The Panthers kick off their 2020 season this weekend at home against the Raiders. It’s been four years since they met on the field, so let’s get to know them a little better.
To do that, we spoke with Raiders Wire managing editor Marcus Mosher, who answered five questions about his team.
Marcus Mariota is on IR now. What would need to happen for him to take over for Derek Carr as the starter later in the season?
A lot. Before Mariota was injured, there was a pretty big gap between the two passers in camp. Carr is just a better fit in Jon Gruden’s offense as he can get rid of the ball quickly and accurately. While Mariota does offer more athleticism, he’s just nowhere near good enough of a passer to thrive in the West Coast offense. At this point, Carr would need to be injured for Mariota to see the field.
What do you expect for RB Josh Jacobs’ workload? More of the same from last season or less?
The Raiders have built an offense that runs through Jacobs. The offensive line is among the best in the NFL and they have tight ends and fullbacks to help play smash mouth football. As long as the Raiders are close in games, Jacobs should see a ton of carries this season.
But as for the receiving game, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Jacobs get more targets this year than in 2019. Earlier this offseason, Jon Gruden spoke about how he regretted that the team didn’t get Jacobs more involved in the passing game. Don’t expect that to be a problem this year as Jacobs has set a goal of 60 receptions this season.
The Raiders had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season. Did they do enough this offseason to turn that around or not?
They certainly hope so. The Raiders invested a ton of money into their defense this offseason, signing veterans such as Maliek Collins, Carl Nassib, Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkowski. They also added cornerback Damon Arnette with the No. 19 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Raiders don’t need to have an elite defense this season to be successful, but they do need to be competent. There is certainly a lot to be excited about with this defense, but expect the unit to take some time to gel considering all the new faces they added this offseason.
How big of a deal is getting Johnathan Abram back healthy?
A big deal. Not only is Abram the starting strong safety, but he’s the enforcer of their defense. And with the Raiders playing so much nickel defense, Abram is a player that will be asked to help stop the run as he typically plays near the line of scrimmage. On top of all that, he’s the emotional leader of the defense. Look for the entire defense to play with a different intensity level now that Abram is back on the field.
What’s your best-case scenario for the Raiders’ record this year? Worst?
Entering the third year of Jon Gruden’s rebuild, the expecation is that the Raiders will compete for a playoff spot. And if the defense can improve, that’s not all that unrealistic. With seven teams making the playoffs from each conference this season, a wild card spot isn’t out of the question. If they can grab one of those three spots, that would have to be considered a successful season for the Raiders.
However, the Raiders schedule is brutal this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if they got off to a 2-6 start. In the first half of the season, they will face the Saints, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Buccaneers. The Raiders could be a much better team this season, but it not be reflected in their win-loss record. Another 5-11, 6-10 season wouldn’t be all that surprising.
[lawrence-related id=628241]
[vertical-gallery id=628518]