The Las Vegas Raiders era begins on the road with a matchup against the Carolina Panthers. Pitting a returning coach against a new one, here’s our review of the Week 1 contest.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers both kick off respective new eras when they face each other to start the season. For the Silver and Black, they’ll be ushering in a new brand of football under the Las Vegas moniker, while the Panthers will be in year one under a new head coach and a new quarterback under center. It comes as no surprise as to why Carolina is ushering in a new system in 2020.
Last season, the Panthers finished with a 5-11 record, good for the last place in the NFC South, and ranked 31st in the league in terms of points scored against. With Cam Newton’s health hampered by injury, he was officially shut down back on November 5, with Kyle Allen under center in his place.
The lone bright spot was Christian McCaffrey, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl and named First-Team All-Pro after a 2019 season where he rushed for over 1300 yards with 15 touchdowns on the ground.
The last time these two met, it was the 2016 season in which the Raiders came out on top 35-32, thanks to a game-sealing forced fumble from Khalil Mack. If Las Vegas wants to start off the season with a win, they’ll have to assess the new faces on the Carolina roster.
Additions and Subtractions
The Carolina Panthers made this an offseason of change for the franchise, and that begins at the top. This coming year will be the first under new head coach Matt Rhule, and the new system calls for a new man under center. After releasing former number one overall pick Cam Newton, Carolina signed Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million contract.
In the aftermath, the Panthers made it a goal to surround Bridgewater with new weapons on the outside, agreeing to terms with former Raider Seth Roberts, Keith Kirkwood, and rumored Raiders free agency target, Robby Anderson. Additionally, Carolina added depth to the lines on both sides of the ball.
Week 1 will provide some “revenge” opportunities as well, as the Panthers also agreed to terms with some former recent Raiders. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead signed with Carolina after being released by the Raiders, as did cornerback Eli Apple, who was (briefly) expected to head to Las Vegas earlier in the offseason, before the deal fell through.
Why the Raiders Will Win
After missing extended time due to rehabbing from his injury, Teddy Bridgewater bounced back in 2019, finishing with his highest QBR of his career to date (99.1) and going 5-0 with the New Orleans Saints in relief of the injured Drew Brees. But now with Carolina, Bridgewater will be entering a new system, one that is, in reality, new to the entire team. On the other side, Las Vegas returns with Derek Carr now in year three of Jon Gruden’s system, with some new receiving weapons at his disposal.
The real key will be to observe how the front seven deal with the threat in the backfield that is Christian McCaffrey. With the more noticeable issues of the Raiders defense, last season was in the secondary, Las Vegas threw cash in the offseason to address their everlasting hole at linebacker. McCaffrey can do damage on the ground or as a pass catcher, and Week 1 will be the first sample of seeing how much the Raiders defense has truly improved.
McCaffrey is just one part of the equation, and overall this Panthers team will still be adjusting the new system under Matt Rhule. Meanwhile, Las Vegas will be prime to maximize Jon Gruden’s playcalling with this new offensive additions. In a battle of experience versus novelty, the former will win out. Raiders go on the road and start the Las Vegas era with a win.