Raiders-Panthers recap: Las Vegas dominates at home 36-22

The Las Vegas Raiders are famous for this type of game.

This one, however, belongs at the top of the list of puzzling, inexcusable defeats.

There was the Jeff Saturday game two years ago. There was the Tyson Bagent game last year and so many more. They can go over.

This was the Andy Dalton game.

On Monday, the Panthers replaced 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young with Dalton, their 36-year-old backup who did not start last year. The Panthers entered this game 0-2 and had not led a game since Week 15 of last season. They were outscored 73-13 overall in their first two games.

And Dalton came and led the Panthers to a 36-22 victory over the Raiders in their first home game. And it wasn’t close. The Raiders scored twice in overtime.

So much for all the momentum expected to begin the season after the Raiders evened their record at 1-1 with an unexpected comeback win in Baltimore last week.

This game ruined everything for the Raiders with a score of 1:2.

Pierce angry:

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was upset after the game and said he understood fans booing his team. Interestingly, Pierce said he felt some of his players made “business decisions” toward the end of the game and didn’t play their best. He said as a result, the coaching staff will also make business decisions. It seems like some changes could be made. Pierce, who is 6-6 as Raiders coach, took pride in playing hard for 60 minutes. That irks the former NFL linebacker.

Dalton takes over:

Dalton, who is 5-0 against the Raiders, completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdown passes, all of which came in the first half. He shredded the Raiders

Tough day for the defense:

The Raiders are supposed to be a defense-first team, but the unit struggled all game Sunday. It wasn’t just Dalton and the passing game. The Panthers rushed for 131 yards. Las Vegas gave up over 100 yards in all three games. Opponents will keep harassing the Raiders until they show they can stop it.

The offensive line has problems again:

The offensive line has been a problem for Las Vegas this season. That continued on Sunday against a weak Carolina defense. The Raiders allowed three sacks and rushed for just 55 yards. Starter Zamir White rushed for just 34 yards on 10 carries. This season, he has rushed for 102 yards on 32 carries. Last week, Pierce said it wasn’t because the running game’s problems started up front. Sop, that’s still a problem. That’s disappointing for the Raiders, especially since Pierce said the offense had its best practice in a long time on Thursday.

Hard day for Maxx:

Raiders’ star defensive end Maxx Crosby was great, but he had only two assisted tackles. Crosby is dealing with an ankle injury that is visibly affecting him. He told reporters after the game that he has a severe ankle sprain. That usually keeps players on the bench. Crosby has never missed a game. The Raiders managed Crosby and kept him off the field on plays on Sunday. He usually never leaves the field. It’s a long season. He needs to be taken care of, so this approach made sense.

Where is Adams, Bowers;

The Raiders came back to Baltimore because receiver Davante Adams and rookie tight end Brock Bowers both had big games. But they were held in check on Sunday. Bowers, who had the most pass catches of any NFL tight end after two games, had three catches for 41 yards and Adams had four catches for 40 yards. That can’t happen.

Robinson about Wilson:

The Raiders started Janarius Robinson in place of Maxx Crosby in place of Tyree Wilson, even though the 2023 first-round pick is healthy after missing last week. Charles Snowden also played as a rotation player for the Raiders, who have been without their starting pass rusher Malcolm Koonce all season, after he suffered a knee injury in practice before Week 1.

Masterson begins:

Luke Masterson started at linebacker because starter Divine Deablo was out with an oblique injury and a concussion. It was the ninth career start for Masterson, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022. He had xx tackles on Sunday. Undrafted rookie linebacker Amari Gainer played on defense for the first time.

AOC ends game:

Backup Aidan O’Connell finished the game, leading a touchdown drive in garbage time. Starter Gardner Minshew also had a garbage time touchdown.

Penalties are a small problem:

The Raiders received a total of five penalties in the first two games. On Sunday they were penalized six times for 55 yards. The Panthers received seven penalties. The Raiders have won the penalty battle in all three games.

Tucker has a big day:

The second-year receiver had some success in garbage time, finishing the game with seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. He completed a 54-yard pass to Minshew earlier in the game. With his speed, he’s a real weapon.

Home advantage:

At the Raiders’ first home game of the season, the crowd was very pro-Raiders. That’s not always the case, of course, as opposing fans are known to avoid Las Vegas. But Carolina fans don’t like to travel, so that wasn’t a problem. That could be different next week, when the Cleveland Browns visit Las Vegas for the first time. The Dawg Pound could be in full force on the Strip.

Difficult start:

Dalton led the Panthers 70 yards down the field on the opening kickoff for a touchdown, ending a 20-game streak in which the Panthers had not scored a touchdown on their opening drive. It was the first time the Panthers had led in a game since Week 15 of last season, currently the longest streak in the league. And then the Raiders had to punt on their first drive.

Spillane balls out again:

Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane was a bright spot on Sunday, making at least 10 tackles for the third straight game. He’s been great since coming out of Pittsburgh as an overlooked free agent last year. He’s putting up Pro Bowl numbers.

Rub in:
En route to his first win as an NFL head coach, Panthers coach Dave Canales tried to score two points in the fourth quarter with a 33-7 lead. He missed. I understand times were tough for the Panthers. But things like that catch up with you eventually.

Whitehair begins:

Veteran free agent signing Cody Whitehair started at left guard. He was in the starting lineup in Week 1. Andrus Peat started the next week in Baltimore but was replaced by Whitehair. Second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson, who saw action for the first time on Sunday, briefly replaced right guard Dylan Parham in the second quarter.