Previewing Las Vegas Raiders vs. Carolina Panthers
The time is nearly here. Less than 24 hours separates Raiders fans from the start of the season tomorrow versus the Carolina Panthers.
Now that the game is finally upon us, it’s time to look at what the keys for the Raiders will be for to have a successful game against Carolina.
1. The young secondary holds up
We just went over this topic in detail, but it bears repeating due to its importance. The Raiders are going to be relying on several rookies or second-year players in their secondary, and having to go up against D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Robby Anderson won’t be an easy task.
If they have success in containing the trio without help, then the Raiders should have a better ability to focus on trying to slow down Christian McCaffrey.
2. Offense gets off to a fast start
Every fan’s ideal start to a season is seeing their team’s march down the field and score a touchdown on the opening drive. It’s not that the Raiders need to do that specifically, but getting an early lead would be ideal.
It’s the first chance that the Raiders have to show off their offense with new additions like Henry Ruggs III, and while they will be without Tyrell Williams, the offense should still generate plenty of chances with Ruggs, Darren Waller, and Bryan Edwards.
That can then lead to what Jon Gruden would likely prefer, which is to unleash Jodh Jacobs and close the game out by running the ball down the Panthers throats.
3. No stupid penalties or turnovers
It’s an obvious key, yes, but it’s the case every year that the best teams in the league are usually the ones with the best turnover differential and that don’t commit tons of penalties.
In a game that the Raiders are favored, you don’t want to let a team like the Panthers hang around because of your mistakes. As long as they stay disciplined and hold onto the ball, good things should happen for the Raiders on Sunday.
Final Predictions
You always want to make the best first impression, and the Raiders have a chance to do that Sunday against a team that on paper they should beat.
Look for coach Gruden to want to make a statement early on offense, whether it’d be opening up big runs or with bombs in the passing game.
Defensively, they’ll be keyed in on McCaffrey, and as long as they don’t let him or the Panther’s receivers get behind them, they should be in a good spot.
It’ll hopefully lead to an all-around effort on Sunday, one that in my mind will end in a win. Final score: 31-17 Raiders.
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