The Miami Dolphins are preparing for their regular season after finishing the preseason with an 0-3 record, having been outscored 63-22. They will open the season against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders, who ended the 2025 season with a league-worst record of three wins, secured the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. With that pick, they selected Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who recently led the Hoosiers to a national championship.
However, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak announced that veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins will start in the season opener instead of Mendoza. Cousins, 38, has had a successful career since being drafted by Washington in 2012, earning four Pro Bowl selections and accumulating 44,700 passing yards with 298 touchdowns and 131 interceptions over 14 seasons.
Despite suffering an Achilles injury in 2023, Cousins has maintained a completion rate of 65% in his last 22 starts with the Atlanta Falcons, where he has thrown for 5,229 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions, leading the team to a 12-10 record during that span.
