Normally, Wednesday is nothing more than a boring day that marks the dead-middle of the week. However, this Wednesday was different–it was the annual NFL schedule release. At long last, fans league-wide know which clubs their team will face this season, and which week will welcome that contest. That includes fans of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The schedule is as followed:
Week 1 – @ New England Patriots
Week 2 – Los Angeles Chargers
Week 3 – @ Washington Commanders
Week 4 – Chicago Bears
Week 5 – @ Indianapolis Colts
Week 6 – Tennessee Titans
Week 7 – @ Kansas City
Week 8 – BYE
Week 9 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 10 – @ Denver Broncos
Week 11 – Dallas Cowboys
Week 12 – Cleveland Browns
Week 13 – @ Los Angeles Chargers
Week 14 – Denver Broncos
Week 15 – @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 16 – @ Houston Texans
Week 17 – New York Giants
Week 18 – Kansas City Chiefs
There’s no shortage of moving parts within the Raiders organization entering the 2025 NFL season. From quarterback, to running back, to receivers, to head coach, new pieces will have to work to mesh together quickly. And that’s without mention of the defense which lost six starters from this past season.
Fortunately, Sin City’s football team is met with a stretch of favorable opponents to start the year. Four of the first six teams on the schedule finished their ’24 campaign with a record south of .500.
The other two contests are between a Los Angeles Chargers team that has split each season series with the Raiders since their move to Las Vegas, outside of this past year, and a Washington Commanders team they’ll meet in Week 3 that, just like Las Vegas, has many new key parts to fit together.
By all accounts, this stretch is the most important part of the Raiders’ ’24 season.
NFL Schedule Release: A crucial stretch for the Las Vegas Raiders
Needless to say, a strong start can set the tone for the rest of the season. And, oftentimes, if a motivated team catches fire early, it carries through for a while.
The Raiders have a real chance of making that happen.
All six games on this stretch are plenty winnable with four being especially favorable. If Las Vegas comes out of the first six weeks with a 4-2 record, they’ll be set to head into the bye above .500. And, more importantly, the team will have momentum as it heads to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs.
After the bye, Jacksonville is next on the schedule; a home game for the Silver and Black. This is another team that finished their ’24 campaign under .500, winning only four games this past season.
All-in-all, a 5-3 record at that point in time is plenty realistic. And it would put the Raiders in high spirits as they enter a stretch against the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns; three more winnable games, although they’ll likely each present a challenge.
There’s no reason the 2025 NFL season can’t bring success to the Raiders organization. The first few weeks in particular will greatly help determine if that’s what happens, though.
By beating the favorable opponents early, Las Vegas sets themselves up for what may end up being a playoff run. After all, Geno Smith does have the sixth-most wins among all quarterbacks league-wide since 2022. Two of those years were under Pete Carroll, too.
However, a poor performance early will go a long way in ensuring the Raiders end their season quickly. The AFC West isn’t a division a team stays afloat in by playing catch-up, after all.
Start hot, end strong.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
As We Wait For The Last Las Vegas Raiders Rookie To Officially Sign…