’s officially translated that into his play on the field with several explosive plays downfield. Credit where it’s due. Now do it again.
Rookie LB Jacob Rodriguez logs most tackles in a game for a Miami Dolphins rookie since Zach Thomas
The Jacob Rodriguez transition to MIKE linebacker and green-dot player got plenty of attention ahead of Week 1. He proceeded to, per the team’s postgame release, post the most tackles in a game for any Dolphins rookie defender since Zach Thomas logged 16 tackles back in September of 1996. I have a feeling that this won’t be Rodriguez’s only big tackle performance this season. What’s more? Rodriguez’s tackles weren’t hollow — as many big tackle marks are. NFL Next Gen Stats has Rodriguez as the NFL’s ‘stop’ leader.
Miami’s young safety room make some impact plays
Second-year pro Dante Trader Jr. logged an interception poaching a route across the middle of the field. Rookie safety Michael Taaffe logged an interception of his own to start the second half. Even journeyman safety Zayne Anderson logged a major hit for a PBU — that promptly was wiped out by a controversial taunting penalty from CB JuJu Brents.
In all, Raiders QB Kirk Cousins was 1 for 7 for 21 yards and two interceptions on passes that traveled 10+ air-yards downfield against the Dolphins. That’s something to build on.
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