Carolina Panthers must exploit Raiders' glaring weakness for Week 3 win

Another week, another chance for the Carolina Panthers to right the ship.

Much has already been said of the horrendous start to the 2024 season by the Panthers. A start that led to the benching of quarterback Bryce Young. However, with Andy Dalton taking over the reins of the faltering offense, what can they do to help secure a much-needed victory for this fanbase?

That answer, as it has for most throughout NFL history, lies in the run game. A facet of this offense that has never truly been effective since the departure of Christian McCaffrey.

The Panthers have only mustered a total of 148 rushing yards in the first two weeks of the season. The rushing attack as a whole has looked even more inept than those stats would suggest. There is something inherently broken about this offense, but Week 3 just might be the perfect opportunity to fix things.

Carolina Panthers must exploit the Raiders' woeful run defense in Week 3

While the Panthers have been the worst team in the league for quite some time, the Las Vegas Raiders have not been too far ahead. Especially this season and especially against the run. Carolina has given up 399 yards on the ground. Antonio Pierce's men have let up 327. These are among the league's worst run defenses, which could be promising if one team capitalizes on it.

The team is still waiting for someone to step up and be the leader in this running back room. It looked as if Chuba Hubbard was the answer last season. That has yet to materialize this time around. The best way for the Panthers to accomplish this task is to try out everyone. Give several options a drive to see just what they can do.

Hubbard has struggled to assert dominance and Miles Sanders continues to be the worst free agent signing in recent memory for this team. With rookie second-rounder Jonathon Brooks still sidelined by injury, someone has to step up.

What is the harm in experimenting a little at this point?

Establishing the run early and often not only proves to be an effective tactic against the Raiders, but it will also lessen the load on Dalton to propel the team to victory. It also might let the wide receivers breathe a little bit with the opposition more focused on the ground game.

This will in turn put more onus on Gardner Minshew to win the game through the air. Although he's put up significant numbers this season, the veteran signal-caller is prone to mistakes under pressure.

If the Panthers can capitalize on a weak run defense in Week 3, it could go a long way to boosting the offense's confidence. A little bit of positive traction could go a long way for a team that has looked like it will only fall deeper into obscurity.

The Panthers have a chance here. When looking at the rest of the schedule, this might be their only real opportunity at a victory to get things headed on the right path once again. It's early in the season, but this has a make-or-break feel for Canales.

This game has to be a win or the Panthers. Otherwise, they could be looking at the first winless season since the Cleveland Browns.

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