Well, that was ugly, to say the least. Coming off a massive win over the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Las Vegas Raiders were riding high into their home opener against the Carolina Panthers . Then, they proceeded to get dominated by the Panthers from start to finish.
The media predicted a close game here , but this showing was anything but that. Carolina got the ball first, and Andy Dalton picked up where he left off in terms of obliterating the Raiders throughout his career . He quickly led the Panthers down the field, capping off their opening drive with a short touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard, giving Carolina a 7-0 lead.
Las Vegas would get the next score late in the first quarter, going the length of the field, with Alexander Mattison rushing in from two yards out to tie the game. From there on, things got ugly for Las Vegas. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Dalton led Carolina on a long drive, converting multiple third downs.
He wound up completing a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw to Diontae Johnson from five yards out, giving Carolina the lead again. Dalton would once again deliver a beautiful touchdown pass just before halftime, splitting two Raiders defenders and finding Adam Thielen on a 31-yard pass up the seam. Carolina went into halftime with a 21-7 lead.
Las Vegas never made it any closer. Two field goals from Eddy Pinerio from 43 and 35 yards in the third quarter made it 27-7 heading into the final frame. Miles Sanders would then score a short rushing touchdown earl.