Why Did They Think They Could Win These With Gardner Minshew
9. Los Angeles Chargers (Away)
The Chargers are undergoing a bit of a rebuild, but they still have Justin Herbert. Also, Jim Harbaugh wins everywhere he goes, and immediately. It's the most Chargers thing in the world to be like, "The Chargers are going to really do it this year!" but it wouldn't be surprising. The good news is that even on the road, this'll basically be a home game.
8. Los Angeles Chargers (Home)
All of that, except this is ACTUALLY a home game.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars (Home)
The Jaguars are one of the more confusing matchups across NFL schedules next year. Are they going to go back to being good? Is Doug Pederson actually just a disaster? Can Trevor Lawrence throw to a bunch of totally unrecognizable names and still make it work? For no real reason, this feels like it will be a blowout, one way or another.
6. Los Angeles Rams (Away)
A big year for Raiders games in LA. The Rams are always better than they should be, and the idea of Matt Stafford going up against the Raiders' secondary isn't one that Raiders fans want to spend too long thinking about. So don't! Let's move on.
5. Cincinnati Bengals (Away)
The Bengals feel like the team that's going to bounce back and make everyone remember that, oh yeah, they're really good. A road game in Cincinnati is tough, especially by the middle of the season when Ohio weather starts getting BLEAK. The Raiders' secondary is going to have their hands full during road games this year, which is always a recipe for success.