Raiders Preview: AFC West Gauntlet Determines 2022 Fate -

The Raiders enter their 2022 season with expectations and a brutal AFC West schedule.

With all four AFC West teams entering the 2022 season pursuing playoff intentions, every matchup between these teams will mean significantly more as the playoffs are near. Seeing as each of these games will be highlighted with heightened significance, the surrounding factors, such as location and time, must also be regarded with raised importance. Weather, location, and previous opponents can all play major roles, and all will factor in when two teams have to be at their best for a battle in the AFC West. For example, the Denver Broncos meet the Raiders for the first time in the 2022 season in Las Vegas, following a two-game homestand in which the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers come to town. The division is a must-win.

Known Enemies, New Battles

The game against the Raiders comes as the second leg of a four-game stretch in which Denver faces playoff (or playoff-adjacent) teams, as the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers line up in the wings. In the second matchup between Las Vegas and Denver, the Broncos return to Mile High Stadium after visiting Jacksonville and Tennessee. Both matchups between these teams come after Denver has faced a weaker team followed by a stronger one, which could lead momentum to play a major role. The Broncos will most likely be a bit dinged up after facing off with San Francisco and Tennessee, but carrying wins over from either of those games could give Denver the shot in the arm they need to hang with Las Vegas.

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Division Mastermind

Andy Reid is regarded as one of the most dangerous coaches to play against following a Chiefs bye week, and the Raiders are notorious for drawing the Chiefs in their first week back. Fortunately, the Raiders lucked out and only drew the Chiefs on an eight-day (Sunday-Monday) rest period in their first matchup in Kansas City. The two teams will meet for the first time on Monday Night Football, while the Chiefs endure one of the most daunting stretches ever seen. Kansas City will face the Cardinals, Chargers (Sunday-Thursday short week), Colts, Buccaneers, Raiders, Bills, and 49ers respectively.

Litmus Test

When the Chiefs meet the Raiders, they will be about halfway through their season-long gauntlet and, due to recent history, maybe looking a little less seriously towards Las Vegas as they try to recover and regroup with a duel with the Bills in the following week. Although the divisional games may be pivotal for many teams, the Chiefs’ schedule draws attention outside of the AFC West. However, in their second matchup, the Chiefs will be coming off games against the Texans, Seahawks, and Broncos, with a game in Las Vegas to end their regular season, so the team will have nowhere else to look but their Week 18 matchup with the Raiders.

Future Headache Becomes Immediate Concern

Somewhat similarly to the Chiefs, the Los Angeles Chargers will not have a “rest” game prior to matching up with the Raiders, as the surrounding games feature difficult opponents such as the Rams, Cowboys, and Saints stretch to start the year before the first matchup, and a 49ers, Chiefs, Cardinals mini-gauntlet before the teams meet again. Fortunately for the Chargers, the team starts the season with three of their first four games in Los Angeles but will be on the second leg of a two-week road trip for the teams’ second meeting.

Overview

There are six games in every season with a tad more importance, as they are played inside the same division, and this season, the Raiders will have a decent advantage boost in most, if not all, from scheduling alone. Keeping their opponents away from lighter games prior to the divisional matchup could lead to Raiders opponents coming into games just a bit more beat up and worn down.