Things to know about the Raiders 2025 schedule

The Las Vegas Raiders finally know when and where they are headed for the upcoming season.

On Wednesday, the NFL officially released the schedule for the 2025 season. For the Raiders, that means kicking off the Pete Carroll era against the New England Patriots on Sept. 7. From there, the Raiders will be in for a four-month gauntlet in the hopes of making significant progress from the four-win campaign last year.

Here are the major aspects of the Raiders schedule fans should get to know before games are played.

Prime time games

As predicted in the schedule reveal primer yesterday, the Raiders do get an early-season look in prime time when they face the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football to close out Week Two.

The re-ignition of the rivalry of Carroll and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh adds a layer of intrigue to an already-intense divisional matchup. The Raiders also do battle against the Denver Broncos on the road for Thursday Night Football in Week Ten, followed by a Monday Night Football match against the Dallas Cowboys the next week back home. It gives the team a mini bye week to get themselves prepared for the home stretch of the season.

With at least three chances to showcase their new talent on the national stage, the Raiders will have plenty of air time to prove that this is the start of a new era.

Underrated game: Week Six vs Tennessee Titans

On paper, this feels like a matchup more centered on draft order than anything.

However, this game features the two leading contenders for Offensive Rookie of the Year, with Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty facing off against Titans quarterback Cam Ward. By this point of the season, it will be more clear which player is leading the race for the award. One big victory over the other, however, could shift the tides permanently in the favor of the winning player.

Think back to Week Eight of last season. when the Washington Commanders defeated the Chicago Bears on a last-second Hail Mary pass. The play effectively pushed Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels to the lead of the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, and he would spearhead an improbable run to the NFC Championship Game to cement his victory. A similar performance by Jeanty would ensure that his name is firmly in the conversation.

Revenge game: Week One at New England Patriots

Right off the bat, the Raiders get set to square off with some familiar faces.

The Raiders and Patriots had somewhat of a fun rivalry throughout the offseason. Free agency saw the Patriots bolster their defense with several ex-Raiders (linebacker Robert Spillane, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, safety Marcus Epps). The Raiders sought to sign restricted free agent linebacker Christian Elliss from the Patriots, but New England matched their offer sheet and did not allow him to head out west.

Even more so, the Patriots’ new offensive coordinator is former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. McDaniels is back in the NFL for the first time since being fired by the Raiders midway through the 2023 season, so he will be looking for some revenge against his former team. Prior to his stint with the Raiders, McDaniels worked to turn Tom Brady into the greatest quarterback the league has ever seen, and he will now get the chance to do the same with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Toughest stretch: Week 13-18

The Raiders will hope to get some leeway, as the schedule makers did them no favors to end the year.

In the final stretch of six games, the Raiders face all three of their divisional rivals at least once. While they only face one team on the road (the Chargers in Week 13), divisional matchups are still difficult to win. The Raiders went 0-6 against their AFC West brethren last season, so they will be looking for some improvement in that area.

Along with their divisional foes, the Raiders have two additional games against playoff teams in the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans. Both games are on the road, making already challenging games even more so. If the Raiders can pick up a couple of wins during this stretch, it could go a long way towards playing spoiler for potential playoff teams, if not bolstering their own postseason ambitions.

Game Raiders are most expected to win: Week 12 vs Cleveland Browns

Fortunately, the Raiders get the chance to tune up before entering an insane end of the season.

While there is no such thing as a clear win in the NFL, the Browns are in a massive state of flux heading into the 2025 season. Despite keeping edge rusher Myles Garrett around, he is one of only a few bankable players the Browns have at their disposal. That could certainly change by this point of the season, but the Raiders have the better collection of talent of paper.

There is one potential storyline for this game, however, depending on where Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is in the lineup. Sanders was linked to the Raiders, but an unexpected draft slide lead to him falling to Cleveland in the fifth round. If Sanders is starting by the time Week 12 rolls around, he could be motivated for some vindication against a team he might feel slighted him in April.

Game Raiders are most expected to lose: Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles

Having to go against the defending Super Bowl champions on the road is a tough ask, even for an improved Raiders squad.

The main matchup here is Jeanty comparing to Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley lead the NFL in rushing last season, earning more rushing yards than the Raiders did as a team. That is unlikely to be the case with Jeanty now in Las Vegas, so expect this game to feature some fireworks on the ground.

Otherwise, the Eagles are where the Raiders are aiming to be right now. While it is unlikely the Raiders will pull out a win, going blow-for-blow with the defending champion is a major accomplishment in and of itself. If there was ever a case where a moral victory does count for something, hanging tough in this situation qualifies.

Predicted record: 9-8

Achieving more than double the wins of last season would count as a major success for the Raiders.

Sure, the end-of-season stretch does the Raiders no favors, and some issues with the roster could end up making this more optimistic. However, the Raiders have plenty of new talent to work around, and Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith should elevate the floor of this team. Even if the Raiders are hovering around the .500 mark at the end of the season, it would still mark significant improvement from the hapless squad of 2024.