Raiders will have to navigate brutal early-season schedule in 2020
By Brad Weiss
Raiders will have to navigate brutal early-season schedule in 2020
Future Hall of Fame quarterbacks early on
The Raiders will open up their 2020 slate on the road against Carolina, and will be facing a team that will be starting Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. Bridgewater will take over for former franchise quarterback Cam Newton, and has not been a full-time starter in a few years, but he looked very good for the Saints last season.
Staying with the Saints, the Raiders will take on their first of three future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in their first six games in Week 2, as Drew Brees and New Orleans will play the first game ever at Allegiant Stadium. After playing Newton and the New England Patriots, and Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Weeks 3 and 4, they take on the best quarterback in the league in Week 5, and then the best to ever do it in Week 7.
The only silver lining in terms of playing Kansas City this early in the year is that they will not have to go to Arrowhead late in the season when the weather is terrible, and Derek Carr has a history of struggling. Tampa Bay, Brady’s new team, has spent the offseason building a nice collection of weapons around him, so it will be another tough early-season test for this young Raiders defense, especially the secondary.
dark. Next. 5 observations from ESPN’s final 53-man Raiders roster projection
The only saving grace is the fact that the team will get their bye week in between playing Mahomes and Brady, as they welcome the Bucs to Allegiant Stadium in Primetime. If they can somehow get a split in their first six games, they should be in good shape, but they will have to finish strong if they hope to make it to the playoffs in their first season in Vegas.