Oakland Raiders to open up 2019 NFL season in primetime
By Brad Weiss
It won’t take long for the Oakland Raiders to be on the national stage, as they will play in primetime in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season.
The Oakland Raiders have been very busy this offseason, and as they did last year, they will open up their 2019 season in primetime. Schedule leaks on Wednesday have the Raiders taking on the Denver Broncos in an AFC West matchup on Monday Night Football to kick off the 2019 slate, and we are already excited.
The rest of the 2019 NFL schedule will be out later tonight, but we do know that not only will Oakland play Denver in Week 1, but they will also take on former star edge rusher Khalil Mack in Week 5. That game will be the first played in the new Tottenham Stadium, and will be proceeded by the team’s bye week.
According to the New York Daily News, the Raiders will take on the New York Jets in Week 12, as we continue to get a look at what the schedule will look like.
Last season, Oakland won only four games, but one of them did come against the Broncos, who they beat inside the Oakland Coliseum. They will get another chance to do just that in Week 1, and you can believe the Coliseum is going to be rocking to see all the new Raiders the team has brought in this offseason.
New general manager Mike Mayock got the party started early in the new league year, trading for Antonio Brown, who will be key against a very good Broncos secondary. Quarterback Derek Carr is looking to be even better in year two in Jon Gruden’s offense, and this will be a nice early season test.
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With all the moves the Raiders have made this offseason, including bringing in one of the more polarizing figures in the sport, it is no big surprise that they would be featured in primetime. Oakland has a real opportunity to double their win total from a year ago, and could be a sleeper when it comes to the Wild Card spots in the AFC.