The Las Vegas Raiders 2020 schedule will be released this week, starting a brand new era of football for the Silver and Black.
With the 2020 NFL Draft behind us, the attention shifts to the schedule release, which should happen this week. The Las Vegas Raiders will be opening up their brand new stadium in their brand new city in 2020, so the excitement is at an all-time high.
Las Vegas had a three-win improvement in 2019, going from four-to-seven wins, and at one point, they appeared destined for the playoffs. However, their 6-4 start to the season was erased by a 1-5 finish through the last six games, as the team just could not play consistent football for four quarters down the stretch.
Looking ahead, this is a team that added some quality talent this offseason, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where they had deficiencies on all three levels. They return quarterback Derek Carr for his seventh season as the team’s starter, and the organization has gone out of their way to put some incredible weapons around him.
We know the opponents for 2020 already, and which teams they will play at home, and on the road.
- Home: Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts
- Away: Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets
This is a pretty tough haul for the Raiders, as they will have to go East a few times, which is always hard to do. They will also face some of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, including Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady to name a few, so their revamped secondary better be up to the challenge.
One interesting game to keep an eye on is that Tampa Bay game, as Brady left the Patriots after 20 seasons and landed with the Buccaneers. Las Vegas was rumored to be in the Brady sweepstakes this offseason, but in the end, it seems like they did not take a real serious attempt at signing him.
Coming off a seven-win season, the Raiders will be looking to take another step forward in 2020, possibly making the expanded playoffs in their first season in Sin City. They have built the holes on this roster up via free agency and the draft this offseason, and despite a tough schedule, there is no reason why they shouldn’t contend for a playoff spot in 2020.