Will the Carolina Panthers finally start finding themselves some winnings out west this weekend?
Here are the biggest storylines for their Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders . . .
Roulette
The Panthers placed all of their chips on quarterback Bryce Young in 2023. But since No. 9 has yet to hit, they’ve now moved their pieces to Red 14.
14th-year veteran Andy Dalton was named the team’s new starter after a disappointing two-game stretch to begin the season. Carolina’s 0-2 start saw Young throw for just 245 yards and three interceptions while leading the offense to only one touchdown and two successful third-down conversions on 22 tries.
Dalton will not be expected to have all the answers for this struggling unit. But the 36-year-old and three-time Pro Bowler should carry in a bit of confidence under center, something that spot had been lacking with Young.
Jackpot
In addition to some knowhow and conviction, Dalton should also bring the deep ball back to the Carolina offense.
That too has been an element the Panthers were deprived of under Young—who averaged under three passing attempts of at least 20 yards downfield in his 18 career games. Dalton, in his lone start for the Panthers in 2023, threw seven such passes.
Opening up the field may help ignite a few pass catchers, including rookie Xavier Legette. The first-round pick, who was targeted zero times in last week’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, specifically made note of Dalton’s deep ball prowess on Thursday.
Hold ‘Em
Carolina’s defense had issues against the run even with a fully healthy lineup. Unfortunately, they’re not fully healthy anymore.
Not only will the Panthers continue to be without Pro Bowler Derrick Brown, but they could also be missing fellow starting defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson (questionable) and Shy Tuttle (doubtful). This is not particularly great news for a group that allowed the second-most rushing yards (399) through Week 2.
They will, however, be facing the league’s least productive ground game in Las Vegas. The Raiders averaged just 49.0 rushing yards between their first two outings, 19 fewer yards than the next closest team.
So if the Panthers cannot stop that, then good luck from here on out.
