4 big Carolina Panthers storylines to watch against the Raiders

Here are some of the key storylines to watch when the Carolina Panthers take on the Las Vegas Raiders in their Week 1 opener.

Excitement is building ahead of the Carolina Panthers returning to the field for the Week 1 contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. This has seemed like the longest offseason in many a year thanks to the unprecedented amount of disruption and getting back down to business will be a welcome boost for NFL fans with everything else going on in their day-to-day lives.

Whether this is going to come with success for the Carolina Panthers is the big question that needs to be answered. Things are more uncertain than ever regarding their current roster after significant changes in personnel from top to bottom and they will need to show resolve in the face of some stern competition in the coming months.

This is going to be a case of trial and error for the Panthers this season. Year one of a rebuild this substantial rarely goes smoothly. But new head coach Matt Rhule will find out quickly which players are going to be part of his long-term plans ahead of another pivotal offseason period in 2021.

It is important for Carolina’s loyal fanbase to keep the bigger picture in mind when examining the team’s fortunes, especially early on. This is a young group who will be learning as they go, so some growing pains are expected as each player finds their feet in a different environment.

The Raiders will pose plenty of threats that the Panthers need to be wary of. Here are four big storylines worth keeping a close eye on when both sides cross the white lines on Sunday.