3 storylines for the Raiders' home opener against the Panthers

Will Andy Dalton be a spark for Carolina?

Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced earlier this week that the team was benching former first overall pick QB Bryce Young, and replacing him with veteran Andy Dalton.

Young struggled mightily during his rookie season in 2023, and through two games of the 2024 season, he had shown little to no improvement, so Carolina decided to make a change.

Dalton has played in 170 career NFL games, and the 14-year veteran has a wealth of experience to draw from that Young does not. Not to mention, Dalton is 3-0 as a starter against the Raiders in his career with seven touchdowns and no interceptions on his record.

The Carolina offensive line has actually played surprisingly well, earning top-5 grades from PFF and providing Bryce Young with the fourth least amount of pressures. So, if Dalton can be cool and composed in the pocket, he has a handful of decent enough weapons he can get the ball to.

Now, the Raiders defensive line is legit. If they can get to the quarterback early and often, I doubt that Dalton has much mobility left at nearly 37 years old.

Not to mention, the Raiders trio of cornerbacks (Jack Jones, Nate Hobbs, and Jakorian Bennett) has been elite this year through two weeks. I would take them in a heartbeat over the Panthers wide receiver trio of Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette.

Dalton is likely not good enough at this point to elevate the roster around him, especially if he is under pressure throughout the game. He has only started one game in the last two seasons, so his experience is a bit jaded by the lack of recent snaps.

It's a different challenge for the Raiders, but they should be up to the task.