Oakland Raiders v Carolina Panthers Game Day Open Thread

The Oakland Raiders play host to the Carolina Panthers looking to build on their 8-2 record and tighten their grip on the AFC West – this is your place to talk about the game and all things Raiders football.

Handle your business. That needs to be the mantra of the Oakland Raiders today. Handle your business and everything else will take care of itself.

The Raiders and Panthers couldn’t be having more different seasons if they’d planned it. Last year, the Panthers went 15-1 and appeared in the Super Bowl. Carolina though, has hit some serious turbulence this season and has struggled to regain the form that led them to the success they had last year.

The Raiders, of course, went 7-9 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. But even in that sub-.500 record, you could see the spark of something much bigger building. These weren’t the Raiders of the past decade plus, who couldn’t seem to win if they were given a 14 point lead with two minutes remaining in a game.

The promise we saw last year is beginning to come to fruition as the Raiders sit at 8-2 and in sole possession of first place in the AFC West. But they have both Denver and Kansas City nipping at their heels, both coming into this weekend’s games 7-3.

The silver lining is that Denver and Kansas City play each other today, meaning one of them will fall to 7-4, but the other will move to 8-3. Which means that the Raiders are going to need to take care of business if they want to stay alone atop the division.

But this game won’t be easy. Not by any means. The Panthers, at 4-6 and two games behind Atlanta, are a desperate team looking to remain in the race for the NFC South. Carolina knows that it’s division or bust and they’re going to come out swinging as they cling to their fading playoff hopes.

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History has not been kind to the Raiders in this series. The Panthers lead the series 3-2 and won their last head-to-head game 17-6, back in 2012. The last time Carolina came to Oakland was back in 2008 – and resulted in another 17-6 Panthers win.

In case you wondered, the last time the Raiders beat Carolina, it was all the way back in the 2004 season, when the Silver and Black edged the Panthers 27-24.

So, the Raiders – who have been ending all sorts of dubious streaks the last couple of seasons – will most assuredly be looking to snap this one as well.

And the Raiders may have caught a bit of a break in that Carolina is going to be without center Ryan Kalil, out with a shoulder injury. For the year, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been sacked 25 times – which puts them in the top half of the league in that category.

Not having Kalil in the lineup is going to make the job of protecting Newton a little bit harder. It’s an advantage the Raiders’ pass rushers absolutely must take advantage of.

Oakland’s offense is also going to need to take full advantage of the absence of linebacker Luke Kuechly, out with a concussion. They’ll need to exploit that hole in the middle of Carolina’s defense to get their running game back on track. It won’t be an easy task as the Panthers come in with the league’s second best run defense. But not having Kuechly wreaking havoc with Oakland’s running game could prove a big advantage.

It’s a big game for both teams. The Raiders are looking to keep building that momentum while the Panthers are fighting to stay alive in the postseason race. And the more desperate team is likely going to win this game.

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How do you see this game playing out? What are the major storylines to you? Who will have the bigger day – Newton or Carr? Will Oakland be able to take advantage of a weak Carolina secondary? Let’s hear your thoughts. Call your shot.

This is your place to talk about the game and all things Raiders football. So step up, speak out, and be heard!

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