Las Vegas Raiders Offense vs. New Carolina Panther Defense

The long wait is finally over, Las Vegas Raiders fans. The NFL season is finally upon us, and with that comes previewing all the new matchups for the Raiders this season.

We went through going over the new faces leading the Carolina Panthers offense this season. Now, it’s time to go through what the Panthers will be bringing on defense, which features even more new faces than the offense does.

That’s what happens when you become the first team ever to draft all of your players from one side of the ball, that being defense in the Panthers' case.

For a team that has lost some of its most iconic defenders in franchise history over the last several years like Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers and Charles Johnson, the need to add new life to Carolina’s defense was evident.

They addressed the defensive line primarily, bringing in young draft picks like Brian Burns, Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos to aid Pro Bowler Kawann Short.

At linebacker, the surprise retirement of Kuechly opened a massive hole in the middle of the defense. Carolina brought in veteran middle backer and former Raider Tahir Whitehead as a stopgap, but the lack of Kuechly’s presence will be a considerable loss for Carolina.

The secondary is a younger unit as well, other than veteran safety Tre Boston. Donte Jackson right now projects as the Panthers' No. 1 cornerback and should follow Henry Ruggs III during the game on Sunday.

Overall, it would be fair to say that the Panthers' defense is going through a transition. There’s potential upside on the defensive line and secondary, but not having Kuechly’s leadership will hurt.

On paper, the match-ups probably favor the Raiders and their talent on offense, especially with not having to worry about Kuechly. The Raiders probably will attack the middle of the field in both the running and passing games, leading to big opening games for tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs.

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