An Underrated But Critical Game on the Raiders' 2024 Schedule

The National Football League recently released each team’s schedule for the season, and the Las Vegas Raiders have an exciting road ahead. At first glance, the Raiders' games that stand out as the more significant ones on the schedule include their games against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and their matchup against Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints late in the season. However, there may be another game that is less talked about but nearly equally as important.

The Raiders also have a road game against the Miami Dolphins following their Bye Week. At the worst, the Raiders get to travel to Miami and see where they stack up against one of the best teams in the AFC. At best, unlike last season, the Raiders go to Miami and steal a game.

Either way, the Raiders' game against the Dolphins will be well-discussed, as it is one of the best games on Las Vegas' schedule this season.

The Raiders follow their game against the Dolphins with two AFC West opponents in consecutive weeks. Division games are always important, and the Raiders will play the Chiefs twice in a month for the second season in a row. The Raiders’ matchups between AFC West teams will be analyzed heavily.

There is one game on the Raiders' schedule this season that may seem unimportant because of the opponent, and the game is early in the season -- their showdown with the Cleveland Browns. However, the Raiders' matchup with the Browns could quietly be one of the most critical games to the Raiders' season's outcome.

The Raiders finished last season on a roll, winning three of their previous four games. The Browns ended last season similarly, winning four of their last five regular-season games before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Houston Texans.

Last season, the Raiders faced the Minnesota Vikings in a game that went well into the fourth quarter. Both teams scored zero points until the Vikings kicked a late field goal to win the game. Heading into that game and even after it, the loss to the Vikings is often overlooked in last season’s story.

The Raiders lost to the Vikings in a very winnable game and missed out on the playoffs by one game.

Their matchup against the Browns has the potential to be nearly as important as that Vikings game last season. The Raiders will face the Browns in the fourth game of the season, and there are 13 more games to play afterward. However, because of the difficulty of their schedule, the Raiders will need to win the games they’re supposed to win and one or two games on their schedule that are toss-ups and could go either way.

The Browns game represents a game that could go either way, but the Raiders need it to go their way.

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