Week 3 key matchups: Hobbs faces tough test in Thielen

Las Vegas has a good chance to get a ‘W’ in the home opener

Week 3 serves as the home opener for the Las Vegas Raiders and the Raiders have a good chance to start the season 2-1 with a game against the Carolina Panthers.

Dating back to last season, the Panthers have been the worst team in the league and the 2024 campaign has gotten off to a rough start with two blowout losses for the NFL’s worst point differential at negative 60.

That being said, anyone who has been a fan of the team over the last 20 years knows this has the potential to be a “trap game” for the Silver and Black, so the three matchups below are still very important for Las Vegas to win.

Nate Hobbs vs. Adam Thielen

While Hobbs has taken on a bigger role this season, lining up as a boundary corner as well as over the slot, he’s still primarily a nickelback with 73 snaps at that spot compared to 41 out wide according to Pro Football Focus.

To no surprise, Hobbs has been playing at a high level so far this season as he’s only been targeted twice and hasn’t allowed a completion yet while logging a pass breakup. That has resulted in a meager 39.6 passer rating when targeted and a 75.2 coverage grade from PFF that ranks 20th among cornerbacks.

But the four-year veteran is about to face his toughest matchup of the season so far.

Despite dealing with poor quarterback play last year, Adam Thielen caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards while taking 69.1 percent of his snaps in the slot. While his production hasn’t been impressive so far in 2024 with just five catches for 69 yards, Thielen is still the Panthers’ leading receiver as those figures are the most on the team.

Also, Carolina opted to make a quarterback change ahead of the contest as Andy Dalton gives the team a better chance to win than Bryce Young. Dalton started one game for the Panthers last season, and that happened to be Thielen’s most productive game of the year with 11 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

Those two well-tenured veterans should have some chemistry together so expect Hobbs to get tested on Sunday.

Davante Adams vs. Jaycee Horn/Mike Jackson

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

It’s no coincidence that the Raiders’ offense showed signs of life for the first time this season when Adams started getting the ball. He finished last week’s game with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown while the majority of that production came in the second half, when the team scored 20 of its 26 points.

Especially with Las Vegas struggling to get the ground game going, the offense needs to run through its best player. That being said, the Panthers do have a couple of quality cornerbacks.

So far in 2024, Horn and Jackson have taken turns guarding an opponent’s No. 1 receiver and both have been solid to start the year.

Horn didn’t get targeted in Week 1 and while he did give up a 29-yard touchdown to Quentin Johnston last Sunday, the fourth-year pro also managed to record a pass breakup and an interception. Meanwhile, Jackson was picked on more in the season opener, giving up five catches for 47 yards on six targets, but he’s coming off a more productive outing with one grab surrendered for 11 yards on three attempts.

That should make for an interesting battle this weekend.

Brock Bowers vs. Jordan Fuller

Bowers’ career has gotten off to a hot start as he’s currently leading all tight ends with 15 catches for 156 yards through two games. The rookie has also been impressively efficient as PFF has him down for 2.64 yards per route run which ranks third at the position.

Similar to Adams, the Raiders’ offense has been at its best when the first-round pick has been getting the ball. So, the team needs to continue to give Bowers touches to keep the momentum going, and he should have a favorable matchup.

While Fuller has a solid reputation, he struggled mightily in the Panthers’ season opener by giving up five completions on five targets for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Granted, a lot of that production came against wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. But Fuller yielded two catches for 26 yards, a touchdown and a first down to tight end Juwan Johnson, and a catch for 18 yards when covering the slot against New Orleans.

Per PFF, Bowers has spent 56.5 percent of his pass snaps as a slot receiver and 33.9 percent as an in-line tight end, so he should see Fuller often during Sunday’s contest.