Luke Kuechly out for Panthers game against Raiders

“There is most certainly a West Coast element to what they do”, head coach Ron Rivera said.

It has been a long time since the Raiders were 8-2 and it has been a really long time since the Raider faithful entered week 11 with hope, but Derek Carr has just about singlehandedly raised the franchise from a decades long shambles. Oakland has so much firepower on offense, and the craziest thing is the fact that Latavius Murray has become a more reliable in-between-the-tackles yard-churner than Stewart this season. Carolina has won and covered the spread in two straight meetings with the Raiders.

The Silver and Black know it doesn’t. Monday night’s victory in the past, Raiders take on it’s next foe, Carolina.

Let’s start from the beginning.

The 53-year-old GM is equally impressive with free agents.

“We’ve got make sure we’re on point right now”, Raiders left tackle Donald Penn said.

The Panthers will be without arguably the best linebacker in all of football in Luke Kuechly. Carr has 20 touchdown passes compared to only four picks.

The post Scouting Report: Raiders vs. Panthers appeared first on Cover32. Defending tight ends has been an off-and-on proposition for the Raiders the last two seasons, and Olsen provides perhaps the toughest test of the season; he has a league-high 54 receptions for 745 yards and three touchdowns.

While both are expected to play – Smith practiced without restrictions this week – the Raiders are still 29th in total defense and 28th overall against the pass.

Take the Cowboys, who are serious Super Bowl contenders, for example. “Those guys are still very capable of being a great team”.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders could use upgrades at several positions.

As the football season has surpassed the halfway mark, the Oakland Raiders have steadily emerged as the American Football Conference (AFC) dark horse. Carr usually has plenty of time to throw, since he operates behind what could be the best pass blocking offensive line in the league.

As we previously mentioned, the Oakland Raiders are in control of their own postseason fate. “They’ve got a lot of weapons”.

If you aren’t really familiar with Oakland or the Raiders, that’s understandable. However, now that we are late in the week, this game looks to be more in Oakland’s favor simply because of the injury report.

In addition to Kuechly, who had team-leading 14 tackles before getting hurt in Week 11 win, check status of PANTHERS top pass rusher Mario Addison (foot), C Ryan Kalil (shoulder) and CB Leonard Johnson (chest). Their victories include wins by 1, 1 and 3 points, and a 6-point overtime win.

Sep 25, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback James Bradberry (24) runs out of the tunnel during player introductions against the Minnesota Vikings at Bank of America Stadium.