Luck be a lady today.
In a tough running game battle (seven lead changes) between All-Pro Christian McCaffrey and second-year running back Josh Jacobs, the Raiders edged out over the Carolina Panthers 34-30. This marks the first victory for the Raiders as a Las Vegas franchise. Matt Rhule’s coaching debut was spoiled in Carolina and the lack of fans showed an impact towards the end of the game.
The game started off on the slow side, with the Raiders showing glimpses of the 2019 season by starting with a three-and-out. However, the offense recovered and scored on five straight drives to take a 27-15 lead. Carolina bounced back with McCaffrey scoring a three-yard touchdown run and new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s 75-yard touchdown pass in blown coverage to wide receiver Robby Anderson to take a 30-27 lead with just under 8 minutes and 30 seconds left to go in the fourth quarter.
With over four minutes left to go, Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr’s leadership and confidence in passing help set up Jacobs for a go-ahead six-yard scoring run to take a 34-30 lead. The Raiders’ defense struggled throughout the ball game but came in clutch with a tough fourth-and-inches stop against fullback Alex Armah at their own 46-yard line to seal the victory.
Highlights
The first touchdown in Las Vegas Raiders history.@iAM_JoshJacobs punches it in. #LVvsCAR pic.twitter.com/sci08MuqMk
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 13, 2020
Josh Jacobs runs a historical touchdown, scoring the first points in Las Vegas Raiders’ history.
Feels good to be back 😄
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/gHUSajw3fk
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 13, 2020
All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey bounces back with his first touchdown of the season, giving the Panthers their first lead.
75 YARDS!
75 YARDS!
75 YARDS!
75 YARDS!
75 YARDS!@teddyb_h2o ➡️ @chosen1ra📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/QqePG4nkMt
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 13, 2020
Teddy Bridgewater throws his first touchdown with a rocket pass to Robby Anderson in the Raiders’ blown coverage.
RAIDERS BALL.#LVvsCAR | Live on CBS pic.twitter.com/cYvnGSRYZJ
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 13, 2020
Raiders’ defense stopped the Panthers’ run game in an interesting call on fourth-and-inches, opting to go with Alex Armah instead of McCaffrey. This sealed the victory.
The biggest question was how prepared the Raiders’ defense will be against McCaffrey and a new receiving core for Carolina. While the All-Pro had a late surge in the second half, the Panthers’ receiving core had a few notable drops and accuracy issues from Bridgewater in the beginning. Bridgewater showed why he still deserves to be a starter in the NFL. At the same time, this shows the Raiders’ weakness: their defensive line and secondary. After losing linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski to a pectoral injury, the Raiders’ defensive line struggled to apply pressure to Bridgewater the rest of the game. The silver lining is that Las Vegas has shown they can strive offensively, although they need to be less conservative in the second half when in big leads.
Rhule certainly made an interesting call to opt for Armah on the fourth-and-inches play instead of McCaffrey, but it is his coaching debut. The Panthers also showed struggles on defense, giving up big plays to rookie Henry Ruggs III and Nelson Agholor. They struggled to apply pressure against Carr and could not stop Jacobs, giving up three touchdowns in the game.
Both teams do not play each other again this season, but look for each team to focus on improving their defenses moving forward. They both have inexperienced secondaries, so expect the Raiders and Panthers to struggle defensively throughout the season. The key for the Raiders is their health: they lost both Trent Brown and Sam Young at right tackle due to injury, along with Kwiatkoski, the defense’s play-caller. Carolina lost starting cornerback Donte Jackson, which would be huge if he isn’t ready to go in Week 2.
The Raiders make their Las Vegas debut at home on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 21, while the Panthers hit the road to face their NFC South rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 20.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
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