Raiders Opinion: Schedule Easier Than It Appears

    During every season, teams will go through “manufactured” highs and lows. The teams do not control the schedule, so the timing of stretches of games is out of their control. For an example of a manufactured low, the Las Vegas Raiders play three 10+ win teams in the first three weeks of a season. A vast majority of NFL teams would not be expected to enter Week 4 at 3-0. But, there are also times where the rocky schedule dilutes into calmer waters, like the eye of a hurricane. In 2021, the Raiders have a massive stretch of games in which their opponents recorded records of 8-8 or worse in 2020.

Charged?

    Starting in Week 4, Las Vegas heads to Los Angeles to do battle with the Chargers, who finished 7-9 last season. While the Chargers did not impress last season, expect a new and improved defense to go along with Justin Herbert’s rising talent.

Bear Down

      Then, in Week 5, the Raiders head back home to face off with the Chicago Bears (8-8 in 2020) who have deteriorated on defense a bit but added quarterback Justin Fields, who will most likely be the team’s starting quarterback by this game.

Winnable

      Week 6 takes the Raiders to Denver to meet with the Broncos (5-11) who, at the time of writing, still do not have a quarterback worth fearing. Sure, they may have all the other pieces of a good team, but time will tell if not drafting a quarterback this year will haunt them. At this point in the season, the Raiders may want to take some time to stop and smell the roses. After Denver, Las Vegas introduces the Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1) to Allegiance Stadium, followed by their Week 8 bye. Philadelphia may have found their quarterback, but the rest of the team needs work.

Jersey Business

     Following the bye, the lighter part of the schedule continues, as the Raiders venture to New York to do battle with the Giants (6-10). The Giants are a team expected to exceed their 2020 win total, but without them putting their pieces together, the Raiders still should be favored.

Long Stretch

     By now, Week 10, the Raiders will have gone six weeks (five games and one bye) without playing a team with an above-.500 win percentage. In Week 10, the Raiders draw the Kansas City Chiefs (14-2). The previous stretch of games cannot be overlooked, but this primetime matchup must be circled on the Raiders calendar. The NFL is all about parity.

Better Than Expected

    Following their test against the Super Bowl runner-ups, Las Vegas continues their trend of playing below-average teams. The Raiders will stay home in Week 11 to play the Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1), play the Cowboys (6-10) in Dallas on Thanksgiving, then travel back home to the top of this stretch of games against the Washington Football Team (7-9) who, despite their record, did make the playoffs in 2020. Opponents on the Raiders schedule have improved and worsened from 2020 and records are no official indicator of how the games will go, but I tend to prefer to play teams that put up eight wins or less last year instead of playing a bunch of teams that saw double digits in their win column.