Players and coaches for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have begun their final break before the start of training camp, in which they are presumably getting their minds off football for a short stretch. That is not our approach, however. As we wait for those men and women to return to the playing field, we are taking an opportunity to look at each team Tampa Bay is going to face during the regular season. From how those teams fared last year, to what they’ve done with the roster since, to some as-yet-unanswered questions – we want to get a better feel for what the Bucs will be up against this fall. Today we look at a team the Bucs won’t cross paths with until December despite being NFC South rivals: the Carolina Panthers.
After finishing 6-11 in Josh McDaniels’ first year as head coach in 2022, the Raiders improved by two games in 2023 to 9-8, but McDaniels wasn’t there to see the second half of it. Both McDaniels and General Manager David Ziegler were fired on November 1 after the team’s 3-5 start, and Antonio Pierce took over the team on an interim basis.
Las Vegas actually opened the season with a win, nipping the Broncos in Denver, 17-16, thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Jakobi Meyers. However, Week Two brought a 38-10 thumping in Buffalo, with Garoppolo throwing two picks and the Bills’ Josh Allen tossing three touchdown passes during a 450-yard outing for his offense. In Week Three, Garoppolo played every offensive snap in a 23-18 home loss to Pittsburgh but was diagnosed with a concussion after the game and had to miss a Week Four trip to Los Angeles to play the Chargers. Rookie fourth-rounder Aidan O’Connell got his first career start but the Chargers got the win, 24-17, and O’Connell had one pick and no touchdowns.
Garoppolo returned the following week and the Raiders got back to .500 with consecutive wins over Green Bay and New England. The Raiders smothered Packers quarterback Jordan Love, holding him to 182 yards and no touchdowns while picking him off twice in a 17-13 decision in Las Vegas. The Raiders put the finishing touches on a 21-17 win over the Patriots by sacking Mac Jones in the end zone for a fourth-quarter safety. However, Garoppolo was knocked out of the game with a back injury and he would miss a 30-12 loss in Chicago the following weekend.
Garoppolo again returned to start the next game, but he completed just 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards and an interception in…
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