Instant predictions for Raiders’ 2026 slate

Week 3: @ New Orleans Saints

Prediction: Loss

Not that it means much in the big picture of the league, but FanDuel is giving the Saints decent odds (+290) to win the NFC South next season. That’s second behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and look for quarterback Tyler Shough to build on an impressive stretch at the end of his rookie year. Shough started nine games and tossed a 67.6 completion percentage, nearly 2,400 yards and 10 touchdowns to six interceptions. New Orleans is just one step ahead of Las Vegas in its rebuild.

Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Prediction: Win

Patrick Mahomes suffered a torn ACL and LCL at the beginning of December, threatening his availability at the beginning of the season. Also, that could cause him to get off to a slow start, and the final weeks of last season showed how reliant Kansas City is on the two-time MVP being behind center.

Week 5: @ New England Patriots

Prediction: Loss

Las Vegas ended up pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the NFL last year by taking down New England on the road. We just didn’t know that at the time, since it was the season opener. But the Patriots are a much different team than back then, coming off the heels of a Super Bowl run.

Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills

Prediction: Loss

It certainly feels like the Bills’ Super Bowl window is closing, but this is a team that finished 12-5 in the regular season last year and was a couple of bone-headed mistakes away from meeting the Patriots in the AFC Championship. It’s hard to expect a young Raiders team to come away with a win here.

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Prediction: Loss

The Rams are currently FanDuel’s favorite to win it all and rightfully so. Los Angeles was four points away from going to the Super Bowl last season, and the majority of the roster is back. Las Vegas isn’t in a position to compete with that right now.

Week 8: @ New York Jets

Prediction: Win

Geno Smith gets a chance to get revenge, but if he’s anything like the quarterback who played for the Raiders last year, I like the Silver and Black’s chances to get a win on the road.

Week 9: @ San Francisco 49ers

Prediction: Loss

Injuries have plagued the 49ers, and the infamous electrical substation is still sitting right next to the practice facility. Granted, the organization did its own research and determined that it was nothing more than a fun social media conspiracy. Regardless, San Francisco is a well-coached team that also has a lot of talent to take care of a young club in Vegas.

Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Prediction: Loss

The Silver and Black could have an advantage here since Klint Kubiak has some inside information on his former team. Also, in addition to their offensive coordinator, the Seahawks lost a handful of key players from last year’s team. However, this is a matchup between two teams that were on opposite ends of the first round of last month’s draft, so it’s hard to see a major upset at this stage.

Week 11: @ Denver Broncos

Prediction: Loss

The Raiders haven’t won in Denver since 2022, and the Broncos are widely expected to compete for the AFC Championship again. That makes it hard to see Las Vegas turning its fortunes in the Mile High City around this fall.

Week 12: @ Cleveland Browns

Prediction: Win

The Browns don’t have a bad roster top to bottom, but they’re still figuring out the quarterback situation. Whether it’s Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders, the Raiders have a good opportunity to get a road win here.

Week 13: Bye

No prediction is necessary here, obviously. But the Raiders having the late bye week throws a small wrinkle into when Mendoza will make his first start, assuming he doesn’t begin the year as QB1. Had it been closer to the middle of the season, that would have helped create a more natural transition.

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Prediction: Loss

Health is always a factor with the Chargers, especially since both of their offensive tackles missed more than half of last season, with Rashawn Slater sitting out for the entire campaign. But roster for roster, Los Angeles is ahead of Las Vegas and should be a Super Bowl contender.

Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos

Prediction: Loss

The Broncos are coming off an AFC Championship run and return the majority of their key players from one of the most complete rosters in the league. Granted, how Bo Nix returns from the broken ankle that knocked him and Denver out of the playoffs gives Las Vegas some hope. But right now, that roster is too strong to expect a young, rebuilding team to take them down.

Week 16: vs. Tennessee Titans

Prediction: Win

As bad as the Raiders were last season—and boy, were they bad—Pete Carroll’s crew still managed to take down the Titans at Allegiant Stadium. Barring a dramatic turnaround from Cam Ward and Robert Saleh, this should be one of the few games Las Vegas is favored in.

Week 17: @ Arizona Cardinals

Prediction: Win

The Cardinals are another club that’s expected to be a lot closer to the No. 1 pick of the draft than making the playoffs. Arizona has too many question marks right now, so Las Vegas should be able to steal this one on the road.

Week 18: @ Kansas City Chiefs

Prediction: Loss

Patrick Mahomes’ injury and how long it will take him to truly get back to 100 percent make this game difficult to predict several months in advance. For now, I’ll err on the side of Mahomes at least being good enough to help the Chiefs split the series against the Raiders, where the home team wins each matchup, like what happened in the 2025 campaign.

Final Record: 6-11

This would mean the over hits, but just barely. While the fanbase wants to see more immediate results, that’s just not realistic for a rebuilding team. Doubling last year’s win total would be a good start to the Mendoza era, especially if the Raiders can end the campaign on a high note to build some momentum heading into 2027.