Raiders Start and End Season with the Same Divisional Opponent for the Second Season in a Row

The Las Vegas Raiders will have many new features as they head into next season. They have new members in their front office, nearly a new coaching staff, and many new players who are slated to see significant playing time this upcoming season. However, one thing will remain the same for the Raiders this season.

The Silver and Black will start their season on the road against a divisional opponent for the second consecutive season. Last season, it was the Denver Broncos. This season, the Raiders will start off on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Raiders and Chargers will face each other in their regular season finale in Las Vegas.

The Raiders playing a division game early in the season benefits them because if they lose, there is still a whole season remaining to make up for the loss. If they win, they steal a road, divisional win to start the season, which should help them get going in the right direction. The game being in Los Angeles benefits the team as, logistically, it isn’t an actual road game, unlike their second game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC West eight seasons in a row, and while the Raiders would like to challenge them for the division title until another AFC West team wins the division, every other team in the AFC West is challenging for a Wild Card spot in the playoffs. That means, although it is only the first game of the season, it could still be one of the most important games the Raiders play all season.

The same goes for their matchup in the last week of the season. Both teams could be in playoff contention during the final weeks, making their game at the end of the season one of the most important games of each team’s season, unlike last season when the Raiders and Broncos faced each other in the first and final games of the season.

The Raiders have one of the most challenging schedules in the league, but there is no such thing as an easy schedule in the National Football League. While the Raiders' schedule is difficult, it is set up so that if they win one or two games they are not expected to win, they could have a much more successful season than many think.

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