Dolphins-Raiders Week 1 Halftime Observations

What stood out in the first half of the Miami Dolphins' season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

We'll start with the list of inactives, which was highlighted by the presence on it of veteran wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. Some folks on social media called it a surprise, but it really wasn't because he's been in the background for a while now and doesn't have a role on special teams.

The Dolphins ended up with six rookie starters — Caleb Douglas, Will Kacmarek, Kadyn Proctor on offense, and Jacob Rodriguez, Chris Johnson and Michael Taaffe on defense. While we haven't done the research, we can't think of any season opener with that many rookie starters.

Of note, the Dolphins opened with two tight ends and two wide receivers, and it was Malik Washington who was out there and not Chris Bell. As we've said for a while, while Bell and Douglas represent the future at wide receiver, don't discount Washington just yet.

WHAT STOOD OUT

-- Instant replay, which any reader of Miami Dolphins On SI or viewer of the All Dolphins Podcast knows I despise, came into play in this one with both reviews going against Miami. The first one was really big, the reversal after an apparent fourth-down stop. While it did appear as though fullback Connor Heyward did get the first down, it wasn't eregious enough of a bad call that it should have been overturned.

-- That was some great work by cornerback JuJu Brents to fight off a block to drop Malik Benson for an 8-yard loss on a double reverse. Two plays later, Brents gave the Raiders a first down with a taunting penalty after a big hit by Zayne Anderson dislodged the ball from wide receiver Tre Tucker. The TV replay didn't show any really bad from Brents, so this might have been more about an overzealous official than anything else.

-- Kudos to long-snapper Tucker Addington for getting downfield and making the tackle on a 20-yard punt return that could have been a lot longer, though he did sustain an injury on the play. And, of course, it's the ever-versatile Jacob Rodriguez who serves as the backup long-snapper.

-- If the Dolphins are going to make a living with their running game, they'll need a lot better performance from their offensive line. Center Aaron Brewer had a pretty forgettable first half with two penalties. Worse was the lack of holes for the running game.

-- What stood out defensively was the lack of a pass rush, which obviously was a concern heading into the game, and it didn't help that Chop Robinson was completely invisible.

-- The defense gave up two third-down conversions on completions on that 93-yard drive and on both the coverage was simply way too soft, particularly Jason Marshall Jr. playing very soft in man coverage.

-- There might have been a coverage mix-up on the TD pass from Kirk Cousins to Jack Bech because Chris Johnson seemed to give up in the slot after Bech started running across the field. Johnson earlier showed his willingness to get involved with a great stop against the run. Johnson later had great coverage against Michael Mayer over the middle near the end zone. And then it was Johnson who Ashton Jeanty beat over the middle on his touchdown that made it 17-3.

-- Jordyn Brooks was very active and physical in the first quarter, though he's got to be careful about hitting the quarterback near the sideline.

-- And, of course, we've got to mention Malik Willis, who was fine but not spectacular in his Dolphins debut. He probably needs to get more done with his running ability, and the one sack he took came because he couldn't find anybody open and wasn't able to get out of the pocket before it collapsed on him. Loved that sidearm completion to Caleb Douglas late in the first half.

-- Douglas came up big on that last drive of the half to least get the Dolphins a field goal to make it a 17-6 game at the half.

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