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Dylan Laube admits he was 'more tired' from celebrating than scoring for Raiders at hometown Jets
Dylan Laube scored the first kickoff return touchdown of the 2026 NFL season

Out on Long Island, high schools knew not to kick to Dylan Laube. It appears the message didn’t spread to the Meadowlands.

At MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Laube returned a kickoff 95 yards to score as the Las Vegas Raiders clinched a thrilling 38-33 win over the New York Jets. It was a crucial win for the Raiders, who snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory, in which Kirk Cousins tossed three touchdowns.

The offense was firing, even with Ashton Jeanty benched after calling out the Jets' defense. Instead, Cousins threw two touchdowns to Brock Bowers, one to Jalen Nailor, and ran one in himself — but Laube’s score was crucial.

On the very first play after Isaiah Williams scored on an 18-yard touchdown to give the Jets a 13-7 lead early in the second quarter, Laube pounced on a crucial, lane-sealing block that freed him to burst up the left sideline and hit the open field to score.

“I think I knew I was fast enough to score, but there are some fast guys in this league. I got it done, and it’s awesome for us.”

Dylan Laube sealed his return to the east coast with a stunning kick return touchdown
Dylan Laube sealed his return to the east coast with a stunning kick return touchdown -Credit:Getty Images

NFL Next Gen Stats clocked Laube reaching a peak velocity of 20.97 mph as he cruised down the sideline completely untouched for the final 50 yards into the end zone. His speed paid off; Laube had scored the first kickoff returned for a touchdown in the 2026 season.

He was surprised to learn the news. “Really? That’s awesome, especially with this iconic team too - the Silver and Black. Just to even get a special teams touchdown too, here, it’s just cool man. It’s awesome. It feels so special.”

Laube — who starred at Westhampton Beach High School on Long Island's East End — made sure to pack MetLife Stadium with close to 100 friends and family members, with his parents and three siblings sitting behind the Raiders’ bench. He duly put on a show, making plays on both sides of the ball when it came to special times.

But the 95-yard touchdown was definitely the highlight — and he did a Cristiano Ronaldo-style celebration to mark the moment.

“I tried to! To be honest, every time I score a touchdown, I get more tired celebrating ‘cause I’m just screaming and running around.

“It’s so hard to score a touchdown in this league, so when you do, you just got to get jacked up about it.”

At 1 Jets Drive earlier in the week, Jets special teams coach Chris Banjo certainly knew of Laube. Banjo told reporters that the Jets were preparing to face the Raiders’ dangerous and consistent return unit - and Laube lived up to the billing.

“We got to build from that. It's going to help us get really good starting position every single game, but at the end of the day, there's teams that are still going to challenge us and we got to be super prepared for it and ready for it like we were today,” Laube concluded.

Laube’s touchdown also ended a 15-year Raiders drought for a kickoff returned for a score. He leads the league in yards per return attempt (34.1).

The 4-4 Raiders are next in action against the 6-1 San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 8.

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