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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