Raiders-Panthers 2024 NFL Week 3 Preview And Picks

The Raiders-Panthers 2024 game is the home opener for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders get the perfect opponent to welcome their fans back to Allegiant Stadium for the opening kickoff of their home opener in Las Vegas. The pathetic Panthers are now 0-2 this season and 2-17 since drafting POS quarterback Bryce Young No. 1 overall.

More on that below, but our Raiders only NFL Picks and Opinions are 2-0 to start the season after the Week 1 Pick on the Chargers and Week 2 Opinion on the Silver and Black, who rallied from a 10-point 4th quarter deficit to stun the Baltimore Ravens last week as the biggest underdog (+8.5) of the week. Those picks are not part of our 7-2 ATS start on NFL underdog picks, which are hitting greater than 57% ATS posting at OSGA and then here at Vegas Sports Zone the past 8 years.

Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders

Spread: Raiders (-6 up from -5), Game total 40
Opinion: Raiders

I provide weekly NFL underdog picks including for Week 3. Each week’s Raiders roundup and picks/opinions are separate, unless mentioned otherwise. The projected rushing edge and guidelines in this Panthers-Raiders matchup favors Las Vegas, even though the Raiders rank dead last No. 32 in rushing at just 49 yards per game thus far this season. That should change this week as the Raiders rush to the window against the Panthers poor defense that allowed the Chargers to run 44 times for 219 yards last week and the Saints 180 yards on 37 carries in Week 1.

The Panthers have lost 47-10 and 26-3 the first two weeks and QB Bryce Young has now been rightfully benched. The Panthers are -1.8 net yards per play this season while being outgained 364-176. Nine teams are 0-2 this week and will play their asses off in desperation. But the Panthers roster is awful, and QB Andy Dalton is an upgrade but the Raiders are a team with momentum and the Black Hole will be hell for them Sunday in Las Vegas against a solid defense. The Raiders offense got untracked late last week scoring on their final four possessions, and they will come alive more this week. In addition, despite the line moving up 1-point, we’ll make  Pick on the Raiders knowing they should win the game.

NFL teams that win the game SU when the point spread is -6 or less are 21-4-2 ATS this season. It was greater than 90% last season at 148-15-3 ATS (where else would you get that info). The Raiders will win, and thus have a super chance to cover based on historical data I have tracked while also playing many of our underdog picks on the moneyline for that reason as well.

Fairways Football Forecast has hit at a greater than 57% ATS the past 7+ seasons including a 70% season in 2021 going 28-12 ATS. Last season our underdog picks went 11-1 in December, and following a 7-2 ATS start this season, we’ll continue to shoot for more birdies and green on the gridion while also evaluating the Las Vegas Raiders matchup and game each week.

Notes: Another horrific trade and draft for QB Bryce Young last year. The Panthers traded top wide receiver DJ Moore, two first-round picks and two second-round picks to move up in the draft with the Bears. Is the GM or whoever collectively made that decision still employed by the Panthers?