Raiders' Defense Must Regroup After Being Thrashed by Panthers

The Las Vegas Raiders' defense struggled mightily against the Carolina Panthers. They must forget this quickly and bounce back next week.

Sep 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette (17) gains yardage against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are not off to the start they envisioned this 2024 season. 

The Raiders have dropped to 1-2 after a stunning home loss to the Carolina Panthers, 36-22. Very little went right for Coach Antonio Pierce’s team against a spiraling Panthers team. 

The Panthers switched to Andy Dalton at quarterback the week before the game, and that decision paid dividends. Dalton finished the game with 319 yards and three touchdowns. 

For a Raiders team that relies on its defense as its strength, a performance like this one is shocking and unacceptable. The Raiders cannot allow a team like the Panthers to walk into their home stadium and drop nearly 40 points with almost no resistance. 

The Raiders have big aspirations this season, but games like this prevent them from reaching the postseason. Although it is early in the season, the Raiders’ margin of error becomes much smaller after this game. 

This defensive performance was not without positives, however. Linebacker Robert Spillane continued his excellent play, finishing the day with 11 tackles, one for loss and a sack. Spillane has been one of the brightest stars for this Raiders team this season. 

The Raiders will have time to watch the tape. Then, the Raiders will burn the tape and move on. 

Las Vegas will not dwell on this defensive performance. Instead, it will learn from its mistakes and be ready to take on the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. There is too much talent on this defense for them not to bounce back. 

However, players like Spillane and defensive end Maxx Crosby must rally their unit. There will be defensive players who may want to sulk and let this performance get to them, but the Raiders’ emotional leaders must help young players keep their emotions in check. 

This performance should not define the Raiders’ defense, but it is on the Raiders to not let the performance define them. 

The Panthers struggled offensively before making a quarterback change, and once they made that change, looked like an entirely new offense. Las Vegas may have overlooked what the quarterback change would do for Carolina. 

They will not overlook a struggling Cleveland Browns offense with lots of talent because they simply cannot afford to.

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