The Dolphins fell to the Raiders 27-13 in the season opener. The back-and-forth game saw plenty of bright spots, plenty to clean up, and plenty in between. Today, we go inside the numbers for the first game in the NFL head coaching career of Jeff Hafley.
Rookie Production
The Dolphins started seven rookies in Las Vegas and three second-year players. Those first- and second-year players tallied 610 total snaps.
Among them, inside linebacker Jacob Rodriguez piled up 14 combined tackles, third-most in the NFL. Those 14 tackles were the most by a Dolphins rookie since Zach Thomas made 16 tackles (six solo) in the second game of his career vs. Arizona on Sept. 8, 1996.
Cornerback Chris Johnson made 11 combined tackles, which is tied for ninth in the NFL. He also added two passes defensed, which were tied for third in the league. Rodriguez and Johnson became the first pair of rookies to record 10-plus tackles in their NFL debuts since tackles were made an official stat in 1994.
Miami also scored a pair of interceptions, both coming from first- and second-year players. Rookie Michael Taaffe stepped in front of a Kirk Cousins pass in the third quarter. Then, four plays later, quarterback Malik Willis scampered in from 15 yards out to pull Miami to within a score. Taaffe is the ninth Dolphin to record an interception in his NFL debut and the first since Travis Daniels vs. Denver on Sept. 11, 2005.
Safety Dante Trader made one of the best plays of the day by a Dolphin when he read the eyes of Cousins and undercut a throw down the middle for his first career interception. On the game, Cousins tried seven passes of 10-plus air yards, completing just one of them for 21 yards and committing the two turnovers.
Jaylen Wright's 79-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was the longest since Jakeem Grant's 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown vs. Buffalo on Nov. 17, 2019.
Douglas dazzles in debut
The most impressive performance from the rookie class, and perhaps the entire game, was rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas. His 94 receiving yards tied for the most by a wide receiver in a Dolphins debut (Tyreek Hill, 2022). His 94 yards, five receptions and 35 yards after the catch all ranked first among all rookies in Week 1.
Fight to the finish
The game didn't start the way the Dolphins wanted in the three phases. The two Raiders running backs, Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington, combined for 76 rushing yards on 11 attempts in the first half. However, Las Vegas finished with 130 yards on 30 attempts, just 3.5 yards per carry.
The defense made four consecutive stops in the second half. On those possessions, the Raiders gained just nine yards on 14 plays.
