What to know about the schedule reveal from a Raiders perspective

The Las Vegas Raiders know their opponents for the 2025 season, but they will soon know when they can expect to face them.

At 5 p.m. PST in May 14, the NFL releases the schedule for the upcoming season. While the league has released some games, the Raiders are one team where each of their games remains a mystery. With nine home games and eight road games, the schedule makers have the unenviable task of trying to make those games work along with those of the other 31 teams.

For the Raiders, in particular, there are some things that fans will unquestionably want to pay attention to.

Prime time games

Last year, the Raiders did not draw many prime time matchups, appearing in the nightly window twice.

While being a four-win team is not exactly a strong selling point, the Raiders have some interesting storylines worth pursuing. Pete Carroll’s return to the sideline is a good place to start, while the encore of Brock Bowers and debut of Ashton Jeanty are also worth bringing to a national audience.

It is still unlikely the Raiders will get many prime time games this season, but an early-season matchup while the intrigue is still hot is expected. As far as potential opponents, divisional rivals in the AFC West are usually pretty easy to sell to a national audience. Outside of that, games against the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles would also draw some attention.

East Coast trips

The Raiders are confirmed to make the dreaded coast-to-coast trip four times, heading to Philadelphia, Washington, New England and Indianapolis during the season.

These matchups tend to be difficult, largely due to the differences in time and climate. Depending on when the matchups are scheduled, coming up with a gameplan against an East Coast team could have to take the elements into account. Carroll will likely have a strategy for that as it comes along, so it will be interesting to see what that looks like.

As far as the scheduling of these games is concerned, the Raiders may catch a reprieve. There have been instances where the schedule makers place two East Coast games together, giving the road team an opportunity to stay in the time zone and not have to worry about having to re-adjust. With any luck, the Raiders will have the opportunity to do exactly that.

When is the bye?

Last season, the Week Ten bye came at an interesting time for the Raiders.

Mired in the middle of what would ultimately become a ten-game losing streak, the Raiders used the bye last year to make sweeping changes. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and several assistants were fired, and head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco eventually followed by the end of the season. With new management in Carroll and general manager John Spytek, it is unlikely that the Raiders will have to undertake such drastic changes this time around.

However, understanding when the bye is gives Raiders fans something to look forward to. Depending on when the bye is, it gives the Raiders a chance to reset early and go over some things they want to improve on, or gives them an opportunity to see where they stand closer towards the end of the season. Expect the bye to be somewhere in the middle of the season again, giving the Raiders enough time to see if any moves are necessary and if a playoff push is at least somewhat feasible.