The Raiders' 2019 schedule was so difficult just before midseason that an NFL schedule maker said he wanted a redo.
That’s because it kept the Silver and Black away from their Oakland home for six straight weeks and five straight games, including a game against the Chicago Bears in London, where the team stayed for a full week.
The Raiders came out of the daunting stretch (two home games before five away from Oakland) with a 3-4 record, and then surged over a three-game home winning streak. But all of those early miles and four road games in the final six left the Raiders slipping down the stretch.
The 2020 schedule seems far fairer, without an international game bogging down the Raiders’ first season in Las Vegas.
They play four prime-time games, all at the brand-new Allegiant Stadium just off the Las Vegas Strip. That's a franchise record.
They have six 10 a.m. PT kickoffs, a high but expected number when playing the AFC East and the NFC South divisions. They have one set of back-to-back East Coast games, at Atlanta and then at the New York Jets in Weeks 12 and 13. That isn’t ideal but far better than what was experienced last year.
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They only have two cold-weather games, at New York Jets in Week 13 and at Denver to close out the season. They also get Kansas City earlier in the year at Arrowhead, likely taking the elements out of the Raiders' house of horrors.
The NFL rewarding their newest market with four prime-time home games -- they play the Saints on a Monday night, the Chargers on a Thursday night and the Chiefs and Buccaneers on Sunday nights -- provides opportunity to show off Allegiant Stadium and Las Vegas, a market that missed its coming-out party when the NFL draft’s public events were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I love it. I just love it,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said in an interview with the team website. “We have the best stadium. We have the best fans, and we’re in the process of putting together one heck of a football team. You’re going to have a chance to see some of the best quarterbacks in the world come to Las Vegas, with Derek Carr every week.”
[RELATED: Raiders schedule 2020: Dates, kickoff times, TV listings for NFL season]
The Raiders drew a rough home opener against New Orleans, meaning Allegiant Stadium’s first victory may have to wait. They actually have a tough start with the Panthers, Saints, Patriots, Bills and Chiefs before a Week 6 bye.
“We play four of our first five games against playoff teams, so we’re going to have to get out of the blocks pretty hot,” Gruden said. “That’s why I hope we can get outside and start practicing pretty soon.”
The slate gets friendlier down the stretch, with just one playoff team after the bye. That group includes the Tom Brady-led Bucs, so every game won’t be easy. The season’s final stretch seems particularly easy at this point, creating the possibility the Raiders could make a late push into an expanded playoff field.
“We have three of the last four games at home,” Gruden said. “If we can take care of business and stay in contention and be a factor in December, those will be nice.”
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May 08, 2020 at 07:41AM
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Raiders' 2020 schedule much more fair than difficult 2019 - NBCSports.com
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