Panthers release inactives list for season opener vs. Raiders

Here is a list of the Carolina Panthers who will not be available for today’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Carolina Panthers have released their inactives list for today’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Here are the five players who won’t be available.

OL Dennis Daley
QB P.J. Walker
DE Shareef Miller
CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
TE Colin Thompson

Walker’s name here means that Will Grier will serve as Teddy Bridgewater’s backup today. Coach Matt Rhule says that competition will continue week to week and that role may change depending on how they perform in practice.

Speaking of practice, Daley did not participate this week due to a sprained ankle and he was ruled out on Friday. He was expected to start at left guard. That spot will go to former Chargers offensive lineman Michael Schofield instead.

The team listed over 20 players on their official injury report. Most of them were full participants all week though, including tight end Ian Thomas (toe). Defensive end Stephen Weatherly was also listed as questionable along with Thomas-Oliver but he will play.

As for the other side, the Raiders will be without the following players:

WR Rico Gafford
S Dallin Leavitt
OT Brandon Parker
G John Simpson
DT Daniel Ross

Check back later for highlights and analysis after the game.

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Panthers vs. Raiders: 2020 Week 1 game information

Here is all the info you need on when and how to follow the game.

It looked shaky for a while, but the NFL season will be starting on time tomorrow night between the Chiefs and Texans. For the Panthers, they’ll begin their 2020 campaign at home against the Raiders on Sunday.

Here is all the info you need on when and how to follow the game.

Regular season Week 1 matchup

Las Vegas Raiders (0-0) vs. Carolina Panthers (0-0)

When

Sunday, Sept. 13, 1:00 pm ET

Where

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Watch: CBS

The game will be broadcast on CBS in the yellow areas.

Broadcasters

Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon

Referee assignment

Brad Allen

Listen

The team’s flagship station in Charlotte is WBT 1110 AM. To find more stations in the area, check here.

History

The Panthers and Raiders have met six times in franchise history, splitting three wins a piece. Carolina lost the last matchup back in 2016, 35-32. Derek Carr threw for 315 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

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Panthers announce no fans allowed in stadium for Week 1 vs. Raiders

When the schedule was released, the Raiders opened as 1.5-point road favorites.

So much for home-field advantage. The Carolina Panthers will not allow fans to attend the first game of the season two Sundays from now when they host the Las Vegas Raiders at Bank of America Stadium. The team just announced the news on its official website.

The statement reads, in part:

“Despite our best efforts, we are deeply disappointed to share that you will not be with us at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 13 when we open the season against Las Vegas. . . We recognize the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and will follow guidelines outlined by government and public health officials. And, we will continue to seek alternatives regarding the return of fans for the 2020 season and will share updates as appropriate.”

While this is an unfortunate development, it is also the smartest choice to make at this point in time regarding the health and safety of the fans.

It will be interesting to see how and if this affects the odds for the interconference Week 1 matchup. When the schedule was released, the Raiders opened as 1.5-point road favorites.

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Report: Panthers to open 2020 season at home vs. Raiders

The Carolina Panthers will open the 2020 NFL season at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to the Athletic.

There were rumors that Carolina would begin the year on the road against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, but it seems that’s not the case. This matchup is likely to be much more competitive.

Las Vegas is not a heavyweight like Kansas City. The Raiders went 7-9 last season, including just 2-6 on the road. Along the way, they got crushed in road games by the Green Bay Packers (42-14), the New York Jets (34-3) and the division-rival Chiefs (40-9).

The Panthers had their own issues last season of course as they finished 5-11. However, this should be a relatively winnable game.

One key will be how well Carolina’s young defensive backs matchup against Vegas’ receivers like first-round pick Henry Ruggs III.

This is mostly a run-first opponent, though. The Raiders have a mean and massive offensive line and one of the league’s top-10 running backs in Josh Jacobs. As a rookie, he totaled 1,150 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Vegas also passed on just 55.81% of their plays. Only seven teams threw less often.

This could be a problem for Carolina, considering that the Panthers fielded the worst run defense in the league in 2019. Obviously, the personnel has changed a lot since then but the changes should be mostly positive in this respect. While we’re not crazy about the pick, if nothing else Derrick Brown should help turn around this element of the game. The team is also getting Kawann Short back and they are switching to a 4-3 defensive scheme, which should also help stop the run.

Defensively, the Raiders were nothing special. They allowed 26.2 points per game last year and they ranked No. 31 in DVOA. They did add a couple of strong cornerback prospects in the draft though – picking up Damon Arnette in the first round and Amik Robertson in the fourth. It will be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Joe Brady, starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and a speedy wide receiver corps perform against them.

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