Home opener, finally

The Raiders host Miami on Sunday, their first season opener at home since 2021. Raider Nation gets the first look at this team, not a road broadcast.

“The Raiders are opening the season at home for the first time since 2021”

They were 1-0 last year

Las Vegas beat New England in Week 1 of last season. Nobody remembers it, because the record said very little about where the team was headed.

“That wouldn't have been much of a statistic.”

Same record, different meaning

A win over the Dolphins would land completely differently than that Patriots game did, even though New England went on to reach the Super Bowl.

The Carroll hire was a fallback

In January 2025 the Raiders missed on their top coaching targets and circled back to a 73-year-old who had been off the sidelines for a year.

“they swung and missed on some of their top options”

Too many spins of the carousel

Carroll was the answer to Antonio Pierce not working out as the full-time head coach. The franchise wanted adults in the room more than it wanted a long-term plan.

“The coaching carousel spun too many times for a team desperate for stability.”

Scraping by is not progress

Narrowly beating a Patriots team still hunting for its own identity never felt like the Raiders had actually turned a corner.

A young core changes it

Now there is a promising first-year head coach, the quarterback of the future waiting his turn, and a group of young defenders to grow around.

“the future of their quarterback position waiting in the wings”

The scoreline matters

27-20 would be forgettable. Something like 30-10, with the home crowd behind them, against a Dolphins roster thin on both sides, is the version that sells belief.

“if it ends somewhere around 30-10, the organization and Raider Nation alike will feel good”

Not built to win 2026

Nobody expects many wins this year. That is exactly why handling a team in the same rebuilding spot would suggest the track is the right one.

“This Raiders team is building for the future”