As the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins prepare for their season-opening matchup at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, the Dolphins’ preparation starts with finding a way to slow down Maxx Crosby amid a new-look Raiders roster.

The Raiders’ star defensive end has established himself as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, totaling 69.5 sacks over seven years in the league, and Dolphins left tackle Patrick Paul knows Miami will have to keep Crosby from dictating the game when the teams meet Sunday.

“He’s a high-motor player,” Paul told reporters. “I think their defense runs off his motor and he’s a great player. I’d say he’s their motor.”

Crosby’s relentless pass-rush style presents a challenge that goes beyond simply keeping him away from the quarterback. Paul said Miami’s offensive line will have to be aggressive and dictate the pace of play early, and that starts with physicality in the trenches.

“I think with him, he’s a dynamic player, so with him just beating him to a spot, getting your hands on him and getting him off his game,” Paul said. “He likes to play with a lot of swagger, so just getting him displaced off his game, getting him off his spots, putting your hands on him, being aggressive and just getting him out of his game.”

That approach could also include trying to engage Crosby in the verbal battle that has become part of his on-field personality.

The Dolphins saw that side of Crosby during their 34-19 victory over the Raiders in 2024, when he was flagged for a 15-yard penalty following a confrontation with the Miami offensive line.

“Yeah, he’s a hothead, so a lot of those things you can get into his game with that,” Paul said Tuesday. “But I mean, he’s a great player, so you just gotta stay on it all four quarters with him.”

Asked Wednesday if when other teams try to get under his skin that gives him anything extra, Crosby said, “I don’t know what they’re talking about or who’s talking about what, but it is what it is. We’ll see Sunday.”

For Malik Willis, the quarterback Paul is protecting, the focus is more on the Dolphins executing their offense.

Asked how much facing Crosby can accelerate his clock as a quarterback, Willis said Wednesday, “I think that’s more of a feel thing. Every play is a separate play. It’s not like, he’s on the field, now I have to be blah, blah blah. It’s more or less just being aware of him. Obviously he’s a great player and he’s been for a long time in this league. We just try to do the best to do my job and that’s what’s more important rather than worrying about that type of thing. Obviously you’ve got to be aware of him, you’ve got to know where he’s at, but you gotta play ball too.”

While Crosby is a familiar face for the Dolphins to prepare for, much of the Raiders’ system remains unknown entering Week 1 following coach Klint Kubiak’s arrival in the and the multitude of roster transactions the franchise made during the offseason.

Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said both teams are facing the challenge of trying to establish new systems while having limited film on what the other will look like.

“I think it’s exactly the same situation that they’re in,” Hafley said. “I mean, that’s why Week 1, 2 and 3, there’s not a lot of tendencies, right?”

“We’re trying to watch the Raiders players and a bunch of free agents that they brought in to figure out their personnel, but trying to piece together how, for example, Kubiak is gonna use X, Y and Z within his scheme, now that he has these guys.”

The uncertainty makes preparation less about predicting exactly what the Raiders will do and more about making sure the Dolphins are prepared to adjust once the game begins.

“It’s a big challenge,” Hafley said. “I think early in the season, it’s got to be about yourself, and that’s my message to the team.

“It’s gotta be about using our rules. It’s got to be about the fundamentals and techniques that we’ve talked about all through training camp, ’cause we don’t know what it’s gonna look like.”

As the season progresses, Hafley expects teams to have more information to work with, from personnel tendencies to third-down targets and red-zone usage.

In Week 1, however, both sides will have to learn on the fly.

Miami finished the 2025 season with a 7-10 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, leading to the firing of coach Mike McDaniel.

Hafley joined the Dolphins after spending two seasons as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator.

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