NO BROCK BOWERS, NO PROBLEM

Should we be surprised that the game went the way it did. There was a reasonable amount of optimism coming into the game as it seemed as though the Dolphins had a chance of leaving Las Vegas with a win. That was a fleeting hope because the Raiders took it to the Dolphins, there wasn’t much to get excited about if you were rooting for the visitors.

There were some positives, but the negatives far outweighed them, and unless things change it is going to be a very long season, were do we start…

Lack Of Pass Rush

Did anybody see Chop Robinson on the field yesterday, his 2026 debut was a dud. The entire offseason was hype and great practice sessions against an offensive line that was in flux. On Sunday, Robinson generated one tackle assist, and no QB pressures. Time is running out for the twenty first overall pick in the 2024, he needs to pick up his game or there is a high chance his fifth-year option won’t be picked up. Will he end up being added to the list of draft mistakes made by Chris Grier. It didn’t help that there wasn’t any pressure from the other end of the line but somehow the coaches need to work out a way to generate a pass rush.

Offensive Line

They are going to get the offense in a whole heap of trouble, either that or Malik Willis is going to end up on IR sometime soon. They didn’t get much push up front and when Bobby Slowick had to go pass heavy because they were playing catch up the whole line became a shambles. To be fair Willis held onto the ball to long and looked indecisive at times, that, and they had to deal with Maxx Crosby, Nakobe Dean and Kwity Paye who were having they’re way by the time the second half rolled around.

Not So Special Teams

The least said about special teams the better. Jaylen Wright had a great seventy-nine-yard kick-off return but that was the highlight. When your kicker and punter have three touchdown saving tackles things are pretty bad. If this isn’t fix over the next couple of weeks, we will find out how much patience Jeff Hafley has when it comes to retaining the services of Chris Tabor.

Interior Defensive Line

It was hoped the ascension of the defensive line would continue from last season when they were playing well together to close out the year, but what we saw was an interior getting bullied and pushed around by a rebuilt Las Vegas O-line. Ashton Jeanty ran round and through the line at will, not meeting much resistance until he was at the second level. His dominance meant that Kirk Cousins didn’t really have to do much, the veteran QB only passed for 160 yards, but then why pass the ball when the running game was clicking on all cylinders.

Malik Willis

We couldn’t not mention Willis at this point, there were some good plays and his legs are going to get him out of trouble numerous times this season if this game was anything to go by, but there were plays when he was indecisive and held the ball to long. He looked like the Titans version at times and wasn’t always accurate with his ball placement. The issue is, he will only be as good as the offensive line, and at this point it doesn’t bode well.

There Were Some Bright Spots

It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, let us not forget the team listed six rookies as starters going into the game and a few of them shone. Caleb Douglas was the leading receiver, finishing with 94 yards at an average of 18.8 yards per reception. He was creating separation and made some great catches, getting Willis out of trouble a couple of times.

On the other side of the ball Jacob Rodriguez closed out the game as the leading tackler, he came close to bagging a sack and seemed to get more confident as the game wore on. Michael Taaffe snagged an interception, had a pass defensed and was in on 4 tackles, so there were some bright spots, just not enough of them unfortunately. Not to worry, it is only the 49ers next week….