Panthers vs. Raiders: 10 matchups to watch for Week 1

Here are 10 key matchups we will be following on Sunday afternoon.

LB Tahir Whitehead vs. Jon Gruden
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Finally, the biggest disadvantage the Panthers face this year is going from Luke Kuechly at middle linebacker to Tahir Whitehead. Kuechly was perhaps the NFL’s best coverage linebacker, while Whitehead is the worst. Jon Gruden had a front-row seat for Whitehead’s struggles the last two seasons so he should know how to exploit them. Expect Gruden to use Jacobs and the very underrated tight end Darren Waller to put Whitehead’s spotty coverage to the test.

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