Malik Willis was sacked five times in his first regular-season start for the Miami Dolphins, who lost 27-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Willis faced pressure 17 times as Las Vegas benefited from Miami's frequent passing situations, particularly after halftime.
The quarterback completed 15 of 27 passes for 220 yards and threw one interception. He also ran for a 14-yard touchdown, which was Miami's only touchdown in the game. Willis said he was responsible for the sacks, telling reporters, "Sacks are a quarterback stat and I'm going to take the O-line out after that."
Miami fell behind by multiple scores and relied almost entirely on the pass in the second half. Willis spent extended stretches moving in the backfield while looking for receivers, and his average time before throwing was 3.21 seconds, the fourth-longest figure among quarterbacks in the NFL during Week 1.
His average air yards per attempt was 13.6, the league's highest for the week, while 22% of his throws were off target, the fourth-highest rate.
Willis was more effective when pressured, completing five of nine attempts for 113 yards. His passer rating on those plays was 100.5, and his completion percentage over expectation was 5.9%.
Rookie wide receiver Caleb Douglas was a bright spot in the passing game, leading all players with 94 receiving yards on five catches. Willis credited Douglas' progress and said offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik helped create opportunities for him.
