Raiders 2026 schedule release: My early thoughts

A late-season opportunity:

In a wild sequence, the Raiders are home from Weeks 14-16 with games against AFC West foes, the Chargers and Broncos and then the Titans. This will be a huge opportunity if the Raiders are in the playoff chase.

No holiday love:

The Raiders played on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve night, Christmas Day and Black Friday from 2021-24. Now, for the second year in a row, they are not part of the holiday rotation. I don’t know about you, but that’s fine by me.

Mahomes factor:

The Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4 and play at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 18. The key to the Chiefs’ season is the health of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He tore his ACL late last season. The team is hopeful he will be ready for the start of the season, but there are no assurances. Yet, the Chiefs play in primetime in the first two weeks of the season, an indication the NFL has confidence he will be ready. So, there is a chance the Raiders will face Mahomes twice this season.

Early and late season is key:

After playing the Dolphins in the opener, the the Raiders travel to play the Chargers and Saints. This isn’t a super tough start. If the Raiders can get to 2-1 before playing the Chiefs, they can be in solid shape. Also, the end of the season offers an opportunity as well. After three straight home games, they play at the Cardinals and Chiefs to finish the season. If the Raiders are in it in early December, they have a chance to make a playoff push with Week 16 and Week 17 against Arizona, offering big promise.

Tough middle stretch:

While there are opportunities early and late in the season, October is really tough and November has some tough sledding as well. The Raiders face the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills and Rams in October. Scary. The Jets and Browns lighten November but then there is also a three-game stretch of the 49ers, Seahawks and Broncos. From Week 4-11, the Raiders play against six 2025 playoff teams in a seven-game stretch. It will be interesting to see where the Raiders sit November trade deadline.

Late bye week:

The Raiders don’t have their bye until Week 3, which is in early December. That’s a long road. The Raiders didn’t deal with an overly alarming amount of injuries last year. They most hope for the same health this year, because it could be a long season. But, if they are in the playoff chase, this late break could be helpful.

Cold-weather games:

The Raiders could face some poor weather conditions. They play at Denver and Cleveland in back-to-back weeks during late Thanksgiving and then the finish the season at Kansas City. There’s some weather potential here.

Early Sunday games:

The Raiders play just three games that start at 10 a.m. That number is usually around five. that may help. The Raiders usually struggle in the early games.

Former players:

Te Raiders play some former players this season including defensive end Tyree Wilson in Week 3 at New Orleans, wide receiver Davante Adams and the Rams in Week 7 and quarterback Geno Smith and guard Dylan Parham at the Rams in Week 8.