Raiders Week 3: Defense needs to be tenacious, communicative against veteran Andy Dalton

Carolina Panthers quarterback hasn’t lost a start to Silver & Black in his career

From hesitancy to sense of urgency.

That’s what defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is expecting for his Las Vegas Raiders defense as it contends with the Carolina Panthers — a team that made a drastic change from young quarterback Bryce Young to veteran Andy Dalton.

“I apologize, but right now the talk about Carolina that I’m looking forward to the challenge with these guys coming in, and they’re going to have a sense of urgency about them,” Graham said when asked specifically about the interception Robert Spillane snared last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens with the help of young cornerback Jakorian Bennett. “The timing of the offense is going to be different. Not anything against [Bryce] Young, it’s just you’re dealing with veteran quarterback who’s seen everything.”

During Graham’s time at the podium during his media availability on Thursday, the Silver & Black play caller spoke glowingly of the Panthers offense. While Young experienced the growing pains (and arguably the lack of sound building the team around him) young quarterbacks do which leads to hesitation and misfires, Graham doesn’t expect that with 36-year-old veteran Dalton stepping in under center.

“Not anything against Young, it’s just you’re dealing with veteran quarterback who’s seen everything,” Graham said of of the quarterback swap. “Disguise is going to be critical. We’re going to have to do a good job there. They ran the ball last week, I think they averaged five yards a carry. We got something we’re working on to make sure we’re strong there. So, I wish I could spend time thinking about that, but Carolina presents enough challenges for me in terms of preparation right now, and that’s where my mind’s at as we head into third down, fourth down today and red areas. So, it’s hard for me to think about that.”

Graham is wise to speak on the positives of Carolina’s offense, even if the Panthers are 0-2. While the Las Vegas did get back in the win column, the Raiders are 1-1 and have no business looking down on any opponents — no matter how moribund.

Dalton, a second round pick (35th overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals all the way back in the 2011 NFL Draft, is 4-0 in his career starts against the Silver & Black. His most recent outing against the Raiders was a 24-0 win with the New Orleans Saints during the 2022 season and the quarterback has thrown for 716 yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions all time when playing both the Oakland and Las Vegas variants.

“Experience,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said when asked what Dalton brings to the table as the Panthers’ new signal caller. “The good thing about it, we’ve got a gentleman on our staff who drafted him, knows him very well. We played against Andy [Dalton] actually two years ago as well with New Orleans. So, there’s some familiarity with us. Obviously, what are they going to do scheme wise just in a couple of days? He’s a vet. I’m sure there’s not too much they can’t throw at him and ask him to do, but I do expect him to be a little bit more efficient I would think on third down is what their issues were. But looking at a guy who is experienced, that knows how to move the ball, move the chains and somehow, some way, when he gets on the field he makes plays. So, we’ve got to be savvy and smart there.”

Fortunately, for the Raiders, they have a defense chalk full of experience, too.

From defensive end Maxx Crosby and defensive tackles Christian Wilkins and John Jenkins, to middle linebacker Robert Spillane, and safety Marcus Epps, Graham’s defense is laden with veterans and it’s imperative the group be tenacious and communicative against Dalton. While Dalton has acclimation to do, he’s unlikely to be gun shy in the passing game and if given the opportunity to make pre-snap adjustments, can get the Panthers offense in the best possible position to succeed due to his 14 years in the NFL and 170 career games (163 of those starts).

By pressuring Dalton on passing downs and stone walling Carolina’s run game, the Raiders can finally put a notch in the quarterback’s loss column when meeting the Silver & Black. With the home crowd behind it, however, Las Vegas defense should rise to the occasion. Otherwise, that big team win in Week 2 on the road in Baltimore means very little.

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images

The Lewis Connection

For eight of Dalton’s nine seasons in Cincinnati, current Raiders assistant head coach Marvin Lewis was the head honcho for the Bengals. Thus, naturally, the question of how much Pierce and Graham have leaned on Lewis to get insight on the quarterback came up.

“No, because that was some years ago,” Pierce answered when asked if he plans to rely on Lewis. “I think what we can do is really get into the mindset, the psyche of the quarterback. I mean, he’s been away for some time. It’s really a scouting report at this point. We’re still trying to figure out what Carolina is going to do offensively with Andy, which might be different or may not be different than they did with Bryce.”

“We’re in the business of gathering information,” Graham said when asked about what he’s gleaned from Lewis. “It’s been very useful. It’s been very useful to talk to him, like pick his brain. So like what are some of his favorite plays, because you think a veteran quarterback is going to have a little say in what he wants to run for, third down, two minute, things of that nature, red area. So were there any go-to plays he had. What did he struggle with. So, going through that process, that’s always useful. We’re always trying to gather information to make the best decision how to deploy our guys out there.”

Series History: The two teams have met seven times in the regular season with the Raiders holding a 4-3 all-time series advantage. The Silver & Black have won the last two meetings — 34-30 in 2020 and 35-32 in 2016. Carolina won the two meetings before that — 17-6 in 2012 and 17-6 in 2008. The most lopsided game between the two was the Raiders’ 52-9 victory in 2000.