Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers: Game preview and prediction
By Nick Ellis
Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers: Game preview and prediction
Preview
The Raiders role into Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season with a much different roster than they had in 2019. Both sides of the ball will include a ton of new pieces, such as first round draft picks Henry Ruggs III and Damon Arnette, Bryan Edwards, Maliek Collins, Jeff Heath, Cory Littleton, and Nick Kwiatkoski.
The Raiders finished the 2019 season with a 7-9, and although it was better than most expected, it could have been a lot better if it weren’t for a late season slump that the Raiders fell into. The Panthers, on the other hand, finished the 2019 season with a 5-11 record and a lot of changes needing to be made.
The Panthers will be a much different team in 2020 than they were in 2019, getting a new head coach in Matt Rhule, a new starting QB in Teddy Bridgewater, left tackle Russell Okung, wide receiver Robby Anderson, linebacker Tahir Whitehead, and drafted a potential future star in defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
Week 1 will be a battle of two total opposites in coaches, as Gruden is one of the most experienced coaches in the NFL, if not the most experienced, and Matt Rhule will be entering his first season as a head NFL coach. The Panthers will also be relying on a QB who has never played under Rhule and has not been a starting QB coming into Week 1 of the NFL for a long time, something Derek Carr has been doing since he came into the league.
One similarity between the two teams is that they both will likely be relying on their star running backs to get the victory, as Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey will battle it out to see who starts the season off 1-0.