Raiders Panthers Spread

Written by Jason Lowry

The Carolina Panthers travel to take on the Oakland Raiders this weekend, as two teams headed in different directions square off. The Panthers are 6-2 and fresh off a win over the Cardinals two weeks ago, as they are well rested this week off their bye. The Raiders on the other hand, did not have a good week at all, as they were shutout by the Atlanta Falcons 24-0. The oddsmakers are thinking no contest in this one, as the Panthers come in 9.5 point favorites over the Raiders.

The Panthers have really looked good this season, and it looks like the offense has really got back in a groove with Jake Delhomme under center, plus the running combination of DeAngelo Williams and rookie Jonathan Stewart is a force bringing in nearly 144 a game. Against the Cardinals Delhomme threw for 248 yards and 2 scores while Williams did most of the work in the running game going for 108 yards on just 17 carries. Receiver Steve Smith had another big day catching 5 for 117 and 2 scores, and his ability to make big plays is a must for this team. Look for much of the same this week against the Raiders.

The Panthers defense had its troubles against the Cardinals letting Warner throw for over 380 yards and 2 scores, but were excellent against the run giving up just 50 yards on the ground. There is no question that the Raiders don’t have the passing game like the Cardinals, as few do, so we expect this unit to have much more success against the Raiders who like to run the football.

The Raiders are just not good, and it seems like they come to play when they want. The last couple of weeks is been pretty obvious they haven’t and players are taking a seat now, as they most recently let go of former star corner back DeAngelo Hall. Against the Falcons last week it was simply ugly, as the Raiders managed just 77 total yards while failing to put a point on the board. Now the Falcons aren’t bad on defense, but 77 yards is unacceptable in the NFL. This team may win one more game down the stretch, but it doesn’t look good right now.

The Raiders defense was just as bad letting the Falcons do pretty much whatever they wanted on them last week, as the Raiders let rookie quarterback Matt Ryan throw for 220 yards and 2 score while completing 17 of 22 passes. That wasn’t all as they couldn’t stop the run either, as Michael Turner pounded it 31 times for 139 yards. This defense didn’t get better on the field without Hall, so expect a rough week for this unit against the Panthers.

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