4 big takeaways from Panthers’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers had no answer for Josh Jacobs
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Raiders were going to rely on Josh Jacobs heavily. The sophomore running back enjoyed a fine first year in the NFL and his performance at Bank of America Stadium was a huge factor in the overall result.
Jon Gruden found out quickly that running up the middle against Kawann Short and Derrick Brown wasn’t the smart way to go. Putting Jacobs on outside run schemes got plenty of joy and it was something that the Carolina Panthers simply did not have an answer for.
A multitude of missed tackles on Jacobs enabled him to generate momentum in the early going and the former Alabama standout built on this throughout the game. He eventually finished with 25 carries for 93 rushing yards and three touchdowns at a modest yards-per-carry average of 3.7.
Jacobs was also able to influence the passing game exceptionally well. The Panthers’ linebackers found it tough to cope with his angle routes which provided Derek Carr with a nice security blanket to call upon in critical situations.
Luke Kuechly’s leadership and production were missed, to put it mildly. Jacobs had his way with the Panthers and huge adjustments need to be made in the coming days.