The Raiders Face One of the NFL's Most Demanding Travel Schedules in 2026

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We are continuing to learn more about the Las Vegas Raiders' schedule, who they face, and when.
Like many teams across the NFL, Klint Kubiak's team faces several tough teams and impressive opponents, some of which it will have to travel long distances to.

The Raiders are not the only team that has to go across the country, but playing in a state much further west of the Mississippi River does pose challenges. However, it is much less travel than when they played in Oakland or Los Angeles.
For a young Raiders team trying to begin a rebuild and show it can compete under a new head coach, taking long road trips to opposing stadiums can be difficult. Players aren't used to the travel, and it can be physically taxing.

Today, let's break down how far the Raiders will travel for each road game and put into context just how much traveling they'll be doing.
The Raiders' Road Schedule
Week 2 - At Chargers: 277 miles

Week 3 - At Saints: 1,726 miles

Week 5 - At Patriots: 2,717 miles

Week 8 - At Jets: 2,522 miles

(It's been a long time since the Raiders played the Jets at MetLife Stadium.)
Week 9 - At 49ers: 525 miles

Week 11 - At Broncos: 753 miles

Week 12 - At Browns: 2,085 miles

Week 17 - At Cardinals: 283 miles

Week 18 - At Chiefs: 1,362 miles

By the Numbers
In total, the Raiders will travel 12,250 miles across all nine of their home games. That's an average of 1,361.1 miles per game.
The farthest the Raiders will travel is to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots, a rematch of last year's Week 1 game that saw the Silver and Black come out on top. There weren't too many wins after that, but winning in the opening week felt encouraging at the time.

The Patriots have much to prove after getting toppled in the Super Bowl, so the Raiders will get a talented, well-coached group that will be out for revenge (or dealing with a Super Bowl hangover?)
Las Vegas also travels a long distance to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Jets, its first visit to the Meadowlands since 2020. Both teams look vastly different since that game, and former Raiders quarterback Geno Smith is back where he started his NFL career.

The Raiders will also travel more than 2,000 miles to take on the Cleveland Browns, another team trying to find its footing with a young squad and a new head coach.
Not to mention, the team goes on the road in Week 2 and immediately again in Week 3. While the second week against the Los Angeles Chargers is the shortest trip, going on the road in back-to-back weeks is not easy anywhere.

Kubiak and his staff will have a lot on their plates as they prepare a young team to handle a tough road slate in 2026. Will the Raiders be up to the task?

Carter Landis studied journalism at Michigan State University where I graduated in May of 2022. He currently is a sports reporter for a local television station, and is a writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders
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