Raiders at Panther week 16 game thread

The Raiders are trying to get a look at some younger players while continuing to be competitive through the final two games of the season. In the interest of this youth movement, Jack Crawford has been activated while Dave Tollefson is a healthy scratch.

Terrelle Pryor will also see more of the field more in this game. He came on for one series (a three and out) last week against the Chiefs. Today Greg Knapp said Pryor will see some plays on third down and in the red zone. Last week it was to see if he could run the same offense as Palmer and this week it is to see if he can provide a change up for the team, utilizing his speed and athleticism.

Juron Criner is also out with a hip injury. He is replaced in the lineup by Derek Hagan which is the opposite of youth movement but that's just how it goes.

The Panthers will start DeAngelo Williams at running back with Jonathan Stewart inactive today. Either Stewart or Williams is a nice option for the Panthers. The Raiders hope to be able to keep Williams under wraps as they did Jamaal Charles (9 rush for 10 yards) last week.

The Raiders will have all they can handle from the fleet of foot Cam Newton. They have struggled with even the lesser mobile quarterbacks when they tuck the ball and run. But make no mistake, Newton can also put the ball in the air.

It is the defense in Carolina that gives them problems. They have similar issues in the secondary to the Raiders but the Raiders seem to have found some good replacements for their injured starters. They also have some issues stopping the run. The Raiders could score a touchdown last week against a weak Chiefs defense. They are hoping they can actually get into the end zone today.

Raiders inactives: RB J. Stewart, DT R. Seymour, LB R. McClain, WR J. Criner, T W. Smith, OL L. Nix, and DE D. Tollefson

Panthers inactives: QB J. Clausen, WR D. Gettis, RB J. Stewart, LB J. Anderson, C/G G. Hangartner, G H. Hicks, and DT S. Fua