Raiders studs & duds from Week 3: Antonio Pierce on notice

Dud: Patrick Graham and the Raiders Defense

Coming into this game, we knew that the Raiders would be in for a much more difficult task facing Andy Dalton than they would have if they faced Bryce Young. The second-year QB was clearly lacking confidence and he was turning the ball over at an incredible rate. He looked absolutely lost the first two weeks of the season and would have been fresh meat for the Raiders defense to attack.

Instead of Young, however, the Raiders got Dalton who always seems to play his best football against them. According to StatMuse, Dalton is 4-0 against the Raiders as a starter and has now thrown for 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. On Sunday, the Raiders defense made him look like his vintage Pro Bowler self and they could do nothing to stop him and the Panthers offense.

We know that this is not the same unit that struggled so much with Young at QB but there is still no excuse to give up 34 points at home to a team with no stars on offense. This isn't Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce lighting the Raiders up but rather a journeyman QB and a cast of misfit toys that marched up and down the Allegiant Stadium field.

This was possibly the worst performance that the Raiders defense has put up in the last season or so under Patrick Graham and you can't just blame it all on Maxx Crosby having a sprained ankle. There are other playmakers on this defense and they all ghosted for Sunday's game. Thankfully, the terrible Deshaun Watson comes to town next week but if this Raiders defense plays the same way then he will likely look as good as he did back in his Houston Pro Bowl days.