Run defense top of list on things that 'have to improve' after Week 1 loss

[Sir Purr]

Jacobs' ability didn't come as a surprise. Linebacker Tahir Whitehead was Jacobs' teammate last year and told his Panthers teammates what it would be like to try to bring him down.


But executing against the second-year back is easier said than done.


"He has great contact balance, so we could hit him in the backfield at times, and he could still get his 2, 3 (yards) and set their offense in motion," cornerback Troy Pride Jr. said.


Jacobs wasn't the only effective Raider on the ground. Backup running back Devonate Booker had four carries for 29 yards, and rookie wideout Henry Ruggs III added a pair of rushes for 11 yards. The combined ground attack kept the Raiders offensive in favorable down-and-distance situations. Eight of Las Vegas' first nine third downs were with 5 or fewer yards to go. Five of those were for 2 yards or fewer.


That's also part of why the Panthers didn't have a sack for the first time since Week 2 of the 2018 season. Their pass-rushing opportunities were few and far between.


The Raiders converted six of their 11 third downs, with another conversion coming on a pass interference penalty.


"They have a lot of different formations they like to run, and just the personnel they have is tricky," Pride said.


It didn't help that cornerback Donte Jackson left the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter. That left the Panthers with the rookie Pride on one side, and Rasul Douglas — whose first practice with the team was on Wednesday — on the other.


Pride was in coverage for two of the Raiders' longest plays of the game. The first was a deep crossing route to Ruggs for 45 yards that set up Jacobs' first score. While safety Tre Boston was the closest player to Ruggs, Rhule said as Pride gains more experience, he'll realize how to aid the safety in that situation.


In the second quarter, Pride was on wide receiver Nelson Agholor when he caught a 23-yard touchdown.


"If I just do small things that would've helped me at the beginning of the route, it would've provided a different outcome," Pride said. "So, those are learning experiences."


Douglas acquitted himself well, recording a pair of passes defensed.


"He was prepared. He's a pro," Whitehead said. "He's been around for quite some time, so I expected nothing less than that."